Qualified students and the instructor or supervisor choose a particular problem for investigation or studying psychology. A formal written report of the work is required.

• Credits Per Semester: 1-3
• Maximum Enrollment: 4 credits
• Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
• Enrollment Form: PSY4905 Independent Study Registration Form

PSY4905: Steps to Enroll

1. To enroll, you must first arrange to take this course with a faculty supervisor.
2. Fill out and print the registration form.
3. Complete a 1–2-page proposal described on the registration form, and obtain the signature of a faculty supervisor.
   • If the faculty member is not in psychology or clinical and health psychology, you must get a member of the psychology department to sign the form as the faculty supervisor.
4. Once completed and signed, email the form to Psychology Advising at psych-advising@ufl.edu, where the Undergraduate Coordinator will register you for the course if your proposal reflects an appropriate use of PSY4905.

Remember: This is a graded course, so you must work with your faculty supervisor to establish the extent and nature of written work from which your grade can be assessed. Furthermore, the amount of work should be representative of the number of credits that you are signed up for.

Find a faculty supervisor for your project.

Explore the research by topic to find the right research opportunity for you.

The Center for Undergraduate Research

Provides firsthand, supervised research in Psychology. Projects may involve inquiry, design, investigation, scholarship, discovery, or application in Psychology. Students participate in ongoing research in psychology, assisting in such phases as experimental design, data collection, and analysis.

• Credits Per Semester: 0-3
• Maximum Enrollment: 9 credits
  • Note: PSY4911 is the ONLY course students can use all 9 IW credits unless other IW have been taken.
• Grading Scheme:  S/U
• Interactive Enrollment Form (PDF):  PSY4911 Research Assistant Enrollment Form

PSY4911: Steps to Enroll

1. Review Requirements
   • Familiarize yourself with the Individual Work (IW) Enrollment Policy.
   • Download and review the PSY4911 Enrollment Form
2. Complete Enrollment Information
   • Fill out all required fields on the PSY4911 Enrollment Form.
3. Verify Credits
   • Ensure the requested credits align with the Individual Work policy.
   • Confirm that your total credits, including this enrollment, do not exceed the 18-credit limit set by UF.
4. Complete Required UF Trainings
   • Finish the UF Sexual Harassment (GET803v) and Privacy Training (PRV802) courses.
5. Obtain Signatures
   • Get the necessary signature from your faculty supervisor.
   • If applicable, obtain the signature of your faculty sponsor. Department of Psychology Faculty.
6. Submit Enrollment Form
   • Email the completed enrollment form to psych-advising@ufl.edu. Hard copies will not be accepted. 

Students completing the Psychology Honors Thesis will engage in independent research under the supervision of a faculty member. The thesis demonstrates the ability to carry out scholarly work and is required for students seeking High or Highest Honors in Psychology.

<li><a href=”https://psych.ufl.edu/undergrad/undergraduate-advising-in-psychology/psychology-senior-thesis/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Honors Thesis Requirements & Guidelines</a></li>
</ul>

</expandsub2]

Students can take 0-3 credits per semester, to be determined by their research supervisor. For each credit taken, you must complete 45 work hours this semester. Note: Students enrolling for 0 credits without additional coursework are subject to a 1 credit UF fee.

PSY4905 is used to work independently to collect data. PSY4911 is supervised research. This is when a student is actively participating in conducting/ participating in labs under the supervision of their faculty/project supervisors. PSY4905 cannot be used for supervised research that should be taken under PSY4911.

Although there are various uses for which PSY4905 is appropriate, students typically sign up for PSY4905 when developing a senior honors thesis idea or when doing a directed readings course as an independent study with a professor.

Research taken for credit must be voluntary and unpaid.

As with any course, credit for these courses cannot be awarded retroactively, so if you want to earn credit, register for the individual work course in the semester that you plan to work.

Registration for these courses is available during advance registration through the semester’s midpoint.  If you have a scholarship, you should check with financial aid about any consequences for adding these courses after drop/add.

Although many students begin with PSY4911, these courses do not have to be taken in sequence, nor do all of the courses have to be taken before conducting a senior thesis.

You can enroll in 0 credits for PSY4911, so if you have already taken the maximum # of credits in these courses, you can still sign up for 0 credits. No fee is associated with 0 credits, and the course will still reflect on your transcripts.

If you plan to work primarily with a graduate student as your supervisor, you still must obtain a signature from the graduate student’s faculty supervisor.

If you plan to work on research with a member of the Clinical and Health Psychology faculty, you may sign up for CLP3911 (Introduction to Clinical Research) and receive credit toward the psychology major, but you must do this through HPNP (go to HPNP 3158 or call 273-6455 for more information).

If the faculty member is not in psychology, you must get a member of the psychology department who is experienced in the research area you plan to complete research in.  You will need them to sign the form as the faculty sponsor.