Honours Program

As part of the requirements for an honours degree, an honours project is an intensive and largely independent research project completed in the fall and winter semesters of an academic year. This research is conducted under the supervision of a faculty member and includes tasks such as conducting a literature review, collecting and analysing data, and working in a lab environment. The specific project is selected through discussion with a supervisor and is typically connected to the supervisor鈥檚 ongoing research program. Honours is also one way to support applications for graduate programs, though it is not required in all cases. An independent project or directed research project are also options for students who are not certain of their need for honours or who do not meet the honours requirements.

To complete an honours degree, students need to be admitted to the honours program and meet all university and departmental requirements for an honours degree. Honours students in PSYO and NESC also need to complete two honours courses (PSYO/NESC 4901 and 4902) in the same year their honours project is completed, an  advanced statistics course (PSYO 3502), and two honours seminars.

An honours degree can help you better understand the process of scientific research. You will also gain skills that are helpful for some graduate programs such as project management, written and oral communication, and effective collaboration. An honours degree is often required for some, but not all  graduate programs. It is typically required for research-based programs such as Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience.  Many professional programs, such as medicine, dentistry, occupational therapy, do not require an honours degree for admission; instead, they often emphasize other types of experience (e.g., work experience, volunteering). You may think about how best to allocate your time (e.g., gaining community or volunteer experience versus doing honours) to optimize your application to the programs in which you are most interested.

Start by thinking about the courses and/or topics that interest you. Connect this with faculty research interests in their profiles. Faculty profiles can be viewed on the website or on the faculty posters located on the 3^rd floor of the Psychology wing of the LSC.

Once you have identified a small set of supervisors you are interested in working with, prepare emails for each potential supervisor. These emails should describe why you are interested in their area of research and include an unofficial transcript and CV or resume. Remember to use professional language, adding your student ID number to your closing, and addressing people by their title (e.g., Dr., Professor). If you mention that you are open to discussing their research and any opportunities for an honours project, be sure to also mention your general availability (e.g., Wednesday mornings, all day Friday), so they can suggest a more specific time based on their schedule. Another way to prepare is by reading recent publications from the lab.

Please know that not all students secure a supervisor in precisely their area of preference. An honours project can be useful learning even if not in your primary area of interest; you will still gain research, writing, and communication skills, regardless of the specific project that you complete.

And for the last several years, not all students who have the appropriate grades for honours have been able to find a supervisor. This capacity limit is based on the number of faculty in the department. If you are unable to find a supervisor, explore other ways to get experience relevant to your future interests, such as volunteering and community experience.

There is no perfect time to contact potential supervisors, although as early as possible is best.

Typically, students begin to establish connections with potential supervisors in the fall or early winter semester of their 3rd year (or year prior to honours). Students can also reach out in second year, especially if they are interested in doing a third-year research project and/or volunteering to get experience.

Even if you send a clear and thoughtful email, it is possible that faculty might not respond. This might indicate that they are currently not taking on honours students. You can always contact them a second time, and you can continue to contact other potential supervisors. Although this is not required for honours, it can be helpful for students to complete an independent or directed research project or volunteer in a lab to gain research experience prior to doing an honours project.

STEP 1. Departmental Application:

PSYO or NESC students apply to the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience honours program with an online MS Forms application that is specific to Psychology or Neuroscience. The applications are open in late April until early May with dates that vary year-to-year. The application close date is a firm deadline and failure to apply by this deadline may result in denied admission. Please note that there is no 鈥榗ap鈥� to the number of students admitted; instead, this number is limited by the ability to find a supervisor. The departmental application form will ask for the below information:

1. Your name, ID (B0) number, and email.
   
   
2. Your intended honours program type: (i.e., NESC Concentrated Honours, NESC Combined Honours, PSYO Concentrated Honours, or PSYO Combined Honours).
   
   
3. The name and email address of your eligible and confirmed supervisor.

• Depending on your program, prospective supervisors must email the PSYO (psychhon@dal.ca) or NESC (neurohon@dal.ca) Honours Coordinator to indicate their willingness for supervision before your departmental honours application is submitted.
  
  
• Supervisors cannot confirm supervision to the applicable Honours Coordinator by email until March 1^st of the application year.
  
  
• Even if you have a willing and confirmed supervisor, note that acceptance into the departmental honours program is 
        
  4. Your unofficial 海角社区app transcript*
  
  
• *Transfer and exchange students must provide transcripts from all previous institutions; these should be official wherever possible.
  
  
• All students must wait until they have received their winter term grades before submitting their application. Summer term grades from the summer before honours cannot be used to assess eligibility for honours.
  
