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INTRODUCTION

The Honors Program in Psychology and Cognitive Sciences is an advanced educational and research program for outstanding undergraduate students in these majors.

The program emphasizes advanced competence in scientific research, and allows participants the opportunity to pursue advanced work in independent research, in addition to earning honors upon graduation. While the program is designed for students who are interested in pursuing graduate study or seeking challenging research experiences as a capstone to their undergraduate experience, all Psychology and Cognitive Sciences majors who meet the minimum eligibility requirements are welcome to apply.

The program has a limited number of openings and seeks to attract outstanding students who plan to undertake postgraduate education in some field of cognitive/psychological sciences. Students with junior standing are required to identify a faculty advisor and a research project, and submit a formal application in spring quarter prior to the start of the senior year. To qualify for the honors program, the students must meet the GPA requirement (3.2 within their major), provide an analytical writing sample, and submit a one-page research plan. In addition, a letter of recommendation from a faculty advisor who agrees to oversee the proposed research must be provided.

• Students who participate in the program are expected to enroll in the Honors Seminar series - COGS H101A-H101B-H101C (for Cog Sci majors) or PSYCH H101A-H101B-H101C (for Psych majors).
• Honors students must also successfully complete a senior honors thesis and present their research as part of the course work to receive honors at graduation. 

The honors seminar series may be used to satisfy Requirement G (four courses with an emphasis in psychology)* of the B.S. in Psychology major, and Requirement E (upper-division core electives) of the B.S. in Cognitive Sciences major.

*Requirement G (four courses with an emphasis in psychology) refers to the 2023-24 and earlier catalogue years. Effective 2024-25, this requirement has been relabeled to Requirement F. 

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APPLICATION

Applications for Fall 2024 are being accepted as of Friday, April 5, 2024 and will be accepted through Wednesday, July 3, 2024. To apply, please review the application instructions and complete the application form at this link. Students must already have identified a faculty advisor and have a preliminary research project/plan before applying.

Questions about the application should be directed to: cogsci@uci.edu. Good luck!

 

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SAMPLE PROGRAMS

Sample Program
Honors in Cognitive Sciences

Freshman

 
Sophomore

 
Junior

 
Senior

 

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Sample Program
Honors in Psychology, B.S.

 
Freshman

 
Sophomore

 
Junior

 
Senior

 

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RESEARCH AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

UROP (http://www.urop.uci.edu)
The mission of UROP is to integrate undergraduate students into the research culture of the University by providing opportunities for faculty and students to work together on research projects.

SURP (https://career.uci.edu/resource/summer-undergraduate-research-program-surp/)
This program provides funding for undergraduates from all disciplines who conduct summer research projects or creative activities with UCI faculty members.Students are immersed in a research topic for a full-time ten-week period (400 hours).

 

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COLLOQUIA AND CONFERENCES

Advanced undergraduate and honors students are encouraged to attend colloquia of interest. This includes the following:

• Department of Cognitive Sciences
• Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory
• Center for Hearing Research