Undergraduate Opportunities

Dr. Malecki's Research Lab

Undergraduate research opportunities provide students the opportunity to go above and beyond the required psychology curriculum and gain hands on experience with research in an applied setting. Undergraduate involvment in research is an excellent way to develop fundamental research and applied skills, gain valuable knowledge of the tools and methology used in conducting psychological research and prepare students for graduate school. Any undergraduate student who is interested in gaining valueable research or applied experience is encouraged to apply.

What is Independent Study (Psyc 485) and How Does It Work?

Students can do an independent study with individual professors. You can read about various faculty's research interests on the Psychology website and decide who you might like to work with. Then, you contact those professors to see if they are taking any independent study students the following semester. Each professor handles PSYC 485 differently in terms of requirements, tasks, etc., so it is best to meet with them to discuss what your experiences and requirements would be. If you are approved, you sign a contract and the Main Office registers you.

If you are interested in Dr. Malecki's lab, please fill out and submit the application to the right. Undergraduate students are required to work 3 hours for each credit hour in the fall or spring semesters. If you take a full 3 credits, undergraduates are expected to work in the lab 9 hours per week. Readings are assigned along with short papers throughout the semester. In the summer, students are required to work 2 hours for each credit hour.

The responsibilties of the undergraduate students working in the lab varies. Some of these responsibilities include reading articles related to the current research being conducted in the lab, collecting survey and records data in the schools, and entering data.