Honors

The Psychology Honors Program is a yearlong independent research program. Students in the program develop and conduct an original, empirical study of a topic in psychology that culminate in a thesis at the end of the program.

Declared Psychology major students who are on track to earn a 3.5 GPA in their major and 3.3 GPA overall by graduation may apply for admission to the Honors program. Students interested in the honors program should participate in the Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (URAP) or departmental research during their junior year. This will prepare them for experimental research and design necessary for completing their own project.

The award of departmental Honors or Highest Honors is contingent upon several factors including:

• Submission of a high quality thesis, based upon independent study under the supervision of a Psychology Department faculty
• Satisfactory completion of the required courses with letter grades
• Attaining the requisite GPAs at the time of graduation (3.5 in the Psychology major and 3.3 overall)

Departmental Honors designations will be included in the student's permanent UC Berkeley record. The Student Services Office maintains a file of completed Honors theses, which are available for review. The Spring 2023 honors panel can be viewed here. 

• Required Courses

  Students are required to enroll in all of the courses listed below. Please keep in mind that NONE of these courses counts toward the major requirements.

  UGIS 192 or Psych 199
  As a prerequisite to the Honors program, students are required to have already been a research apprentice in a lab prior to their application. A minimum of 2 units of UGIS 192 or Psych 199 are required before applications are approved. It is not required for students to earn Psych 199 or UGIS 192 in the laboratory of their intended Honors faculty sponsor.

  Psychology 102
  Statistics for Psychological Research is a 3 unit upper-division course that is designed to introduce students to the data analysis techniques researchers using the field of psychology. This course is only offered in Fall.

  Psychology H195A-B
  Psychology H195A-B is offered for 1-3 units per semester and is mandatory in order to receive Honors in the major. The course is sequential with a grade of In Progress or “IP” for the "A" portion and the final letter grade assigned for both semesters at the end of the "B" portion.

  Psychology H194A-B
  Honors students are also required to concurrently enroll in Psychology H194A-B (2 units per semester), the Honors Seminar, in their senior year. This course provides excellent supplemental background for preparing the thesis. During the fall semester, the seminar will concentrate on issues of research design, ethics, and data analysis using statistical packages. In the spring semester, the seminar will focus on oral and written presentations of the thesis projects and feedback on thesis drafts. The course is sequential with a grade of In Progress or “IP” for the "A" portion and the final letter grade assigned for both semesters at the end of the "B" portion.

• Suggested Timeline

  Prior to your senior year:
  Attend a Psychology Honors info session.
  Set a thesis topic, conduct literary review.
  Participate in URAP (UGIS 192) or Psych 199 for a minimum of 2 units.
  Take Psych 101 (if not already completed).
  CPHS paperwork (if applicable more information below).
  Work on the design of the project.

  Senior Year:

  Fall:	Spring:
  Psychology 195A - Research: Independent study and preparation of an honors thesis under the supervision of a faculty member. - Application due two days before add deadline - 1-3 units, letter grade - This is earning units for your project. There is no set schedule or location.	Psychology 195B - Research: Independent study and preparation of an honors thesis under the supervision of a faculty member. - Application due two days before add deadline - 1-3 units, letter grade - This is earning units for your project. There is no set schedule or location.
  Psychology 194A - Honors Seminar: Fall course concentrates on issues of research design, ethics, and data analysis using statistical packages. - 2 units, letter grade	Psychology 194B - Honors Seminar: Spring course will focus on oral and written presentations of the thesis projects and feedback on thesis drafts. - 2 units, letter grade
  Psychology 102 - Research data and methods - 3 units, letter grade	Write thesis paper and submit to the faculty sponsor for feedback
  Running your experiment	Submit abstract (first Friday of April) & thesis (last Friday of April)
  	Participate in the Academic Poster Session

• Application Process Overview

  Application

  Students must complete the application to enroll in Psych H195A-B units and Psych H194A-B. Students must submit the application and an outline of the research proposal for approval to their Psychology faculty sponsor. The application should outline a specific plan for the research and the writing of the thesis and give a tentative timeline for its completion. Students must submit the application for Psych H195A and H194A, and resubmit the application in the following term for Psych H195B and H195B. The B-portion of the application needs to include a detailed timeline for project completion and the applicable deadlines.

