Psychology: Distinguished Majors Program

Distinguished Majors Program in the Department of Psychology

1. General Information
2. Requirements
   1. Thesis and Deadlines
   2. Specific Coursework
   3. Area Meetings
   4. Suggested Courses
   5. GPA
3. The Admission Process
   1. Eligibility
   2. When to Apply
   3. How to Apply
4. Getting Started
   1. Selecting an Advisor
   2. Selecting a Topic
5. Thesis Resources
6. Appendix
   1. Forms
   2. Guidelines on the Awarding of Levels of Distinction

The Distinguished Majors Program (DMP) in the Department of Psychology is designed for psychology majors who show exceptional promise. The DMP is a two-semester program completed during a student's fourth year. Upon successful completion of this program, most students receive a departmental recommendation for a baccalaureate award of Distinction, High Distinction, or Highest Distinction.

The DMP is centered on the preparation of a thesis. The thesis may be based on empirical research or a review of literature. The topic is an original idea developed in collaboration with a faculty advisor. In some cases, a graduate student will also assist the faculty advisor. An important feature of the DMP is the opportunity for students to work closely with a faculty member and gain valuable hands-on research experience. There is also a required seminar for DMP participants. This is designed to enrich the thesis experience.

Thesis and Deadlines

Students must prepare a thesis under the supervision of a departmental faculty member. The thesis may be based on empirical research with data collected by the student or obtained from an existing database, or it may consist of a critical review or theoretical analysis of existing findings. The thesis work consists of three credit hours each semester of the fourth year. Distinguished Majors who begin in the Fall semester register for PSYC 497; those who begin in the Spring semester register for PSYC 498. The same course number is used the second semester. Upon completion of the thesis, one grade is assigned by the thesis advisor for all six credit hours.

The advisor of the thesis is identified through a matching process (see the admission process) before final acceptance in the program. The advisor and primary contact must be a faculty member in the Department of Psychology.

The topic of the thesis, identified by the student in consultation with the advisor, must be identified by the end of the first month in the program. A second reader must be identified by the end of the first semester.

The thesis must be completed and submitted to the thesis advisor and second reader no later than one month prior to the date of graduation. Two copies of the final thesis must be submitted to the Undergraduate Committee by the last day of classes.

Specific Coursework

In addition to meeting the requirements for the Psychology major, DMP students must take PSYC 387, Seminar for Distinguished Majors, each semester while enrolled in the program. The one credit seminar meets one hour per week and is graded satisfactory/ unsatisfactory.

Area Meetings

It is recommended strongly that DMP students attend the weekly area meeting of the area to which their research is related. Each area meets (usually during the lunch hour) for presentations of research or discussions of topics of interest. Presenters are faculty members, graduate students or visitors. Meetings are informal and offer a wonderful opportunity for the exchange of scientific knowledge.  Distinguished majors do not enroll in these classes. Attendance at departmental colloquia also is encouraged. Announcements of area meetings and departmental colloquia are sent on email to those in the DMP. DMP participants are required to attend a minimum of two research presentations each semester.

Suggested Courses

DMP participants are encouraged strongly to take seminars at the 500-level or above that are of interest. Courses at the 500-level are taught at a similar level to courses at the 400-level, except the courses are designed to include both undergraduate and graduate students. Courses at the 700- and 800-level may be taken, subject to approval by the instructor and the Dean of the Graduate School based on departmental recommendation. With approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies, graduate seminar courses can count as fulfilling the 400- or 500-level course requirements for the major.

GPA

The College of Arts and Sciences requires that students complete their degree with a University grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.40 to graduate with distinction. Any student who completes the thesis but does not have the required overall GPA will receive a grade for the DMP course, but will not graduate with distinction.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the DMP, students must be a Psychology major and have an overall GPA of 3.40. PSYC 306 must be completed or in progress by the time of application.

• The College of Arts and Sciences requires that students must complete their degree with a University GPA of at least 3.40 to graduate with distinction. Transfer students with a GPA slightly below 3.40 may be conditionally approved, with the requirement that grades be raised before the program begins.
• Students who do not meet requirements may petition to the Undergraduate Committee at the time of application.

