Eligibility
The first step in the process is to confirm eligibility to participate in the HUT program. Minimum eligibility requirements include:
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- Sixty (60) completed hours of college credit
- Twelve (12) completed upper division hours of college credit
- At least a 3.4 UCF or Overall GPA
- At least a 3.5 Psychology GPA
- At least two semesters remaining prior to graduation
- It is recommended that psychology students have taken PSY 3213C (Research Methods in Psychology) with a final grade of B or higher before beginning their HUT.
To confirm eligibility students must contact the Office of Honors Research for an application.
If you are a regional campus student, you can contact your campus HUT Faculty Liaison for assistance in getting started with the program. The campus HUT Faculty Liaison can also help you with the HUT process and provide information about opportunities that may be available to you.
If your campus does not currently have a regional campus HUT Faculty Liaison and you are not able to visit the Office of Honors Research at the main campus, feel free to contact the psychology department HUT Faculty Liaison for assistance.
Phone: 407-823-2027
Email: Chrysalis.Wright@ucf.edu
Office: PSY 328
Finding a HUT Thesis Chair
If eligible for the HUT program you must locate a HUT Thesis Chair. The Thesis Chair will be a full-time faculty member in the psychology department.
How do you find a Thesis Chair? To begin with, you should familiarize yourself with the psychology department faculty. Most faculty in the psychology department are involved in research. You should view their research interests and activities and see if there are any you are interested in. It is highly unlikely that a faculty member will work with you if your research idea is outside of their expertise.
You should also familiarize yourself with the various psychology research labs in the department. Apply for undergraduate research assistant positions. Many times, after becoming an undergraduate research assistant and demonstrating your research abilities, an HUT thesis opportunity will present itself.
When approaching faculty with your research idea be prepared! To engage in original research you must be CITI trained. It is a good idea to have this completed prior to meeting with faculty. Make sure you have a clear understanding of the HUT program and time commitment prior to meeting with faculty. It is recommended that psychology students spend at least three semesters working on their HUT. Additionally, you want to have a clear research idea to gain feedback from faculty.
Once you find a faculty member that you would like to work with, contact them. It is not advisable to just show up at their office. You can, however, send a professional email outlining why you would like to meet with them. Be clear and concise. Allow time for faculty to respond before emailing again. If they are unavailable to meet or are unable to take on additional undergraduate students at this time, they will let you know. If that is the case, begin the process all over and try to find another faculty member.
The psychology department does not assist in matching faculty with students for the HUT program. You can find some additional resources regarding finding a HUT thesis chair from the Office of Honors Research.
Complete Required Forms
Once you have found a faculty member to work with you will need to obtain all required signatures on the forms you obtained from the Office of Honors Research (step 1). The psychology department will review the completed form to ensure that the faculty-student match is appropriate for the HUT topic. The Office of Honors Research will then create the course and send you an email with instructions on how to register for your HUT course. You will then begin working closely with your faculty thesis chair and committee.
For more information on how to get started visit the Honors Undergraduate Thesis website.
