❓Questions to Consider…

As you may already know, this program is designed for students who have demonstrated a particular interest and aptitude for research and who want to complete a thesis. Before applying, you should give a hard thought on these two questions:

Do you enjoy reading and writing about topics in psychology?

Do you find the prospect of conducting research and/or practice compelling in the future?

🍱Unique Benefit

<aside> 👍 What are some unique benefits associated with the research specialist program?

You cannot complete an honours thesis in the Department of Psychology without being enrolled in the Research Specialist Program.
1. Some people may argue that completing an independent project is on par to writing a thesis. This is typically NOT the case. Especially if you are interested in graduate school.
You are guaranteed to receive additional research experience
1. You may choose to complete your mini-thesis and thesis with the same Principal Investigator or with two different Principal Investigators. Either way, you have at least one professor who can vouch for your research experience and, depending on your performance, would be willing to write you a strong reference for graduate school.
You get to take three unique Research Specialist courses
1. PSY309 (significantly improves presentation/communication skills), PSY409 (improves your ability to think critically about research and you learn a TON of new concepts), PSY400 (you write a thesis, this allows you to lead a project from hypothesis synthesis to a written manuscript) </aside>

🥷Valuable Skills

<aside> 🎵 Below are skills gained by alumni of the research specialist program:

“Critical thinking and analysis which go well beyond what one would learn in the specialist, major, or minor programs.”
“The program made me a better critical thinker, a better presenter, a better writer, and thus, a better researcher.”
“I have been connected with professors who have given me invaluable support and knowledge throughout the last two years of my undergrad.”
“The professors of the research specialist program taught me all the foundational skills and tools that I need going forward, like conducting proper literature reviews, writing in a clear, concise and engaging manner, coding in R, statistical knowledge, critical knowledge about the current state of the field, and knowledge about metascientific issues and solutions.” </aside>

We would like to thank Elisabetta and other anonymous contributors (Research Specialists, 2T1) for providing the information above