Honors in Psychology
Honors in Psychology Program:
Psychology majors may choose to complete their department degree requirements with an honors designation. This is an excellent opportunity for good students to gain valuable expertise. Completion of Honors in Psychology demonstrates to graduate program admissions committees and future employers that you have special experience, motivation, and ability to succeed in the field of psychology. If you meet the criteria for participation and you are a dedicated student of psychology, you are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity.
Students who meet all of the following three criteria are invited to participate in the Honors in Psychology program:
- Completion of one semester at Shippensburg University
- Shippensburg University overall GPA of 3.4 or better
- Shippensburg University psychology GPA of 3.4 or better
You may join the program at any time after your first semester, provided you will be here long enough (or willing to stay long enough) to complete all the program's requirements. You do not need to participate in the university's general honors program to receive Honors in Psychology. After you are already in the Honors in Psychology program, if your overall or psychology GPA drops below 3.4, you will have a one semester "grace period" to raise your average; if you do not raise your average to at least 3.4 during that semester, you will be removed from the program until your average is once again 3.4 or better.
Honors Guidesheet
Honors Course Approval Form
Requirements for Honors in Psychology:
- You must receive your 12 foundation credits (see psych. major guide sheet) from some combination of 300-level courses, 400-level courses, and/or honors credit in 200-level courses. To receive honors credit in a course, you sign up for a regular section of the course, but you and the professor for that course will agree on a special set of requirements for honors credit. The special requirements will most likely be different rather than extra requirements. You and the professor should come up with a written agreement about the nature of these requirements by the second week of the semester.
- You must take at least two additional honors course from the following list of options:
- PSY 396 Seminar in Psychological Thought
- Honors credit in any 300-level or 400-level psychology course
- Any 500-level graduate course in the psychology department
- You must complete a two-semester honors thesis. An honors thesis consists of planning and carrying out an original and intensive scholarly project under the guidance of an honors thesis advisor. Your honors thesis advisor must be a faculty member in the psychology department who is willing to work with you.
- Please see the Honors Psychology Major Guide Sheet for more detailed information about Honors in Psychology requirements.