The Honors Program is an Emory College program that gives a group of highly qualified students more extensive experience in conducting behavioral research.

Eligibility for the Honors Program

Students must meet three criteria to be eligible for the Honors Program in Psychology:

• An overall (cumulative) GPA of at least 3.7 in the first three years.*
• A GPA of at least 3.7 in the major subject.*
• Successful completion of PSYC200W by the second semester of the junior year.

*effective Fall 2024

Building Your Eligibility

Students who think they may be eligible and interested in the Honors Program are encouraged to get to know a potential faculty advisor during their sophomore and junior years. Faculty members usually give Honors advising preference to students whom they know—either from volunteer work in their laboratory or from a small class. Volunteering in a professor's laboratory also assists students with making informed decisions about whether to participate in Honors.

Becoming Fully Eligible

To be fully eligible for the Honors Program, by the beginning of the senior year, students must have met the GPA and course requirements above and arranged Ideally, this arrangement should be reached before the end of the student's junior year. Once the arrangement is made, students and advisors must complete an Honors Contract and submit it to lhouser@emory.edu. Once their full eligibility is verified, students will be enrolled in the Honors Program.

Honors Requirements

By the end of junior year

• Agree on a work arrangement for Senior year with a faculty advisor
• Complete Statistics and Laboratory Methods classes

Senior year

• During the senior year, each Honors student in Psychology conducts an independent research project.
  • In concert with a faculty advisor from the Psychology Department, the student collects and analyzes data, prepares an Honors thesis based on the data, and defends the thesis in front of a committee of three faculty members. This committee recommends if Honors, High Honors, or Highest Honors is to be granted to the student’s degree.
• In the fall of their senior year, Honors students enroll in Psychology 495A, and receive 3 hours of credit for participating in this weekly class. Eligible students are enrolled in the class automatically (there is no "permission number")
• In the spring of their senior year, Honors students may receive variable credit under Psychology 495BWR (1-8 credits) for continuing work on their Honors project
• Honors students are required to take a graduate level course in Psychology
• During Commencement weekend, Honors students participate in a college-wide Honors ceremony.

Click here for more details about the Honors Program in Psychology.