Senior Thesis

Senior Thesis Program

Qualified psychology majors may apply for a year-long thesis program to produce advanced, original research. The program is developmental in that it seeks to offer intellectually curious students an intensive experience of mentorship and collaboration. To be part of this program, students must be willing to invest considerable time and intellectual energy. Students interested in more general research experience are encouraged to, instead, speak with a professor about coordinating an Independent Research project. Conducting thesis or independent research is not necessary for admission into graduate school, but may be advantageous for students who are applying, specifically, to Ph.D. programs.

To be eligible for the Thesis Program, a student must be a Junior or Senior psychology major during the thesis year, and must have a Psychology GPA of 3.30* or better. Typically, students will have also completed PSY 103, 104 and at least one semester of PSY 270, PSY 970, or equivalent experience prior to beginning their thesis. Successful completion of the thesis (both semesters) satisfies the CUE requirement for the major.

*Note, the psychology major GPA is calculated using all psychology courses a student has taken at Muhlenberg. (The degree audit feature in Capstone only uses 10 courses.)

Thesis students develop, conduct, and defend a sophisticated empirical or theoretical research project. The first semester of the thesis year is spent developing a comprehensive research proposal. During the second semester, students complete their research, generate a written thesis, and orally defend the project at a public presentation. Students also attend a weekly seminar, typically offered on Fridays. 

Note: If the thesis advisor judges the student's first semester work as insufficient or of poor quality, the advisor is free to decline to continue advising the student for the second semester. In these instances, the student would need to either find another advisor or discontinue the project. If the student discontinues the project, they will need to register for PSY 490 to complete their CUE experience.

Click on the headings below for more information. 

Application Process

Step 1. Read this document thoroughly.

Step 2. Fill out the Psychology Thesis Program Application.

Students will be informed whether or not they are accepted into the program within a few weeks after submitting their applications.

Important Thesis Deadlines

Application

 

First Semester of Thesis Year (Students roster PSY 975 Senior Thesis I)

  • Students register for the weekly seminar; typically offered Fridays.

  • If desired, the thesis advisor and student should select a third member for the thesis committee no later than the end of the 4th week of classes. Be sure the Thesis Coordinator or Mrs. Gonzalez are told who the committee members are.

  • The completed first semester paper (typically a study proposal) is due to committee members at a date agreed upon by the thesis committee (typically the last day of classes, before finals week).

 

Second Semester (Students roster PSY 976 Senior Thesis II)

  • Students register for the weekly seminar; typically offered Fridays 1:00-1:50pm

  • The completed thesis paper due to committee members no later than 5pm the last day of classes, before finals week.

  • An oral defense (approx. one hour including talk plus question/answer session) will be scheduled to take place during finals week.

  • The thesis committee will meet immediately after the defense to approve the thesis and, if relevant, decide on graduation honors. The decision will be made based on the work completed by that point. Subsequent revisions will not be taken into consideration.

  • The final copy of the thesis, including revisions, will be bound and stored in the Psychology Department. This final copy should be sent to Mrs. Gonzalez no later than the beginning of June.

Graduation Honors

Students seeking graduation honors in psychology must, at a minimum, be admitted to the Thesis Program and successfully complete and defend a thesis. Students must also maintain a psychology G.P.A. of 3.70* or higher to qualify for departmental graduation honors. Speak with a faculty member about additional considerations. The thesis committee decides whether or not to grant honors at a meeting immediately following the student's oral defense.  

*Note: The psychology major GPA is calculated using all psychology courses students have taken at Muhlenberg. (The Capstone degree audit feature only uses 10 courses.)

 

Psychology Thesis Examples

Ask Mrs. Gonzalez and/or see the cabinet in the lounge area to review past theses. Be sure to review several to get an idea of the variety of topics, project types, and scope.