Psychology > Undergraduate Programs > Research Participation
Research Participation- PSY 499
Research Participation (PSY 499) can be taken as a course. You receive 3 units of course credit which count towards the 36 total psychology units required for graduation. The course can be taken on up to three occasions, with a maximum of 3 units counting towards the 300 + requirement (the other 6 will count as elective credits).
Why should I take PSY 499?
- To gain a better understanding of the process of conducting research in a special area of study (e.g. biopsychology, clinical psychology, developmental psychology, educational psychology, learning and motivation, social psychology, or transpersonal psychology).
- To obtain knowledge in areas fundamental to research, including literature review, data collection, data management and analysis, and basic research methodology.
- To develop relationships with graduate students and faculty, in order to obtain strong letters of recommendation for academic or career goals.
- To strengthen graduate school applications. Many graduate programs in psychology require favor students with research experience.
How do I enroll in PSY 499?
PSY 499 is a course, which operates under the mentorship model, where you work directly on research projects with a full-time psychology faculty member or their graduate student as their supervisor. In order to find a professor that you are interested in working with, review faculty research interests, which are listed briefly in the Undergraduate Catalog or may be obtained from the undergraduate advising office. Once you have found a faculty member with a compatible research interest, contact that individual through e-mail or by leaving correspondence in their mailbox in the psychology department. In your e-mail or letter correspondence, you should provide the faculty member with a description of why you are interested in participating in PSY 499 and explain you interest in the particular research area in which the faculty is involved.
PSY 499 Requirements
The composition of 499 courses varies greatly among different faculty mentors. Typically PSY 499 is a 3 credit course which equates to 9 hours a week conducting research duties. Research duties vary according to project demands, but may include library literature reviews, data collection, data entry, analyzing and coding data, and scoring questionnaires. For most projects, no previous research experience is necessary, and undergraduates are trained to perform assigned duties.
When should I enroll in PSY 499?
Given that participation in research is often necessary, and highly recommended, in order to enroll in graduate programs in psychology, it is important to begin participating in research early. It is recommended that you participate in research activities for a minimum of 2 semesters, and that you start gaining experience during your Junior year (or 2 years before you plan on graduating) in order to establish a relationship with the faculty member prior to the semester you will need to ask for a letter of recommendation. Remember that for most graduate programs in Psychology, applications are due the Fall prior to the year you plan to attend graduate school, so that if you began participating in research during your Senior year (or the year before graduation) you would be asking for a letter of recommendation from a faculty member who barely knew you.
How does PSY 499 contribute to my degree requirements?
You are allowed to take up to 9 credits of PSY 499 to count toward the 36 credit required for the Psychology BA degree. However, only 3 credits of PSY 499 count toward the requirement of 15 credits of 300 +. Although you are limited with respect to how many credits count toward your degree, you can enroll in PSY 499 as many semesters as you want.
