Independent Study
If you are interested in doing research with a faculty and would like to obtain course credit for doing so, you might consider registering for a research-oriented Independent Study (PSY 480). This is only with approval of a core faculty mentor from the Department of Psychology who agrees to supervise you on a project for a given term. As part of that project you would negotiate with that faculty member exactly what would be involved and what your relative responsibilities would be. For 3 credits worth of Independent Study, you would be responsible for 9 hours of research per week for the term enrolled, under the supervision of the research mentor. (You can also take it for variable credit, e.g., 1 credit hour = 3 hours of work per week, up to a maximum of 4 credits per Independent Study). This is often a good mechanism to obtain course credit for devoting a significant amount of time to research and to experience first-hand what it is like to be a part of a research team.
In order to register for an Independent Study, the student must identify a faculty mentor in the Department of Psychology and develop a directed plan of study for the term. Once the faculty mentor and plan of study have been established, the student will need to complete the departmental Independent Study form (available in the Department of Psychology) and obtain all relevant signatures. Once completed, the form must be submitted to the Undergraduate Coordinator who will then register you for the course.