No. Your senior essay is usually just the paper you have written for credit in one of your 400-level courses (or sometimes a combination of the two papers you wrote for each of your 400-level courses). Seniors seeking distinction in the major do not have to write an extra paper.
It can count as one of the two 400-level courses to be taken for senior requirements but you will still need to complete the senior essay in another 400-level course.
Yes. You should start thinking about how to fulfill the senior requirement. In addition, all Juniors must complete a Senior Requirement form by the end of their Junior year. For more information, see Senior Requirement Information.
No. Only students seeking Distinction in the major are required to submit a senior essay to be graded by a second reader. For more details, see Senior Requirement Information.
Substantial writing means a final paper with a minimum of 5,000 words for a full-credit course (400-489, 499).
Yes, you can fulfill one or both of senior requirements using senior seminars, unless you are pursuing BS degree. (Note that we can pre-register you for only one seminar and preregistration for senior seminars takes place at the end of the Junior year.) Possible 400-level senior requirement courses include senior seminars (PSYC 490-489), senior requirement directed research courses (PSYC 493 or 495, which is a half credit), and senior requirement directed research courses (PSYC 499).
All rising seniors may pre-register for a senior seminar for their senior year. However, if there is a shortage of slots available for senior seminars, priority will be given to students who need a senior seminar in order to fulfill their senior requirement.
There are no restrictions in research format for students seeking a BA. For a BA degree with Distinction, the senior essay can be a literature review or empirical study.
