Resources for Current Students

As you pursue your psychology degree at DU, we're here to create diverse, hands-on opportunities for you to explore and engage psychological science. Looking for answers to frequently asked questions, information about departmental honors or ways to get involved in a faculty lab? Here, you'll find links and resources to help you make the most of your degree in psychology.

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Advising

Make An Advising Appointment

Want to make an appointment to meet with a psychology advisor? View our easy step-by-step guide with screenshots, or follow the instructions below.  

First, go to Inspire and login with your DU email address and password (same as MyDU). 

After logging in, click "Contact my Advisors" in the Connect box on the home screen. Choose from the list of advisors currently assigned to you, and click "Schedule an Appointment." Then select a modality, topics for the appointment, and enter any other notes about what you're hoping to discuss or achieve.

After scheduling an appointment, you will receive an email confirmation, and will be able to see the appointment in the Calendar tab and in "My Appointments and Events" in Inspire.

If your preferred advisor is not visible using that process, you can instead click "Schedule Appointment" from the Connect box on the home screen. Where it says "Select office(s) to begin" select "Undergraduate Resources, Programs, and Advising," which will allow you to select from more advisors and schedule an appointment.

Psychology Advisors

Department of Psychology Digication

Visit our digication site for more resources.

Frequently Asked Questions

The following information should serve only as a general guideline and should not be used as a substitute for meeting with a department academic advisor.

Quick Links

  • Should I get a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Science (BS)?

    For most students, including those who plan to attend graduate school in psychology, there are no clear reasons to choose one of these over the other. The BA degree offers the most flexibility.

    Students interested in medical or life-science fields, the physical sciences, math and computers, or cognitive psychology and/or neuropsychology might want to consider the BS degree, and/or a concentration in cognitive neuroscience. The BS program provides a comprehensive program of study, requiring psychology as a major and two minors (one must be in a computer or natural science), or psychology as one of two majors (with the other in a computer or natural science).

    If you are a psychology major who plans to go to medical school or enter another biomedical health field, you should talk to an adviser in the Department of Biological Sciences.

  • What minors complement Psychology?

    If another department overlaps with your interests and career goals, you should consider that department for your minor. For example, if you think you want to work in the criminal justice system, criminology might be a good minor, as it provides coursework on social systems in general and criminal justice in particular.

    Or, if you are interested in working with children as a teacher or school counselor, a minor through the Morgridge College of Education may be a good choice. If you think you might want to work in business, a minor through the Daniels College of Business would be useful.

    To get the most out of your minor, you should meet with an academic adviser in the department you have selected for your minor as well as one from the Department of Psychology.

  • What does the 60-hour credit limit mean?

    All courses on your Academic Progress Report (APR) that have a PSYC prefix are counted as psychology credits, no matter where they appear on your APR.

    If you are earning a BA, these courses are counted against the 60-hour maximum for the BA. With the exception of specific psychology honors courses, any hours in excess of 60 are not counted toward anything. You simply pay for these credits but lose them with respect to degree requirements.

    If you are earning a BS, there is no limit on the number of psychology credit hours that may be applied.

  • Do I need to go to grad school?

    Most psychology graduates do not go to graduate school, and there are many career options for these students.

    If you want to practice as a psychologist or other mental health professional, however, you do need to attend graduate or professional school. Our program provides education for students with both types of goals. Learn more about our graduate programs.

Honors and Distinction

Departmental Distinction

In the distinction program, you'll gain experience in research methods and approaches while developing a unique research project, which will benefit your future work or graduate school applications. If you complete all requirements, your transcript will show that you received departmental honors and excelled in psychology.

  • Junior Year Requirements
    Junior Honors Research Seminar

    Junior Honors Research Seminar is a course you'll take in winter (PSYC 2751) and spring (2752) quarters. In these courses, you'll learn research methods and skills that will help you communicate your findings. You'll also work in department labs to conduct research projects. Credits taken for these courses do not count toward the 60-credit maximum for the psychology BA.

  • Senior Year Requirements
    Senior Honors Research Seminar

    Students will complete three quarters of Senior Honors Research Seminar their senior year, PSYC 3150, 3151 and 3152. Credits taken for these courses do not count toward the 60-credit maximum for the psychology BA.

    Senior Research Thesis

    You will complete an empirical senior honors thesis by working with a Department of Psychology faculty member. If you satisfactorily complete an honors thesis, you will receive departmental distinction, which will be noted in the Commencement program and on your transcript.

  • Eligibility

    The departmental distinction program is highly selective. You should have a strong academic record, an interest in research and complete a screening interview with the instructor of the Junior Honors Research Seminar. For more information about the program and the application process, please see an academic advisor.

Latin Honors

As a BA or BS student, you can pursue Latin honors designations of summa cum laude, magna cum laude and cum laude. Candidates for magna or summa cum laude must complete a thesis, culminating project or distinction in a major. To learn more, fill out and have a faculty member sign the Latin Honors qualification form.

