Research Opportunities in the Psychology Department
There are several ways for students to become involved in research with psychology professors. These include: Senior thesis, Extracurricular research/volunteer, Independent Study, Work Study, and Summer Research Assistant opportunities. Please read on for details about each of these, and talk to any professor about them.
Extracurricular research/volunteer
If you would like to check out psychology research on a limited basis, you can volunteer to help out on ongoing research, perhaps helping to collect data, prepare materials, assist a thesis student, etc.
Work-study (paid) research assistant
Sometimes professors hire research assistants to help with research tasks such as data collection, data coding, entry, library research, etc. This is usually a 5-hour/week position.
Independent Study
Psych 397 (fall) or 398 (spring), Independent Study, allows you to get involved in research more intensively but is not as involved as a thesis. Students work in close collaboration with a professor to review the literature, devise hypotheses, design, carry out, and write up a research project. This can be a good alternative to a thesis, if you are interested in the research but not the major writing and year-long commitment that a thesis involves.
There is a second Independent Study option, studying a topic that is not offered in the regular Psych curriculum, via library research, reading, writing, and discussion with the professor. Both types of Independent Study courses require scheduled weekly meetings with the professor and a significant amount of time and effort, equivalent to a regular 300-level course.
Important: Arrangements for Independent Study must be made with the professor before the semester starts and requires writing a proposal to accompany the green independent study form that is available from the Registrar's Office. You and your professor must submit the form/proposal to the Psychology Department Chair so that it can be reviewed and approved before the end the drop-add period, thus, if it is not approved you still have time to find another course. You can take an Independent Study for one, but not more, of your 300-level psych courses.
Summer Research Assistantships
A limited number of summer research assistantships are available in both Psychology and Neuroscience, through the Summer Science Research program. These are paid positions for up to 10 weeks, doing research of various kinds. Depending on the nature of their work and their plans for the summer, professors may take anywhere from no summer students to several, and often but not always, give preference to thesis students. If you are interested, contact the professor(s) with whom you may be interested in working during Winter Study or as early in February as possible.