Become a Research Assistant
Psychology majors are required to take an advanced research course following the basic methods (PSY 3110) course. This can be fulfilled by taking a traditional classroom-based, topical methods class in one of the different areas of psychology, such as cognitive (4400), social (4700), clinical (4200), developmental (4500), or psychobiology and learning (4600). Or it can be fulfilled by completing a hands-on research practicum (4100) in a faculty members’ lab.
Undergraduate research experience is a great opportunity for students who may be interested in pursuing graduate school. Although the research topics will clearly focus on the interests of the particular faculty member one is paired with, the experience students receive from their involvement in such research represents an important criterion that graduate programs in all areas of psychology value. Work in a research lab may involve a variety of activities including literature searching, designing new studies and study materials, running experiments, data entry, and data analysis and interpretation.
If you are interested in doing a research practicum, you should contact the psychology faculty member(s) with whom you wish to work. Keep in mind that not all faculty members take practicum students. Also keep in mind to inquire early. Practicums are competitive and tend to go fast!