  
• For students returning to 海角社区app after completing a PSYO or NESC degree (Honours Conversion), transfer students, and exchange students, ensure you review the associated FAQs for information specific to your application.

STEP 2. Registrar鈥檚 Application:

This step is completed after being admitted to honours by the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience. More information will be provided to you if accepted into the program, but the Registrar鈥檚 application is due July 31^st prior to your honours year.

Before starting to look for supervisors, you should first confirm you are on track to meet the grade requirements for applying to honours in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience that are listed below. Depending on which program you are applying to, you can contact the PSYO (psychhon@dal.ca) or NESC (neurohon@dal.ca) Honours Coordinator to discuss your eligibility.

1. A B+ in PSYO/NESC 2000

Notes: B required for students who started at 海角社区app prior to Fall 2019; NESC 2007 is equivalent to PSYO/NESC 2000.

2. An A- average in your last (6) PSYO or NESC courses at 海角社区app

• This A- average does not include 1000-level courses or PSYO/NESC 2000.
• This A- average does include applicable course grades from the winter term of the year of your application.

Along with having the required B+ grade in PSYO/NESC 2000 and having secured an eligible and confirmed supervisor, admittance into the departmental honours program also requires an A鈭� average in the most recent (6) program courses. Using the table below, an A鈭� would be zero, and students need 0 or higher for acceptance. For example, if your last six counted courses were B+, A鈭�, A, B, A+, A, you would be admitted (assuming you have a supervisor and a B+ or higher in PSYO/NESC 2000) because (-1) + 0 + 1 + (-2) + 2 + 1 = 1.

• A+ = +2
• A = +1
• A- = 0
• B+ = -1
• B = -2
• B- = -3
• C+ =-4
• C = -5
• C- = -6
• D = -7
• F = -8

Which courses are counted?

The six most recent eligible PSYO and/or NESC courses at 海角社区app (i.e., excluding 1000-level and PSYO/NESC 2000) are used to calculate the A鈭� requirement. To determine which courses are included, students should work backwards from the winter term of their application year. Information to help determine which courses would be included is as follows:

• Cross-listed PSYO/NESC courses are eligible for all PSYO and NESC students, even if the course is listed only as PSYO or NESC on your academic record.
  
  
• If there is more than one course that can count within the same semester, the course with the higher grade will be used.
  
  
• Courses spanning two terms (e.g., PSYO/NESC 3011/3012, PSYO/NESC 3100/3101) will be counted as 2 of 6 courses. For example, a grade of A in Independent Research (3100/3101) would count as two A鈥檚 when calculating the A鈭� requirement.
  
  
• Summer courses taken before a September start of honours cannot be considered in the calculation. Earlier summer courses (e.g., Summer 2024) would be included if they are part of the most recent six.
  
  
• NESC Students. If they are among the six most recent courses, BIOL 2020 and PSYO 2501 are included even though they are not cross-listed to NESC, because they are required 2000-level courses for the NESC program.
  
  
• NESC Students. If they are among the six most recent courses and are being counted as required 2000-level NESC electives, BIOC 2300 and BIOL 2030 would also be included. However, if there are additional 2000-level electives from the required list that could count as part of the most recent six (e.g., NESC 2130, NESC 2140, NESC 2150, NESC 2160), the courses with the higher grades will be used for the A- requirement calculation.

The next requirement for applying to honours is having an eligible supervisor who has agreed to supervise your honours project. Keep in mind that individual supervisors may require students working in their labs to have specific courses or backgrounds to ensure they are successful. As such, students should discuss these expectations with potential supervisors well in advance of the departmental application deadline. Regardless of the specific supervisor, all honours projects need to be clearly related to Psychology and/or Neuroscience.

Who can supervise my honours project?

• People whose primary appointment is in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, as listed under 鈥�Primary Faculty鈥� on our department website.Please note, however, that not all faculty are available to supervise research. 
• People shown on the 鈥�Cross-Listed Faculty鈥� page on our department website. These are 海角社区app professors whose primary appointment is in another department but have expressed an interest in supervising students in our programs.
• Other faculty members whose primary appointment is at 海角社区app University may be able to supervise an honours project. The requirement is that they can show that their training and/or research activities fall within the areas of Psychology and/or Neuroscience. This determination will be made by the Honours Coordinators.
• Researchers whose primary appointment is with the Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA), whose training and/or research activities fall within the areas of Psychology and/or Neuroscience. This determination will be made by the Honours Coordinators.

Who cannot supervise my honours project?

