The 10 popular pre med majors at Princeton are the following:
- Anthropology
- Chemical and Biological Engineering
- Chemistry
- Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Neuroscience
- Politics –
- Princeton School of Public and International Affairs –
- Psychology
- Sociology
Keep reading down below for details for each major.
Princeton Pre Med Majors – Anthropology
Prerequisites for majoring in Anthropology
Students who wish to concentrate in anthropology must take one anthropology course (any level) prior to junior year or have permission from the department’s director of undergraduate studies. Courses taken before major declaration may be counted towards required departmental courses.
Program of Study
Anthropology concentrators select a track and take nine departmental courses within their selected track, including two core courses (ANT 300 and ANT 301). All concentrators are required to participate in a senior seminar in the fall semester of their senior year. The seminar is designed to help students write their senior thesis.
Tracks
Students concentrating in Anthropology may choose one of three tracks:
- Sociocultural Anthropology | SCA
- Medical Anthropology | MedAnth
- Law, Politics, and Economics | LPE
The Sociocultural Anthropology track is for students who want to explore a number of foundational sub-fields within anthropology. For students who choose the Law, Politics, and Economics or Medical Anthropology track, the selection of required and elective courses is geared toward rigorous study in these respective sub-fields. The courses in each track ensure that students, regardless of track, have a systematic understanding of the scope, methods and theories within the discipline of anthropology by the time they graduate.
Concentrators are automatically placed in the SCA track unless they complete a form declaring that they are opting into MedAnth or LPE. The track selection form must be completed and filed with the department during the student’s junior year on or before the first day of classes in the spring term.
The transcript degree for all concentrators will be A.B. in Anthropology. Students who successfully complete the curriculum of their chosen track will receive a departmental attestation on Class Day and may note their concentration on their resumés.
Courses
Anthropology concentrators take a minimum of nine departmental courses comprising required and elective courses. All students take two core courses plus up to two additional required courses. The mix of each student’s required and elective courses is determined by the student’s selected track.
The core courses shared by all Anthropology concentrators are:
- ANT 300 Ethnography, Evidence and Experience, normally taken in junior fall unless a student is studying abroad
- ANT 301 The Ethnographer’s Craft, normally taken in junior spring unless studying abroad
Anthropology concentrators who plan to write a senior thesis based on ethnographic fieldwork are expected to complete ANT 301 by the end of junior year.
To count for the major, required and elective courses (including cognates) must be taken for a grade and not pass/D/fail. The final grade earned for a departmental course must be “C” or higher.
Fieldwork / Study Abroad
Some anthropology majors choose to spend a semester in their junior year away from Princeton studying abroad, and/or the summer before their senior year doing field research off-campus. Fieldwork and study abroad are neither required nor expected, but they are unique opportunities for students to experience other social worlds first-hand and to make a refreshing change from the laboratory or library research that is more commonly part of college work.
The director of undergraduate studies can help students plan for study abroad, including choosing courses to enhance their studies in anthropology or to explore other interests, as well as developing a bridge between study abroad and thesis research to be conducted in the summer before senior year.
In their role as advisers for students’ independent work, Anthropology faculty are available to help students develop field research projects. The department has limited funds (available on a competitive basis) to support rising seniors in conducting summer field research toward their senior thesis projects. Additional funding is available from the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) and other sources. Students should consult the Student Activities Funding Engine (SAFE) for funding application details.
Independent Work and Senior Departmental Examination
The Guide to Independent Work in Anthropology explains in detail the Junior Paper and Senior Thesis for students majoring in Anthropology. This guide is reviewed and updated as needed each year before the start of the following fall term.
In the spring of senior year, after the thesis deadline, all concentrators must complete a departmental examination designed to test their knowledge of anthropology as it relates to their area of expertise.
Departmental Academic Standards
To do well in coursework in the department, students should come to class, participate, attend office hours, and hand work in on time. To work up to potential in independent work, students should adhere to the department’s independent work calendars, meet with advisors, and hand in proposals and drafts by deadlines. Juniors should actively connect learning in ANT 300 and ANT 301 to their own conduct of independent work. Seniors should attend the required fall-term senior seminar with active participation. By following these suggestions, students should do well in the department. Nevertheless, a student may occasionally fall behind in coursework or independent work. In such cases, communication with instructors and advisors is essential and consultation with the director of undergraduate studies is highly recommended and encouraged. If work needs to be submitted late, students must follow the Department of Anthropology’s policy on extensions and late work.
Honors
Honors are calculated according to the following weighting system:
- Average grade in departmental courses (comprising the nine required and elective courses, including Princeton cognates): 60%
- Senior thesis: 25%
- Junior paper: 10%
- Senior departmental exam: 5%
To count for the major, a course must be taken for a grade and not pass/D/fail. The final grade earned for independent work, the senior departmental exam, and any departmental course must be “C” or higher.
In the calculation of honors, “departmental courses” comprise the required and elective courses in a student’s track. For students who have completed more elective courses than needed for the applicable track, the lowest grades will be dropped when calculating the “average grade in departmental courses.” Although courses taken during study abroad can count as cognates towards fulfillment of departmental course requirements, the grades earned at the abroad institution are not factored into the calculation for departmental honors. For students using study abroad courses to fulfill requirements, the departmental “average grade” can be calculated based on fewer than nine courses.
