Do You Want More Hands-On Training in Psychology? Start a Mentorship with a Professor!

Why Should I Start a Mentorship?

One of the best ways to get professional training in any field is to work alongside a mentor. The professors in the Psychology Department are dedicated to the success of our students, and we hope that you will take advantage of the many opportunities to engage in research with one of the experts in their fields.

Four Steps to Having a Great Research Mentorship Experience at EKU:

STEP 1: You need to make sure that you are ready to take on a mentorship. Mentors are looking for students who excel in their classes, who are responsible, who are able to produce high quality work on their own, who have room in their schedule for extra work, and who are interested in becoming a professional psychologist (like a researcher, counselor, administrator, or mental health professional). It is best to start your mentorship during your sophomore or junior year to allow enough time to produce high quality work.

STEP 2: Once you’ve identified a faculty member with similar interests to your own (refer to the Table below), we recommend that you start by contacting the professor, either by setting up an appointment or talking with them after class if you are enrolled in a course with them. You should look up some of their recent research prior to meeting with them.

STEP 3: The next step is typically 1-3 credits in a Psychology Practicum (PSY 503), which may involve developing materials, working with data or collecting responses from participants on your faculty mentor’s project. If you do not need credits for an elective class, you can instead sign up for PSY 409 Practicum in Psychology, you will get the same experience but with a 0 credits class. ​You should consider starting this during your junior year at the latest.

STEP 4: From there, you should plan on developing a Senior Thesis project with your mentor by taking PSY 399, then completing the thesis project the following semester in PSY 419. Students should start by taking PSY 399 either in the spring semester of their junior year or in the fall semester of their senior year. You should try to present your work at a regional or national conference (e.g., SEPA, KPA) and submit to a journal before you graduate.

In addition to the required research courses, you should also consider taking Dr. Osbaldiston’s Graduate Prep course (PSY 458) during the spring of your junior year and Dr. Gore’s Publishing Empirical Research course (PSY 510) the following summer. These courses allow you to get some experience presenting (e.g., KPA Conference, UP Showcase), and publishing research based on data from your faculty mentor (e.g., Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship). We also strongly recommend taking Dr. Varakin’s Sensation & Perception Lab course (PSY 315L) and Dr. Nakai’s Tests & Measurements course (PSY 590). Those courses enhance your skills in experimental and survey research methods.

On the following pages is more information about each faculty member, their research interests, and the maximum number of students they are able to work with on research projects per year.

CONSIDER STARTING A MENTORSHIP TODAY!

Faculty Mentors and Research Interests