1. March 7 2011 Information Session – 2 nd and 3 rd year honours students in psychology

2. 2 What undergraduates need to know to succeed 1.Choosing an Honours seminar 2. Honours essay (PSYC 4905) 3. Honours thesis (PSYC 4908 for BA students – PSYC 4907 for BSc) 4. Practicum course, Independent studies General outline for the session

3. 3 What undergraduates need to know to succeed Undergraduate Office Joanne Sonley, Undergraduate Program Advisor Stephanie Mulville, Undergraduate Assistant Questions? Email psychology@carleton.ca Questions? Email psychology@carleton.ca or drop by B550 Loeb Audit checks Applications for Honours seminars and Honours thesis

4. 4 What undergraduates need to know to succeed Honours Seminars Minimum GPA of 9.0 in your psychology courses and 3 rd year standing (9.0 credits completed) Apply for admission, sections fill up quickly Deadline = June 1 Top 3 choices

5. 5 Honours Seminars If too many students want one section, placement is made based on GPA (higher GPA, more likely to get your first choice) 6 Sections: What undergraduates need to know to succeed

6. 6 Honours Seminars PSYC 3400 - Forensic (Kevin Nunes) PSYC 3100 - Social (Connie Kristiansen) PSYC 3600 - Personality (John Zelenski) PSYC 3500 - Developmental (Shelley Parlow) PSYC 3700 - Cognitive (John Logan) PSYC 3300 - Health (Mary Gick) What undergraduates need to know to succeed

7. 7 What happens in an honours seminar? Seminar prepares you for the Thesis You will be developing skills and knowledge in research methods, scientific writing, and statistics. Designing studies Analyzing data Reviewing current research 6.0 hours per week from Sept through April. What undergraduates need to know to succeed

8. 8 Differences between the essay stream and the thesis stream Honours thesis: independent research project supervised by a faculty member (lit review, data collection & analysis, document) Honours essay: “a substantial paper that critically investigates an area of psychology” (lit review, document) A thesis is generally required for admission to graduate programs in Psychology in Canada

9. 9 What undergraduates need to know to succeed Differences between the essay stream and the thesis stream Major GPA requirement is higher for Thesis than for Essay  10.00 for Thesis** for students who began the program in Fall of 2010 and later  9.0 for Thesis for students who began their program prior to Fall of 2010  6.00 for Essay (6.5 by graduation) Students with GPA ≥ 9.0 or 10.00 (depending on program start date) can do either thesis or essay; students w/ GPA <9.0 or 10.00 can only do an essay

10. 10 Honours Essay Class Matt Sorley is the Honours Essay Supervisor If you have any specific questions about the Essay, please email: Matthew_Sorley@carleton.ca Matthew_Sorley@carleton.ca To Register in your Essay, you need 4 th Year standing, PSYC 3000 completed, and a minimum PSYC GPA of 6.0. What undergraduates need to know to succeed

11. 11 Doing an honours thesis Rob Coplan is the Honours Thesis Supervisor If you have any specific questions about the thesis you may email: Robert_Coplan@carleton.ca Robert_Coplan@carleton.ca To qualify, students need 4 th Year standing, PSYC 3000 and Honours seminar completed, PSYC GPA of 9.0 if you started your program prior to Fall of 2010, 10.0 if you started your program in Fall 2010 or later, plus a Supervisor. What undergraduates need to know to succeed

12. 12 What undergraduates need to know to succeed Planning ahead for your Honours thesis Students who plan to do an Honours thesis should consider looking for a thesis advisor during the Winter term in their 3rd year, the earlier the better

13. 13 The Practicum course (PSYC 3901and PSYC 3902 Mary Gick Mary_Gick@carleton.caMary_Gick@carleton.ca or Adelle_Forth@carleton.ca for this Fall term Practicum is open to any Psych student in 3 rd or 4 th year in the Fall or Winter terms Student responsible for finding own placement. Potential placement list on Psychology website. Volunteer 7.0 hours per week at placement What undergraduates need to know to succeed

14. 14 What is an independent study? PSYC 4900/4902 Find somebody to supervise your work Choose a topic that you are interested in Submit completed application to dept. for approval Write a paper; help conduct a research study; attend lab meetings Getting research experience, separate from your thesis Due the last day of classes What undergraduates need to know to succeed

15. March 7, 2011 Thank you! We are now available for questions