Honors Program

Honors Program

One of the best ways to put your psychology degree into high gear and open up future options for your career is to participate in the Psychology Department Honors Program. This program is designed to give outstanding students an opportunity to pursue advanced research training in preparation for graduate work. Completion of the Honors Program results in a student receiving a B.A. degree with Honors in Psychology. The primary focus of the Honors Program is the completion of a senior honors thesis. This thesis reports the results of an empirical research project conducted in collaboration with a faculty member. In preparation for this research project, students in the program will take Psyc 380, a course in which they examine the philosophy and methods of science including a review of contemporary research designs, implementation, data analysis, and reporting methods Students graduating with Honors in Psychology look back on this experience as an important step in their career, even when they have not decided to pursue graduate study in psychology. They view their Honors Program experience as providing them with valuable critical thinking, organizational and writing skills.

Requirements For Admission

Ordinarily, students submit an application to be admitted to the Honors Program in the fall semester of their junior year. Those who are admitted generally meet with the director of the Honors Program during the fall semester to begin the process of identifying a faculty member to serve as the student's honors mentor and to think about a topic for an honors thesis project.

To be eligible for admission, a student must have achieved at least a 3.5 GPA overall and must have completed the mathematics, statistics, and research methods requirements. Admission to the Honors Program at a time later than the spring semester of the junior year may be approved by the director of the Honors Program. The primary factor in determining whether a late admission will be allowed is whether the student can produce an acceptable honors thesis proposal. Students interested in applying should contact Dr. JoAnn Farver at (213) 740-3965 or farver@usc.edu.

Program Requirements

Successful completion of the Honors Program requires all of the following:

  1. Fulfilling the psychology major requirements with the inclusion of:
    • PSYC 380 (Junior Honors Seminar, 4 units) during the spring semester of the junior year
    • PSYC 480 (Senior Honors Seminar, 4 units) during the spring semester of the senior year.
  2. The completion of an honors thesis proposal as part of the Junior Honors Seminar.
  3. The approval of the honors thesis proposal by the student's honors mentor by May 1 of the junior year.
  4. Conducting the empirical investigation as approved.
  5. Submitting a senior honors thesis detailing the logic, methods, analyses, findings, and implications of the empirical investigation by May 1 of the senior year.
  6. Participating in the Annual USC Undergraduate Research Symposium.
  7. Having the senior honors thesis judged by a panel consisting of the honors mentor, the director of the Honors Program, and one additional faculty member as meeting the standards expected of a student who graduates with Honors in Psychology.
  8. Have both an overall (USC and transfer) GPA of at least 3.5 at the time of graduation.