Honors Program in Psychology

Our faculty members are conducting research in areas such as psychology and law, violence and aggression, health risk behaviors, child language studies, moral development, gambling addiction, substance abuse, interpersonal and group relations, and various other topics. They are eager to work with you on an independent research project.

Upon successful completion of the honors program, you will be given the designation: “Honors in Psychology” on your transcript. This designation not only strengthens your résumé and application to graduate school, it tells your future employers that you can create and design your own  independent project, work well under supervision, manage assistants, collect data and statistics, analyze your findings, write a complete report and give a formal presentation of your project. These are skills that both employers and graduate programs are looking for.

To be admitted into the honors program, you must: 

• Have a cumulative GPA of 3.0.
• Have a GPA of 3.25 in psychology.
• Have no more than 89 credits when you begin the honors program.

In your sophomore or junior year, you submit a proposal for an honors project to your faculty mentor. Your proposal should include a literature review and the design of your study. Deadlines for proposals are Oct. 1 in the Fall Semester and March 1 in the Spring Semester.

Once you have been admitted to the Departmental Honors Program in psychology, you will enroll in a directed study course, during which time you will work on your project in each of the two semesters following the semester in which you submitted your proposal. You must complete your project in one year, not including the semester in which you proposed the project. During the time you work on your project your GPA must remain at the level of the admissions requirements stated above.

For more information, contact Dr. Melissa Marcotte at mmarcotte@ric.edu.