• People listed as 鈥淎djunct Appointments鈥� on our department website.
• People listed as 鈥淐linical Associates鈥� on our department website.
• People who are not 海角社区app University faculty members or otherwise included in the list of 鈥渨ho can supervise my honours project鈥� above.

There are additional requirements outlined below for both remaining in the departmental honours program and eventually graduating with an honours degree. Students can run a 鈥渨hat if鈥� degree audit to gauge their progress toward honours requirements, even if they are not currently enrolled in the honours program (degree audit).

Your degree audit may show slightly different honours requirements than those listed in the current Academic Calendar. Changes to program requirements are grandfathered in; however, note that you are governed by the requirements that were in effect when you began at 海角社区app. Please contact an Honours Coordinator (psychhon@dal.ca; neurohon@dal.ca) or email pnugpc@dal.ca, if you notice differences between your degree audit鈥檚 honours requirements and those in the Academic Calendar sections.

1. A minimum grade of B- in PSYO/NESC 4901 (fall term of honours) to continue into PSYO/NESC 4902 (winter term of honours).

2. Courses that are counted towards the honours program requirements must have a minimum grade of C. This is a university-level requirement.

3. To graduate with an Honours Degree, students must also complete all requirements for their specific honours program. These requirements are found in the academic calendar sections for NESC Concentrated Honours, NESC Combined Honours, PSYO Concentrated Honours, or PSYO Combined Honours.

Students can apply to complete an Honours Conversion after the end of their 海角社区app Psychology or Neuroscience degree. To do an Honours Conversion, students must consult with the Registrar鈥檚 Office about returning as a special undergraduate student. It is not possible to complete a degree at another university and do an Honours Conversion at 海角社区app. An honours conversion year is completed at 海角社区app University.

Please note that only courses taken within the last 10 years can be considered towards admission for an Honours Conversion. Only students with Psychology or Neuroscience degrees from 海角社区app are eligible for an Honours Conversion in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience. For students who are looking to upgrade courses to gain admission, admission decisions remain based on the courses taken at 海角社区app University.

Students transferring from other institutions are required to complete at least one full year (i.e., fall and winter term) of study at 海角社区app. They will need to accumulate six (or more) 2000/3000/4000-level 海角社区app Psychology or Neuroscience courses and take PSYO/NESC 2000 before seeking admission to honours.

If you are a transfer student interested in the Psychology or Neuroscience honours program, it is highly recommended that you contact the PSYO (psychhon@dal.ca) or NESC (neurohon@dal.ca) Honours Coordinator as soon as possible (ideally before transferring) to ensure that you have (or will have) all necessary requirements for admission.

Departmental honours applications for students who have been on exchange are considered on a case-by-case basis. Students who have been on exchange are responsible for demonstrating their compliance with the departmental honours requirements. It is crucial that students provide detailed information about all exchange courses (i.e., descriptions, syllabi) to the PSYO (psychhon@dal.ca) or NESC (neurohon@dal.ca) Honours Coordinator.

Assessment for admission is based primarily on courses taken at 海角社区app, though performance on any Psychology and Neuroscience courses can be reviewed as a part of the application. You must provide all original transcripts that show the grades received (e.g., percentage, letter grade) with your departmental honours application. If the Honours Coordinators do not have the necessary information to assess your eligibility for honours, your application may be denied. 

Independent and Directed Research Projects:
Independent (PSYO/NESC 3100/3101) and Directed Research (PSYO/NESC 3001 and 3002) courses allow students to gain research experience in their third or fourth year of study. They can be useful for students in preparing for honours or for students who would like an alternative to honours. Students interested in registering for these research-based courses must contact pnistud@dal.ca and review the guidebook for admission requirements. Explore guidebooks.

Summer USRAs:
Applications for these summer research jobs are in January of each year. More information is available on our scholarships and awards page.  

Lab Volunteering:
Many students volunteer in labs to gain research experience prior to doing honours. Volunteering in a lab prior to honours is not required, but it is helpful for gaining some lab experience and meeting potential supervisors.

There does not need to be an explicit match. Students in Psychology and Neuroscience completing an honours project can complete their project on any topic connected to either Psychology or Neuroscience. For example, an honours student who is majoring in Psychology could complete a project investigating seasonal brain changes in songbirds, or a student majoring in Neuroscience could complete a project on the motivations of drinking behaviours in dating couples. Honours projects are intended to provide students with the opportunity to engage in the research process, analyse, and interpret data, and (ideally) contribute novel findings to the field of psychology and/or neuroscience broadly.

Keep in mind that individual supervisors may require students working in their labs to have specific courses or backgrounds to ensure they are successful; as such, students should discuss these expectations with potential supervisors in advance of the application deadline.