PSYC478/PSYC479 - Research Assistantships & Conducting Independent Research

Research Opportunities for Psychology Majors

Tips For Finding A Research Assistant Position and Where To Look For Research Opportunities

Being a research assistant (RA) is an excellent opportunity to gain important research experience and skills, to learn first-hand about the cutting-edge research contributing to the development of our field, and to build relationships with psychology faculty, researchers, and graduate students. There are many ways to find a research position on campus. The Undergraduate Psychology Office distributes opportunities for undergraduates to participate in psychology research every semester. Contact a Psychology advisor for recent research postings or click here to see listings on the PSYC blog. Many students find research opportunities on their own by learning about faculty research projects through classes and then approaching individual faculty members and graduate students with whom they share common research interests.

To become a research assistant, a student should:

1) Request approval to conduct research with a psychology faculty member, or apply to open positions at a Department of Psychology research lab. Open research assistant positions are often listed on the PSYC E-News Blog.

2) Complete the PSYC479 application to receive approval to register for course credit for being a research assistant. (Note: Read this form carefully!)

3) Work with your research supervisor(s) to begin your training and your research activities.

Junior and senior students who have at least a 3.0 GPA and at least 9 credits in PSYC, can earn academic credit for research participation (maximum of 3 credits per term and 9 credits total) through PSYC479. Click the links to find applications and requirements for PSYC 478 (for a list of requirements, click here) and PSYC 479 (for a list of requirements, click here).