PSYC 501 Information

1. Identify Faculty members with whom you would like to work. See the list at the bottom of this page for a list of Faculty accepting students for PSYC501 in 2023/24. [Note: ONLY faculty members listed here can serve as a 501 supervisor.] Look at their websites. Download and skim their papers to find out more about their research area. We ask you to identify at least 6-8 potential supervisors whose research you are interested in. That might seem like a lot, but see point 5. Send your application to these faculty members you have selected between February 27 and March 6. NOTE: You should submit the same application to all faculty members you contact. If you wish, you can personalize each cover email by explaining briefly why you are interested in talking to the faculty member. Click this link to download the Application Form (MS Word Doc, 85 KB)

2. By Monday, March 6 you should have submitted the application form to each and every Faculty member with whom you are interested in working. Please send one application also to the Academic Advisor and Assistant to the Undergraduate Chair, at ug.psyc@queensu.ca, for records. Please do not copy the Academic Advisor on your emailed applications to Faculty members.

3. Over the next weeks, Faculty members to whom you applied, may contact you for an interview.

4. By Monday, March 27, you should have a list of potential supervisors, and be comfortable listing them in order of preference with the one you would most like to work with numbered 1. To increase your chances of matching, we encourage you to rank several (4-6) potential supervisors. Do NOT list faculty who you have not had an interview with unless that faculty member has indicated that an interview is not required for them to rank the student. You will need to complete the PSYC 501 Supervisor Ranking Form - click here. This should be done after you have met with potential supervisors, and MUST be submitted no later than March 27, at 6:00pm (EDT).

5. Once final grades for Winter term are in and academic eligibility is confirmed, matches will be generated. This will happen late May/early June. Your preference ranking (i.e. the order in which you ranked potential supervisors on the supervisor ranking form) and the faculty’s preference ranking are the primary considerations in assigning students to supervisors. We will do the best we can to match you with a thesis supervisor as far up your list as possible. Some research areas are much more popular than others, however, and faculty typically only supervise 2 thesis students per year. Many students will not get their top choice of supervisor, or maybe even their second or third choice, depending on who they have listed. It is in your interest to check out potential supervisors from a few different areas. We will never assign you to someone that you haven’t listed on your application. If a match isn’t possible given the list you’ve submitted, you will be invited to participate in a second round of matching students and supervisors.

6. Late May/early June, you will be informed via email who your thesis supervisor will be. If you did not get matched but meet the academic criteria you will be invited for the second round of matching.

7. In the event that you are not matched with a faculty supervisor in the second round, you will not be able to enroll in PSYC501. Please consult with the Undergraduate Office for alternative options for gaining research experience in the Department (e.g., PSYC570/575).

8. If you have any questions, please contact either the Undergraduate Office at ug.psyc@queensu.ca or a PSYC 501 Coordinator.

PSYC 501 Supervisor List 2023-2024