The Psychology Department is proud to offer the first and to date the only major at Rutgers University-Newark in which students can earn the status of Honors in the Major of Psychology. It is a mark of distinction showing that students have gone well above and beyond the minimum requirements to earn the major. Students who pursue the Honors in Psychology major may do so either in conjunction with participation in the Honors College at Rutgers, or they may choose to complete only the honors major in Psychology.
General Guidelines:
To apply to the Honors in Psychology major, you must have completed:
1) At least 3 semesters of college classes.
2) At least 12 credit hours in Psychology.
3) Have a 3.5 GPA in Psychology and a 3.0 overall GPA.
4) Have declared a major in Psychology
To graduate with Honors in Psychology, you must have completed:
1) A cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 in Psychology (830 subject index) courses including 6 credits of Senior Thesis in Psychology.
2) An overall GPA of 3.0 or higher.
3) A minimum of 47 credits in Psychology (830 subject index). Students in the honors major are strongly encouraged to become involved in research during their Junior year.
4)At least 8 of the 3- or 4-credit courses counting toward the honors major must be taken at Rutgers Newark.
5)Successful completion of the year-long Senior thesis in Psychology (21:830:497 & 499) taken during each of the final two semesters. 830:499 is a writing intensive class.
The Senior Honors Thesis:
- Many different types of projects are suitable for the Senior Thesis. Most involve a review of research and theory in a particular area of psychology, formulation of a set of hypotheses, design of a strategy for collecting data bearing on the hypotheses, data collection, statistical analysis, and write-up. Specific details are worked out by the student and the student's Senior Thesis faculty advisor. Whatever the exact nature of the project, the student must submit a formal, written Senior Thesis, which addresses all of the above points in detail.
- If you are enrolled in the Honors College, you may use the Psychology Honors Thesis to fulfill both sets of Thesis requirements, although you may count the credits only once.
- By the end of your junior year, you must have found a faculty member in the Psychology Department. who is willing to supervise your Senior Honors Thesis and submitted an initial Thesis proposal to the Psychology Undergraduate Coordinator.
- Your advisor will provide you with additional information about the Honors Thesis, including syllabus, deadline dates and the necessary evaluation forms. These are also available for download from the Psychology Department website.
The Honors in Psychology Guidelines and Application is available here
PLEASE NOTE:
- Any student who falls below the required GPA levels for one semester will be put on probation for participation in the Honors in Psychology major.
- Any student who falls below the required GPA levels for two semesters will be asked to leave the Honors in Psychology major program.