  • Requirements
    • Cum laude is awarded to a degree candidate who has completed at least 90 quarter hours at the University with a minimum GPA of 3.75 in all course work taken at DU.
    • Magna cum laude is awarded to a degree candidate who has completed at least 90 quarter hours at the University with a minimum GPA of 3.85 in all course work taken at DU.
    • Summa cum laude is awarded to a degree candidate who has completed a minimum of 90 quarter hours at the University with a minimum GPA of 3.95 and receives a recommendation from the major department.

Psi Chi National Honor Society

Founded in 1929, DU's chapter of the Psi Chi National Honor Society in Psychology gives you a lifetime membership with the organization. 

  • Membership

    If accepted, you'll pay a one-time, $65 membership fee by signing up and affiliating with the University of Denver.

    • To be eligible, undergraduates must complete at least 5 quarters of college courses, 14 quarter hours of psychology courses, declare Psychology as a major or minor, and rank within the top 35 percent of your class (3.6 GPA or better in general studies and within your psychology program of study). 
    • Graduate students must earn at least a "B" in all classes to be eligible. 
    • Contact Banan Ramarushton (Banan.Ramarushton@du.edu) for more info. 

Psychology Club

Psychology Club is open to all University of Denver students who have an interest in psychology, regardless of their major or academic standing.

  • Membership

    Membership is $20 and you can register by signing up and affiliating with the University of Denver. 

    If you're admitted into Psi Chi as well, we'll deduct your $20 Psychology Club membership fee from the $65 cost of a lifetime Psi Chi membership. 

    Contact Banan Ramarushton (Banan.Ramarushton@du.edu) for more info. 

Certificates in Psychology (Micro-credentials)

The Certificates in Psychology program provides students with the opportunity to critically engage with one of three topics related to the field of psychology. Students who are accepted into this "Certificates in Psychology" program complete three courses, work with a professor on an experiential project, and create a shareable portfolio product, all related to either diversity and inclusion, data-informed decisions, or mental health. 

  • About the Certificates

    This program is particularly designed to prepare students to articulate and demonstrate the skills they've learned during their liberal arts education in psychology, whether they're writing graduate school applications or interviewing with potential employers.

    In the program, students will apply for one of the three certificates mentioned above (diversity and inclusion, data-informed decisions, or mental health). Each certificate lists two required courses meant to provide students with foundational material related to the content area of the chosen certificate. Students seeking a diversity and inclusion certificate, for example, will be required to complete Psychology of Diversity as well as Social Psychology. In addition to these two foundational courses, students will select one more specialized course from a menu of several optional courses. For example, a student on the Diversity and Inclusion track might then take Cultural Psychology or Human Sexuality to delve deeper into more specialized topics related to this content area. (Courses completed prior to applying for this program will count.)

    Students will then work with a professor to develop an experiential project lasting one quarter. This experience will be related to the chosen certificate but tailored to the student. For example, a student seeking a mental health certificate might take Field Experiences or shadow a clinical psychologist for a quarter. A student seeking a data-informed decisions certificate might analyze a publicly-available dataset using statistical software or work in a professor's psychology lab as a research assistant and write a report describing the research projects they contributed to.

    Finally, students will integrate what they learned in their courses and their experiential project into a portfolio product.

    Students will leave the program with a deeper appreciation for the chosen content area and an artifact that can be shared to demonstrate the student's knowledge, skills, and experiences in that area.

  • How To Apply

    Interested in applying?

    First, you'll need to contact Daniel Storage, PhD, to set up an informal Zoom meeting to discuss and plan.

    Once you've had this meeting, you can apply for a certificate in psychology. 

Research

Research Opportunities

As you conduct research in our faculty labs, you'll have opportunities to apply and enhance your learning in research settings and acquire lab experiences that will prepare you for your future graduate school experience and career.

  • Get Involved

    You can get involved in a faculty lab by:

    • volunteering in a lab
    • applying for a work-study position (if you receive a work-study award)
    • completing an in-lab internship and earning up to 10 credits in PSYC 2112 (Research Assistantship)
    • joining the Departmental Distinction program, which offers advanced research methods and the opportunity to complete a senior thesis under the direction of a faculty mentor.
  • Find a Lab

    To find a lab that matches your interests, you can:

    • look for the research assistant postings in Frontier and Nagel halls
    • check DU's student employment site for work-study advertisements
    • read about faculty research interests and labs and email a professor to set up an appointment

Study participation

If you're an undergraduate student in a psychology class, you can sign up to participate in a study here. 

You can look for fliers in the lobby of Frontier Hall and the psychology wing in Nagel Hall to learn about the studies currently seeking participants.

Before you sign up, please make sure the study is approved for credit in the class you're taking.

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