Undergraduate students enrolled in the Honors College at the University of Southern Mississippi complete an honors thesis as part of their program requirements. Some theses involve the collection of original data, and others utilize archival data (i.e., data previously collected as part of another project). In the School of Psychology, a completed honors thesis typically looks like a manuscript-length paper of approximately 30 pages in length and formatted in APA style.

One of the first steps in the process of completing an honors thesis involves finding a thesis adviser. Dr. Dahlen is happy to serve as a thesis adviser to honors students; however, there are usually more interested students than there are openings in the Anger and Traffic Psychology Lab. That means we need to be selective about who we accept.

Here are some tips for undergraduate honors students interested in working with Dr. Dahlen and the Anger and Traffic Psychology Lab:

• We are most likely to accept students who are willing to complete projects in our areas of research.
• We almost always have ideas for specific projects that would be appropriate for honors theses, and we are far more likely to accept a student who is willing to complete one of these projects. For example, Dr. Dahlen is especially interested in working with students on projects designed to examine the relationship of peer victimization and bullying to college student mental health and academic success.
• We often encourage students to use archival data sets for their projects rather than collecting new data, as this makes it far more likely that they will be able to finish on time.
• Students who work with us will be encouraged to attend our weekly lab meetings, and preference will be given to those able to do so.

Tags: student success