  The Psychology Student Services Office will begin accepting application at the start of the month for a given semester. Applications can be submitted by email to psychsso@berkeley.edu. Upon approval, enrollment information for Psych 102, Psych H194A/B, and Psych H195A/B will be provided. Students are responsible for enrolling in courses on CalCentral with the provided information and resolve any time conflict. Time conflict between the required honors coursework and any other courses is prohibited. Students should begin attending classes at the start of instruction even if their enrollment is pending.

  Fall application timeline: 1st business day of August until the day before an Enrollment Information Release Date

  Spring application timeline: 1st business day of January until the day before an Enrollment Information Release Date

   

  Fall 2025 Enrollment Information Release Dates

  Complete, signed honors application packets received prior to the following dates will be processed on the following dates:

  - Wednesday, September 3, 2025 (two days before the drop w/out a fee deadline)

  - Wednesday, September 10, 2025 (two days before the add w/out a fee deadline)

  - Wednesday, September 17, 2025 (two days before the final add/drop deadline with a fee)

  Faculty Sponsor and/or Mentor
  Students should maintain close contact with their faculty sponsor to ensure clear communication on direction of the thesis project and expectations of the professor. Students are encouraged to submit a draft of the honors thesis to the instructor mid-semester of enrollment in H195B for comments before the final copy is produced.

  A student's faculty sponsor, must be a psych faculty or affiliated faculty. Students have the option of having a sponsor and a mentor which can be two people. The faculty will be the sponsor and the mentor can be either a grad student, post doc or lab manager

  Deadline
  Completed theses are due on the last Friday of November for Fall review and on the last Friday of April for Spring review. Deadlines are subject to change. Instructions on how to submit your thesis electronically will be emailed to you by the major advisor. If the student is not able to meet the above noted deadline date for submission of the thesis, they should confer with the Undergraduate Major Advisor.

• Thesis Format

  Content
  The honors thesis must be an original, empirical study of a topic in psychology.

  Style
  The thesis should be organized and written according to APA style, found in the APA Publication Manual. The thesis must include an abstract that is within one page double spaced.  The title page should take the following format: Sample Title Page.

• Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects Approval

  Students who are planning to use human subjects for the Honors thesis must apply for approval from the Committee for Protection of Human Subjects at the end of the junior year. This process can take up to six months. Faculty should be consulted for help in making the request.

• Student Spotlight Archive

         

• FAQ

  Why do you require Psych 199/URAP before beginning the Honors program?
  In the Psychology department, the Honors project is a year-long independent empirical research project.  We want students to have worked as a research assistant so that they know whether or not this kind of project is suitable for them.  The best way to know whether or not you are ready to undertake your own empirical research is to have participated in research already.

  Do I have to attend an information session in order to be accepted into the program? 
  We strongly urge you to attend the information session so you can gain the necessary information to successfully join and complete the program. We'll talk about how to find a lab to sponsor you, what types of projects are suitable for the program, who is eligible for Psych honors, how to enroll in Honors classes and much more. That being said, it is not mandatory for students to be accepted into the program. 

  Do the classes I take for Honors also satisfy Psychology major requirements?
  Tier II and Tier III Psychology major requirement classes are all numbered between 104 and 182. The classes you take for the Honors program will not satisfy any of the Tier II or Tier III Psychology major requirements.

  If I’m graduating in December, can I start my Honors project in the Spring?
  It is not specifically required that students start Honors in a Fall semester and complete it in the Spring, but that is the most common timeframe. If you are graduating in a Fall semester, you would be able to complete the two semester Honors project by beginning the previous Spring.  Keep in mind that you must take the Honors seminar and that is oriented towards a Fall start.  So your seminar class will be taken H194B then H194A, which is a bit out of sync.  The instructor will do their best to accommodate your needs, but doing Honors with a Spring start will require that you be a bit more independent and seek help as needed.

  How and when do I enroll in Honors courses?
  Once you submit the Honors application, the student services office will email you with the class number and permission code to enroll in Psych 102, Psych H194A/B and Psych H195A/B.  You will then use these numbers to enroll in the classes directly on CalCentral. Enrollment in H194A/B and H195A/B is guaranteed upon successful review of your application, provided that you do not have time conflicts and have not met the semester unit cap (20.5 units).