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 analyzing data, and working in a lab environment. Honours is intended for students planning to attend graduate school and should not be completed without a strong desire to do research. An independent project or directed research project are options for students who are not certain of their need for honours or who do not meet the honours requirements.

In addition to being admitted to the honours program and meeting all university and departmental requirements, to receive an honours degree in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, students must complete two honours courses (PSYO/NESC 4901 and 4902) in the same year their honours project is completed. Psychology and Neuroscience honours students must also complete an advanced statistics course (PSYO 3502) in the fall semester of their honours year.

An honours degree can help you better understand the process of scientific research. You will also gain skills that are helpful for graduate school such as project management, data entry, written and oral communication, and effective collaboration with a supervisor and other lab members. An honours degree is a common requirement for research-based graduate programs. For example, graduate programs in Clinical Psychology, Experimental Psychology, and Neuroscience typically require applicants to have completed an honours program or an honours-equivalent program.

It is strongly recommended that you check the admission requirements for all programs that you are considering to determine whether they require an honours degree. Many professional programs (e.g., 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 need to choose how to best allocate your time (e.g., gaining community or volunteer experience versus doing honours) to optimize your application to specific programs.

When thinking about potential supervisors, note that students in Psychology and Neuroscience completing an honours project can work on a project connected to either Psychology or Neuroscience. For example, a PSYO honours student could investigate seasonal brain changes in songbirds, while an NESC honours student could research the motivations behind alcohol consumption in dating couples.

You can begin by thinking about the courses and/or topics that interest you. Be sure to read through the faculty profiles and lab websites to see who is conducting research and may have the ability to supervise honours students. Because there are limitations on the number of students each supervisor can take on, you might not be able to work with your preferred supervisor. Keep in mind that an honours project can be a useful learning experience even if you don’t work on a project in your exact area of interest. Indeed, you will still gain research, writing, and communication skills that are important for graduate work, regardless of the specific project.

Once you have identified a small set of supervisors you are interested in working with, you can prepare emails for each person. It often helps to let potential supervisors know why you are interested in their area of research and to attach an unofficial transcript, CV, and/or resume to the email. These documents can give them an idea of your interests and background. Some best practices for emails include making sure that you are using 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 and familiarizing yourself with the lab’s website and members (e.g., lab managers, current graduate students).

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). It is recommended that you have a few ideas for supervisors you are interested in working with. Supervisors may already be in contact with other students and there are limits to how many honours students they can supervise each year.

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 ‘cap’ to the number of students admitted, but 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 subject to specific grade requirements.

4. Your unofficial Dalhousie 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. Note that summer term grades from the summer before honours cannot be used to assess eligibility for honours.
• For students returning to Dalhousie 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’s 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’s application is due July 31^st prior to your honours year.

Before starting to look for supervisors, you should first confirm you 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 Dalhousie prior to Fall 2019; NESC 2007 is equivalent to PSYO/NESC 2000.

2.  An A- average in your last (6) PSYO or NESC courses

• 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− average in the most recent (6) program courses.

Using the table below, an A− would be zero, and students need 0 or higher for acceptance. For example, if your last six counted courses were B+, A−, 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 (i.e., excluding 1000-level and PSYO/NESC 2000) are used to calculate the A− 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’s when calculating the A− 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 “Primary Faculty” on our department website. Please note, however, that not all faculty are available to supervise research.  
• People shown on the “Cross-Listed Faculty” page on our department website. These are Dalhousie 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 Dalhousie 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 “Adjunct Appointments” on our department website.
• People listed as “Clinical Associates” on our department website.
• People who are not Dalhousie University faculty members, or otherwise included in the list of “who can supervise my honours project” 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 “what if” degree audit to gauge their progress toward honours requirements, even if they are not currently enrolled in the honours program (https://bit.ly/3Jq6RiA).

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 Dalhousie. Please contact an Honours Coordinator (psychhon@dal.ca; neurohon@dal.ca) or email pnugpc@dal.ca, if you notice differences between your degree audit’s 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 Dalhousie Psychology or Neuroscience degree. To do an Honours Conversion, students must consult with the Registrar’s 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 Dalhousie. 

Please note that only courses taken within the last 10 years can be considered towards admission for an Honours Conversion. Furthermore, only students with Psychology or Neuroscience degrees from Dalhousie are eligible for an Honours Conversion in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.

Students transferring from other institutions are required to complete at least one full year (i.e., fall and winter term) of study at Dalhousie. They will need to accumulate six (or more) 2000/3000/4000-level Dalhousie 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.

If there were Psychology and Neuroscience courses taken while on exchange, it is possible that these will be used to calculate your A- requirement. You must also 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.

Summer USRAs:
Applications for these summer research jobs are in January of each year. More information is available at the following link: https://www.dal.ca/faculty/science/psychology_neuroscience/news&events/scholarships---awards.html

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.