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Undergraduate Research Opportunities

Undergraduate Research Opportunities

Readings and Research in Psychology (B292/492)

One of the best ways to begin your involvement in research in the Psychology Department is to take B292 or B492 (B292 is open to freshmen and sophomores only). During the course of your studies, you may find an area of psychology that particularly interests you, or an instructor you would like to work with further. This provides an ideal focus for the start of your research career. Once you have decided on an instructor you would like to work with, visit them during their office hours or arrange an appointment and simply say you are interested in completing a B292 or B492 “readings and research” experience. If that particular professor is not interested or does not have time to mentor you, don’t give up! Try another professor, or ask whether he or she has a graduate student that may need assistance with a thesis or dissertation project. By participating in B292/492, you may decide that research is not really what you want to do in your career – or you may find that it launches you into an honors thesis project that marks the beginning of your career in Psychological Science.

Capstone Honors Research

The Capstone Honors Research (B499) option is intended to serve advanced students who desire to work closely with a faculty member on an individual research project that will culminate in an honors thesis that fulfills the capstone graduation requirement. In the course of this year-long experience you will learn how psychological research is conducted from start to finish, you will develop a close relationship with a faculty mentor who can serve as one of your primary references for future letters of recommendation, and you will hopefully develop friendships with a small group of about 12 psychology majors who share similar interests in psychological science.

Completing a research project and writing an honors thesis typically requires a commitment of 5-10 hours per week for approximately one year. The honors research project should be one in which you, as a student, contribute to the development of the idea and the methodology. Before participating, you must complete B305 (statistics) and B311 (research methods) and a core course related to your area of interest (e.g., B320 if you wish to pursue an honors thesis in behavioral neuroscience; B370 if you wish to pursue an honors thesis in social psychology). You must maintain an overall GPA of 3.3, with 3.5 GPA in Honors and Psychology courses. Participation in the Department of Psychology Honors Program is recommended, but not required. For more information, please review the following documents:


Other Possibilities

Finally, a number of research opportunities for undergraduate students are coordinated through the Center for Research and Learning. Please review the CRL website for information about the IUPUI Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program and the IUPUI Ronald E. McNair Scholars program