Honors Program | Department of Psychology

The Psychology Department's Undergraduate Honors Program is a three semester pattern of seminar courses and independent research (PSYC 494 - Advanced Research) designed to offer undergraduates an opportunity to do sustained scholarly work on a specific research project, culminating in the preparation of an undergraduate Bachelor's Thesis.

The program is primarily designed for students with a Psychology research and scholarly orientation. It is of less educational relevance to those students who have a professional or service orientation toward psychology.

The three-semester honors program begins with a literature review project in the Spring semester of the junior year and culminates with a Bachelor's Thesis and poster presentation in the Spring semester of the senior year.

Informational meeting held in October with application deadline in mid-November. More details as dates approach.

Professor Josh Gulley and Olubankole Arogundade at 2014 Honors Poster Presentation

Daniel Szoke presents at 2017 Honors Poster Presentation

Yara Mekawi, Tianjun Sun, and Professor Aaron Benjamin at 2015 Honors Poster Presentation

Admission Requirements

Minimum academic requirements for admission into the junior year portion of the program are:

Minimum 2nd semester junior standing.
A grade point average of 3.5 in both psychology and overall at the University of Illinois at the time of application. Exceptions may be granted at the direction of the program director.
Completion of an introductory course in Psychology, statistics, and at least two other courses in Psychology.
Completion of at least one of the Department's research methods/laboratory courses. It is strongly recommended that this requirement is satisfied prior to the start of the program.

Want more information - Detailed PDF Honors Program Description

Frequently Asked Questions

When do I apply?

During the junior year, an informational meeting is traditionally held in late October or early November. Applications will become available at that time.

Who gets accepted?

Students who meet/exceed the minimum requirements and who have already established a working relationship in a Psychology laboratory have a better chance of being admitted to the program.

Do I need to be a Psychology major to participate?

No, students from many different majors have participated in the past. However, non-Psychology students cannot receive Departmental Distinction.

Can I work in a non-Psychology faculty's lab and still participate in Honors?

Faculty from other departments must be "affiliated" with the Psychology Department. We have a number of non-PSYC faculty who are already affiliated with the department. Determining whether the non-PSYC faculty can be affiliated is the decision of the Department Head.