Psychology

No, students can obtain cum laude by meeting the college requirements: 3.50 or higher GPA on all courses taken at UF beginning the semester after accumulating 60 credits. ( See CLAS AAC college advisor for assistance). Students can obtain magna or summa cum laude if they meet the college requirements and the requirements set by the Psychology department for the honors thesis.

The first step is to identify a laboratory where you want to gain experience. There are several ways to do this.

• Talk with your course instructors and teaching assistants about research projects that they are conducting.
• Browse the notices about available research positions on the bulletin boards on the first floor of the Psychology Building.
• Look through faculty members’ web pages to see who is conducting research of interest to you (see https://psych.ufl.edu/directory/faculty/ for a listing of faculty and links to their web pages).
• Get involved with the Psychology Club. The club will announce opportunities for research positions periodically.
• Once you have identified laboratories of interest, contact the faculty member or graduate student to find out about the availability of research assistant positions and the specific laboratory’s application procedures. You are encouraged to do this as early as possible, as some laboratories have limited available positions. It is best to apply towards the end of the semester, before you want to begin working in the research lab, or as early as possible in the semester you wish to start working.

A senior thesis is an original and significant research project conducted under the close supervision of a faculty member. If you’re considering undertaking a senior thesis, it’s important to first gain experience as a research assistant (see PSY4911 of PSY4905 for details). This allows a faculty member to become familiar with your work, making it more likely they will agree to supervise your thesis.

Completing a thesis is a serious commitment, requiring both intellectual effort and time. Most thesis projects take at least two semesters to complete, in addition to the time spent initially gaining experience as a research assistant.

Students will typically do a couple of things. Some will register for individual study (PSY 4905) to collect data on what they want to do for their research topic. Then, find a faculty member with similar interests and ask them if they are willing to help them with their research work in the lab. This would be supervised research (PSY 4911). They would register for PSY4970, senior thesis, in their senior year to defend their findings.

Registering for 4905 or 4911 is not required, but you must register for 4970 to do the honor thesis for at least one credit. This credit must apply to the additional psych electives.

Students must develop a written proposal that is at least 7-8 pages long (longer proposals are often appropriate), double-spaced, and consists of sections representative of the actual thesis. Generally, the proposal should include the following:

1. Specific aims or purpose of the project.
2. Review of pertinent literature.
3. Type and number of subjects to be tested: if applicable.
4. Apparatus or materials to be used: if applicable.
5. Techniques or procedures for data collection.
6. Methods of data analysis.
7. Possible outcomes of the study and their interpretations for the senior thesis

• If you enroll in PSY 4970 but do not defend your thesis that semester, you must email  a Psych Advising and Dr. Chandler by the last day of classes. If you must discontinue your thesis, provide a detailed explanation, though this should be rare.
• You must sign up for PSY4970 credits in the semester you intend to defend. A maximum of 4 credits can be taken for PSY 4970, so if you’ve already completed 3 credits, you can only sign up for 1 more. These credits must count toward your Psychology requirements. To continue, again fill out the PSY4970 paperwork using the same thesis proposal and attach it to a new form signed by your Faculty Supervisor. Submit this via email to psych-advising@ufl.edu.

Please see the PSY4970 Enrollment Form & Full Proposal Submission Deadline table above.

Suppose the faculty member is not in psychology or affiliated with psychology. In that case, you must get a member of the psychology department who is experienced in the research area in which you plan to complete your research. You will need them to sign the form as the faculty sponsor. See “Thesis & Faculty Member Requirements” for a list of Psychology Faculty by area.

PSY4905 may be appropriate for students when developing a senior honors thesis idea or doing a directed readings course as an independent study with a professor. Students should consult with their faculty member and the Undergraduate Coordinator, Dr. Ron Chandler for assistance.

Yes, it is possible. However, as UF Online students are fully remote, it’s important to find a Psychology faculty member willing to collaborate with you in this capacity.

Graduate students cannot serve on thesis committees; however, with the Chair’s approval, they can attend the thesis defense as an outside non-voting member. Thesis students working with non-psychology or non-psychology affiliated faculty must find a Psychology Faculty member knowledgeable in the research area to serve as the Co-Chair.