Ways To Get Involved
The Department of Psychological Science offers students many ways to get experience applying the knowledge from their course work in practical settings. Listed below are some of the ways Psychological Science students can also earn credit doing this.
Research Assistantship
The Undergraduate Research Assistantships are done under the supervision of a UNC Charlotte Psychological Science faculty member, and potentially involve all aspects of conducting psychological research such as compiling a literature review, designing methodology, data collection and analysis, and creating an APA-Style research report or presentation. Exact duties will depend on the number of credits for which you have enrolled and the needs of the instructor.
Teaching Assistantship
Undergraduate teaching assistants (UGTAs) assist faculty with the administration of courses, hold review and practice sessions for students needing assistance. UGTAs may be expected to meet with the supervising faculty member once a week, attend all class meetings of the course in which they are assisting, hold a minimum of two office hours per week, and complete other activities as requested by the instructor.
Honors in Psychological Science
The honors program in Psychological Science involves a two-semester thesis project that is designed to be similar to a master’s thesis. During the first semester, the student does a literature search of existing research on his or her topic, and uses that material as the basis for a Research Proposal. There is a formal defense of the proposal before a committee of 3-4 faculty members at the end of the first semester.
During the second semester (Honor’s Thesis II), the student actually conducts the research described in the proposal, gathering data, analyzing the data, and writing the final APA style honors thesis. At the end of the process, there is a formal defense of the completed thesis in front of your faculty committee and other interested students.
We also offer two professional organizations that qualified students may join.