When to Apply

Applications must be submitted the semester prior to the student's last full academic year.

• For students graduating in May, applications are due by March 1 of the previous year.
• For students graduating in January, applications are due by November 1 of the previous year.

How to Apply

• Complete the Distinguished Majors Application Form. Preliminary acceptances will be made one week after the application deadline. Applicants will be notified of their preliminary acceptance status by e-mail.
• By the last day of the application month (March 31 for May graduates; November 30 for January graduates), applicants must submit an Advisor Preference Form indicating their research area and advisor preferences. Before this deadline, applicants are strongly encouraged to meet with all faculty members with whom they may be interested in conducting their thesis.
• Based on this information, final acceptances will be determined, and students and faculty will be notified.

Selecting an Advisor

Once you have selected an area, you find a faculty member within that area to serve as your advisor. The psychology web page contains information about the research interests of the faculty members in the department. Although many students start with an area and identify an appropriate faculty member, it is equally common for a student to reverse these steps. The important thing to remember is that you cannot receive final acceptance into the program until you are paired with an advisor, so this is not a step on which you can afford to procrastinate.

Any member of the faculty within the Psychology Department is a possible candidate for an advisor. Two important considerations in selecting an advisor are to find someone who is willing to supervise you, and to find someone with whom you think you'll work well. Some students emphasize the latter, and start by choosing a faculty member.

Some faculty members will only sponsor a Distinguished Major who has already done research in their lab, so getting involved in research is strongly encouraged. You are also encouraged to become involved in research early (by fall of your third year), because then you have the option to explore other research areas if the first one doesn't work out.

Once you've identified a faculty member as a prospective advisor, you need to initiate contact with him or her. This should be done as soon as possible after the decision, but no later than the deadline for turning in the Advisor Preference Form. A face-to-face discussion is preferred for discussing the possibility of supervising your thesis. Most faculty members are reluctant to supervise a thesis if they have not met the student in person.

Here are some things to keep in mind during your meeting:

• Many faculty members are delighted to work with top undergraduates (which DMP participants usually are).
• You want to convince a faculty member that there is something to gain from working with you. Plan what you will say. Be confident and tell this person why you would like to work with him or her.
• A faculty member may decline your request if he or she is already spread over too many projects, will be on leave, or thinks your area of interest is too far from his or her own. Do not take this personally. Try someone else.

Selecting a Topic

Your advisor is there to teach and advise you. He or she has years of experience in conducting research. The process of developing a thesis topic is one of collaboration. Don't worry about getting an idea on your own. Talk to your advisor. He or she will get you pointed in the right direction with a program of readings that will help you generate ideas. Whether you come in with a fairly clear idea of what you want to study, or you only know the broad area, your advisor will want to discuss the ideas and work with you to refine them. The final topic will probably be one in which both of you had some input. It will also be something in which both of you have an interest.

Research projects vary widely in their need for equipment, materials and supplies. If the equipment needed for a thesis is available in the department, it should be available free of charge. All arrangements for equipment are made through the advisor.

Materials and supplies may be covered by the advisor if the research is conducted as part of a grant. If the research is not covered by a grant, the Psychology Department will provide copies of experimental materials (questionnaires, consent forms, etc.) up to a reasonable amount.

In the past, the Office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences has offered a limited number of grants for amounts up to $500 in support of undergraduate research.

Forms

• Application for Distinguished Majors Program in Psychology

Guidelines on the Awarding of Levels of Distinction

Consistent with University guidelines, recommendations for distinction are based on the following:

• The quality of the student's thesis.
• The student's overall work in the DMP.
• The student's overall work in the major field of study.
• The student's overall College record.

Departmental recommendations are submitted to the Chair of the University Committee on Special Programs no later than two weeks before graduation. This is typically after the diplomas have been submitted to the printer. Therefore, DMP students should expect to receive a blank "diploma" at the departmental diploma ceremony. Actual diplomas are mailed shortly after graduation.