Departmental Thesis Requirements

Article-based thesis - please see our Physcology Honors Track Handbook accessible here: https://psych.utah.edu/undergraduate/honors/

Each academic department submits the specific requirements that must be met for a successful Honors thesis in its respective major. If you are seeking more information on your department’s thesis requirements, please contact your Departmental Honors Liaison and/or the Honors Thesis Team in the Honors College.

Faculty Thesis Mentors

Both career-line and tenure-track faculty are eligible to be faculty thesis mentors.  Post-doctoral fellows may also be eligible, pending approval of the Departmental Honors Liaison for Psychology.

If a faculty mentor leaves the University before the thesis has been completed, the faculty mentor and the student need to work with the DHL to arrange for continuing or alternate supervision through thesis completion.

Collaborative Theses

At present, only single-author Honors Theses are permitted.  Students wishing to explore options for a collaborative thesis should consult with the DHL.

Joint Thesis

Yes, a joint thesis is permitted with the permission of the DHLs from both majors. The most frequent version of the joint thesis involves conducting an empirical study in psychology and then adding additional review and/or discussion (policy implications, philosophical discussions) to meet the requirements of the non-psychology major. Students are encouraged to consult with the relevant DHLs early in the process of thinking about a joint thesis.

How does the Honors Thesis relate to other aspects of the major, like a Capstone Project?

Students are required to take both PSY 4998 and PSY 4999. Both courses support the student in preparing the thesis and offer additional resources for writing and data analysis and interpretation.

Departmental coursework supporting Thesis

PSY 4998 PSY 4999

Additional information for students

Please see out Psychology Honors Track Handbook accessible here: https://psych.utah.edu/undergraduate/honors/ for more information about getting the required research experience credits, finding a faculty research advisor, sample schedules, and other tips.

Please see especially pages 9-11 of the handbook for the kinds of projects that may be completed for the Honors Thesis in Phychology and advise on developing a thesis topic.