Students can pursue an honours thesis in Psychology in the following programs:

• Honours Psychology with Thesis
• Honours Developmental Psychology with Thesis
• Combined Honours Programs in Psychology with Thesis
• Combined Honours Programs in Developmental Psychology with Thesis
• B.Sc. Honours Program in Behaviour, Cognition, and Neuroscience

First you should make sure that you maintain high cumulative and Psychology GPAs so that you are sure to meet the admissions criteria for the 4th year thesis course.

By the fall semester of your 3rd year of study you should switch to one of the honours thesis programs listed above, if you are not already in a thesis program. Admission to one of the courses (46-331) that is a pre-requisite for the 4th year thesis course is restricted to students who are enrolled in one of the honours thesis programs, so you won't be able to get into this course if you're not in a thesis program.

In the Winter semester of the year before your thesis year you must take 46-331, "Conducting Research in Psychology". The purpose of this course is to prepare students in the specific skills that will be required of them in conducting and writing an honours thesis in Psychology.

Finding an Advisor

The Honours Thesis in Psychology is your opportunity to work one-on-one with a faculty member who will supervise your thesis research from beginning to end. Your advisor will help you to develop research ideas, turn those ideas into hypotheses or research questions, and oversee you as you collect and analyse data and write up your findings. Finding a good match for your interests requires some planning on your part. Think back to courses that you particularly enjoyed and research areas in Psychology that captured your interest and imagination, and you'll begin to see that your research interests fall into specific areas in Psychology. Our faculty have broad and exciting interests in diverse areas of Psychology, and it's worthwhile to investigate their research interests before you enter your honours thesis year, so that you can approach professors whose interests match your own.

For a list of Psychology professors, their research interests, and their policies concerning honours thesis supervision, please click on the links below:

Faculty Research Supervisors

Supervisors Listed by Research Interest

Honours Thesis Course

The honours thesis course (46-496 and 46-497) will help to guide you through the process of conducting your honours thesis. The current instructor of this course is Dr. Stewart Page. More information about this course and all aspects of doing an honours thesis can be found at Dr. Page's course website.

Ethics Review of Honours Thesis Projects

All honours thesis projects that involve contact with human participants must be submitted to the Psychology Department Ethics Committee for review. The current chair of the Psychology Department Ethics Committee is Dr. Antonio Pascual-Leone.

Consent forms for honours thesis projects should use the format shown in the template below:

"Application forms for Student Projects"





"Other information: Procedures and Common Concerns"





Thinking about Graduate School?

Conducting an honours thesis is very important for students with serious plans to pursue graduate studies in Psychology, since many graduate programs consider this an essential prerequisite. For honours thesis students who intend to apply to graduate school, we have included some useful links below. Many universities in Canada, including the University of Windsor, offer graduate programs in Psychology and have a comprehensive range of offerings. The best advice when applying to graduate schools is to start early, investigate university websites to learn more about their graduate programs, and be prepared to put time and consideration into your application.

List of Canadian graduate schools in psychology (CPA)

Descriptions of Graduate Psychology Programs at Canadian Universities (PDF)

Graduate school application guide (APA)

Graduate Record Exams (GRE)