Undergraduate Program
Psychology Capstone Experience
The Psychology
Capstone Experience is intended to provide the psychology student with an
intensive exploration into an aspect (e.g., teaching, service, research) and
area (e.g., experimental, developmental, clinical) of psychology as a means for
enhancing learning and unifying the knowledge and experiences acquired as a
psychology major.
-
Students who will graduate in the Fall of 2002 or later MUST complete a Capstone Experience, and the related Capstone course (PSYC 401), within the 12 months prior to graduation. A list of available Capstone Experiences will be provided to faculty advisors each semester by the time of pre-registration advising.
-
Students interested in PSYC 491 (Field Experience in Psychology) or PSYC 498 (Honors Investigation and Thesis) as their Capstone Experience should follow the regular procedures for being admitted to those courses (see information posted elsewhere on this web-site). The student will then be given a permit for PSYC 401 at the same time that a permit to enroll in PSYC 491 or 498 is received from the Student Records Office (Room 1120, Life Sciences Building).
-
Students interested in an approved PSYC 490 (Teaching Practicum) or PSYC 495 (Independent Study) as their Capstone Experience must contact the individual instructor of the course to determine if they will be accepted for that Capstone Experience. If accepted, the instructor will complete and sign a contract for the course with the student. The contract is then submitted to the Student Records Office (Room 1120, Life Sciences Building) and a permit is provided to enroll in PSYC 401 along with PSYC 490 or 495.
-
Students interested in an approved Course Enhancement Capstone Experience (the availability of these course-enhancement Capstones varies from semester to semester) must register for the writing section of the course in the usual manner. They also must contact the instructor of the course to insure that they also can participate in the course enhancement component (as space for can be quite limited). If approved, the instructor will give the student a form to submit to the Student Records Office (Room 1120, Life Sciences Building) allowing the student to receive a permit for PSYC 401.
-
Students completing a Capstone Experience during the summer terms will be given a permit to enroll in the PSYC 401 course in the following fall semester. Students should refer to the Psychology Advising Booklet to ensure that other requirements for the psychology major are completed and that the chosen Capstone Experience is not unintentionally also being counted as fulfilling another requirement (such as the Experimental Course Requirement or the Electives Requirement); credits for the Capstone Experience can not be double-counted.