Animal Behavior Program
Departmental Honors
Students on Summer 2024, Fall 2024, or Spring 2025 requirements ABEH-HON
Honors students will receive intensive independent research experience under the mentorship of an animal behavior faculty member. This intensive research experience provides the opportunity to employ knowledge gained in coursework to a research question that the student develops in conjunction with their mentor, and to develop and hone hands-on skills in designing, planning, and carrying out a research project; data analysis and interpretation; and scientific writing and oral presentations through writing their honors thesis and defending it. Honors students are also encouraged to present their research at our spring Animal Behavior Conference.
Students completing the honors program will gain valuable insight into scientific careers. The Honors degree formally recognizes a student’s commitment to the study of animal behavior, their academic excellence, and their accomplishments as a budding researcher in the field.
Requirements
- Honors Research. Six (6) credit hours:
- ABEH-X 491 Independent Study in Animal Behavior
- COGS-X 497 Research in the Cognitive and Information Sciences
- COGS-X 498 Project in the Cognitive and Information Sciences
- PHYS-X 498 Research Project
- PSY-P 499 Honors Thesis Research
- PSY-X 397 Supervised Research I
- PSY-X 398 Supervised Research II
- PSY-X 497 Supervised Research III
- PSY-X 498 Capstone Supervised Research
ABEH-X 491 Independent Study in Animal Behavior
- Credits
- 1–3 credit hours
- Prerequisites
- Consent of instructor
- Description
- Independent study under supervision of a faculty member. Study in depth of a topic of interest to the student, culminating in a research paper and presentation.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated twice for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
COGS-X 497 Research in the Cognitive and Information Sciences
- Credits
- 1–3 credit hours
- Prerequisites
- Consent of instructor
- Description
- Active participation in research under faculty supervision.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated for a maximum of 18 credit hours.
COGS-X 498 Project in the Cognitive and Information Sciences
- Credits
- 1–3 credit hours
- Prerequisites
- Consent of instructor
- Description
- Students will conduct a research project in the cognitive and information sciences by designing, conducting, and analyzing an independent experiment; by developing and testing a computer simulation of some aspect of cognition; or by otherwise engaging in a program of original research. Projects must be approved in advance and supervised by the instructor.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credit hours.
PHYS-X 498 Research Project
- Credits
- 1–6 credit hours
- Prerequisites
- Consent of instructor or supervisor
- Description
- Research participation in group or independent project under the supervision of a faculty member in departmental research areas; or topic agreed upon between the student and supervisor.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours in PHYS-S 406 and PHYS-X 498.
PSY-P 499 Honors Thesis Research
- Credits
- 1–12 credit hours
- Prerequisites
- Consent of departmental honors committee
- Notes
- May be substituted for advanced laboratory requirement or, given the permission of the departmental honors committee, for certain other requirements in the program for majors
- Description
- None
- Repeatability
- May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credit hours.
PSY-X 397 Supervised Research I
- Credits
- 1–6 credit hours
- Prerequisites
- Consent of department
- Notes
- An approved research agreement must be in place. Does not count toward capstone or neuroscience lab credit
- Description
- First in a series of supervised research courses that require active participation in research in a single lab.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
PSY-X 398 Supervised Research II
- Credits
- 1–6 credit hours
- Prerequisites
- Consent of department
- Notes
- An approved research agreement must be in place.
- Description
- Second in a series of supervised research courses that require active participation in research in a single lab.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
PSY-X 497 Supervised Research III
- Credits
- 1–6 credit hours
- Prerequisites
- Consent of department
- Notes
- An approved research agreement must be in place
- Description
- Third in a series of supervised research courses that require active participation in research in a single lab. Does not count toward capstone or neuroscience lab credit. An independent experiment of modest magnitude.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours in PSY-P 493 and PSY-X 497.
PSY-X 498 Capstone Supervised Research
- Credits
- 2–3 credit hours
- Prerequisites
- Consent of department
- Notes
- R: PSY-X 397, PSY-X 398, or PSY-X 497. An approved research agreement must be in place. Counts toward capstone credit or neuroscience lab credit in approved labs
- Description
- The capstone experience in a series of supervised research courses that require active participation in research in a single lab. Course requires a research plan and progress reports.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours in PSY-P 494 and PSY-X 498.
- Thesis. Complete a mentored research project; write and defend an honors thesis.
- College GPA. A College grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.300 is required.
Exceptions to and substitutions for honors requirements may be made with the approval of the unit's Director of Undergraduate Studies, subject to final approval by the College of Arts and Sciences.