Departmental Honors Program

• Psychology major
• Overall UT GPA of at least 3.25
• PSY GPA at least 3.5
• Upper division standing
• Completion of: PSY 301 & 418/420M, AND 6 hours of upper division PSY courses (not including PSY 420M, PSY 357, or PSY 359)
• Participation in PSY 357 Undergraduate Research is highly recommended.

Admission to the Psychology Honors Program is by application only and spaces are limited. The number of applications is usually greater for the Fall-to-Spring cycle than for the Spring-to-Fall cycle. Each cycle requires a separate application and undergoes independent admission decisions. Being accepted for one cycle does not guarantee a spot in the next cycle.

Admission is prioritized for students who meet eligibility requirements and:

- Have prior research experience (beyond any research conducted as part of a course)

- Have identified a potential faculty mentor for their project

- Plan to graduate at the end of the second semester of the program

- Are not completing a thesis as part of another honors program.

 Students interested in the honors program are strongly encouraged to get involved in research as early as possible. The honors thesis requires independent research, so a student who does not have prior research experience will be poorly equipped for this requirement. Getting involved in research early allows students to explore different areas of research that might interest them. Furthermore, the strongest honors projects typically are those that are developed in collaboration with a faculty member with whom a student already has been working. Students should have at least a tentative commitment from a faculty member to mentor their project before beginning the program.

PSY 458: Taken either prior to beginning the honors program or in the first semester concurrently with PSY 359H, this course is designed to give students more exposure to conducting and writing research in Psychology.  

PSY 359H: Taken in the first semester of honors, this course is designed to give honors students the opportunity to to develop more advanced research skills and begin their project. The Introduction & Methods sections are written in this course. 

PSY 379H: Taken in the second semester of honors, this course is designed to give honors students the opportunity to run their study, discuss their findings, and receive feedback. The Results & Discussions sections are written in this course, and the poster session is held. 

PSY 158H: Registered for in the second semester of honors, this course is designed for the student to receive the supervision of their faculty member and lab.

Fulfill the regular degree requirements for the BA/BS in Psychology plus three additional hours in the major, which includes the following coursework: 
-PSY 301, PSY 418/420M, 8 additional hours of upper division PSY courses in the areas designated by the degree plan, and 5 additional hours of upper or lower division PSY courses 
-PSY 458, PSY 359H, PSY 379H, & PSY 158H all with a B or better 
-overall GPA of at least 3.25 and a PSY GPA of at least 3.5 

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