Psychology (BA)

College of Arts and Sciences

Program Website

Program Admission

Admission to the major is usually granted to any student in good standing in the College of Arts and Sciences who has passed three or more psychology courses with grades of C+ or better. To apply to the major and be assigned an advisor, a major application form may be obtained from the Psychology Department website and should be completed and e-mailed to Tim Snyder.

Honors Program

The honors program is designed for exceptional students who wish to pursue an intensive and independent psychological research.

The honors program offers students the closest contact and consultation with faculty they will likely experience while at Cornell. Successful participation serves as evidence of the two most important skills required of an academic psychologist: the capacity to integrate theoretical and factual material, and to devise and execute a creative empirical research project. Qualified majors who are planning graduate work in any academic field should consider applying.

The research project is conducted under the close mentorship of a faculty member. Honors students will conduct an empirical study, analyze the data, and interpret the results. Students will produce a professional research report and present their project at an honors poster symposium and an oral defense. Conducting honors research and completing a thesis requires both time and effort. Students should expect to return to campus as early as possible after winter break and remain on campus through spring semester. Students who successfully complete the honors program will graduate with honors, which will be noted on their diploma. The T. A. Ryan Award is a cash prize given to the student who conducts the best honors project each year.

To join the honors program, students must apply at the beginning of their senior year. Qualified students will have a minimum GPA of 3.5 in the major, a letter of support from a faculty member who has agreed to mentor the project, and a viable research question. Students accepted into the honors program will register for 3 or 4 credits of PSYCH 4710 Advanced Undergraduate Research in Psychology in both fall and spring semesters. Students with questions regarding the choice of mentors, appropriateness of project, or other program related questions should contact the honors program director(s).