Psychology Division

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Psychology Division

Honors in Psychology

Psychology students are eligible for Honors in two different ways:

Induction into Psi Chi national honor society.

Psychology Division Honors at graduation based on:
          ~ GPA in psychology courses of 3.3 or higher.
          ~ Completion of at least 4 credit hours of an
              independent study project in psychology with
              a grade of B+ or higher. This project must be
            approved as qualifying for Honors by the
            faculty sponsor and division chair. A written
              report of the project must be prepared and
              distributed to each member of the division at
              least one week before the oral examination for
              division honors. A written outline of the student's
              program of study while at Alfred should
              accompany this paper.
          ~ The student must pass an oral defense of his/her
              research project and an exam covering some of
              the major theoretical positions and substantive
              issues in psychology. The oral exam is given
              during that last two weeks of the semester in
              which the student is graduating.

Honors in Gerontology

In order to qualify to graduate with Honors in Gerontology, a student must meet the following requirements:

          1. A cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher in Gerontology
              (GRO) courses.
          2. Completion of a 4-credit independent study with a grade
              of B+ or better agreed upon by the Division Chair and
              faculty sponsor as qualifying for Honors.
          3. Passing an oral exam regarding your independent study
              conducted by a committee selected by the Gerontology
              Steering Committee.

University Honors

The University sponsors an honors program that includes a special collection of honors seminars. This program is separate from division honors, and students must be admitted to this program.

Independent Study

All students may engage in independent study work with a faculty advisor. Independent study is one of the best ways to learn more about an area of interest or develop some valuable research skills. Requirements for independent study are as follows:

Develop a project with the faculty advisor (2-4 credit hours
depending on the project).

Submit a Plan of Study form to the division chair and
Registrar's Office.

Completion of the project within 1 to 2 semesters
         (determined in conjunction with the faculty advisor prior to
          beginning the project).

Independent studies can take several forms:

Literature review - an in-depth analysis of a topic of
         interest through an extensive review of readings on the
         topic with the goal of writing a paper summarizing and
         critiquing this literature. Research assistance - working with a
         faculty member who is conducting empirical research to gain
         experience and knowledge of this topic and of the research
         process (a written report of some kind should result process).

Research assistance - working with a faculty member who is
         conducting empirical research to gain experience and
         knowledge of this topic and of the research process (a
         written report of some kind should result from this process).

Student research project - development and execution of a
          unique research project by the student with the assistance of
          the faculty advisor and the completion of a paper
          summarizing this project.

A sampling of the titles of some recent independent study projects appears at the end of the Current Research page.


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Email: taylorlr@alfred.edu