Princeton Pre Med Majors – Chemical and Biological Engineering
Every CBE student graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) degree. Roughly 80 percent supplement their major with an undergraduate certificate. And while they’re at it, our students pursue an amazing diversity of passions — from volleyball to chamber orchestra, from start-up companies to semesters abroad.
Below, we’ve tried to give you a quick look at what it means to be a CBE student. But this decision is far from simple, so please reach out to us with your questions.
Overview of Courses
CBE Core
Areas of Concentration
Everyone who majors in CBE chooses one of six areas of concentration, which helps organize a student’s choice of electives. In practical terms, this means three of your technical electives will come from a group of area-specific selections. Two additional electives come from two different “breadth” areas, which rounds out your over all experience.
Below find the list of electives on offer for each of the six areas of concentration.
Sample Curriculum
The table below gives you an idea what four years of classes might look like. This schedule is not fixed, and the choice of courses does not account for advanced placement or other considerations. This is simply a baseline curriculum for a typical CBE student. And it is one more tool to guide you along your path to graduation.
| FALL | SPRING | |
|---|---|---|
| First Year | MAT 103 Calculus | MAT 104 Calculus |
| PHY 103 Physics | PHY 104 Physics | |
| CHM 201 Chemistry | CHM 202 Chemistry | |
| Humanities/Social Science | Computing Requirement | |
| Writing Requirement | ||
| Sophomore Year | MAT 201 Multivariable Calculus | CBE 246 Thermodynamics |
| CBE 245 An Introduction to Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Principles | MOL 214 Molecular Biology | |
| CHM 301 Organic Chemistry | MAE 305 Differential Equations | |
| MAT 202 Linear Algebra | Program Elective | |
| Humanities/Social Science | Humanities/Social Science | |
| Junior Year | CBE 250 Separations in Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology | CBE 346 Chemical and Biological Engineering Laboratory |
| CBE 341 Mass, Momentum, Energy Transport | CBE 441 Chemical Reaction Engineering | |
| Program Elective | Program Elective | |
| Program Elective | Humanities/Social Science | |
| Senior Year | CBE 442 Design, Synthesis, and Optimization of Chemical Processes | CBE 454 Senior Thesis |
| CBE 454 | Humanities/Social Science | |
| Program Elective | Open Elective | |
| Humanities/Social Science | Open Elective |
Princeton Pre Med Majors – Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Plan of Study
The curriculum in EEB is based on an initial set of core prerequisites and core requisites (core requisites are required courses which also count as one of the eight departmental classes required for graduation). Because biology is the most derived of the natural sciences, the core prerequisites and core requisites are more numerous than those for most departments.
Prerequistes (P/D/F not allowed)
These prerequisites should typically be completed by the end of sophomore year (physics and statistics are two exceptions).
Biology prerequisite (2 courses):
EEB 211
EEB/MOL 214 or EEB/MOL 215
Chemistry prerequisite (2 courses):
CHM 202
CHM 201 or 207
(Advanced placement: Students who receive a 4 on the Chem Exam need to take CHM 215; students who receive a 5 are exempt from the chemistry requirement.)
Mathematics prerequisite (1 of the following):
MAT 103, MAT 104, MAT 175, MAT 215
(Advanced placement: Students who receive a 5 on the Math Exam [BC test or AB test] are exempt from the math requirement.)
Physics prerequisite (1 of the following):
PHY 101, PHY 102, PHY 103, PHY 104, PHY 108
(Advanced placement: Students must receive a 5 on Physics Exam to be exempt from physics requirement.)
Statistics prerequisite (1 of the following):
SML 201*; ORF 245, PSY 251, POL 345, SOC 301, ECO 202, WWS 220, WWS 332
*preferred course
The statistics requirement must be fulfilled by the end of fall term senior year. It is preferred to fulfill the statistics requirement before junior year, but at the latest it must be fulfilled by the end of fall term senior year.
ISC Curriculum: Students who have completed the first full year of ISC are credited for MOL 214, CHM 201/2, and PHY 101/2. The student must take EEB 211. Students who complete 2 years of ISC can submit a short essay after reading Serengeti Rules and Selfish Gene to opt out of EEB 211.
EEB Course Requirements
A minimum of 8 courses are required. You must receive a C- or better for departmental credit.
● EEB 309 and EEB 321 are required
● 1 class from each of 2 of the following areas (2 classes total): Behavior and Organismal Biology (EEB 313, 314, 329, 403, 404*, 406*), Disease Ecology (EEB 304, 327, 328*, 351), Conservation Biology (EEB 308, 380*, 417, 303), Mathematical and Computational Biology (EEB 324, 325). *offered as part of the semester abroad program
● 4 additional upper level (300+) EEB courses
See the EEB or Registrar’s website for a complete list of courses.
(CHM 301 and either MOL 345 or MOL 380 can count as departmentals. Other MOL courses with prior permission of the Department Representative)
Princeton Pre-medical Students
Students interested in medical school should consider taking EEB 314 Comparative Physiology, Medical schools require 2 terms of physics; physics can be delayed to senior year. The health profession advisers at Princeton recommend that students interested in studying abroad, particularly in EEB’s field semesters, should do so. They recommend contacting them early to formulate a plan of study that allows students to both fulfill the pre-medical prerequisites and study abroad spring of their junior year.
Studying Abroad
Princeton’s Tropical Field Programs. Students interested in learning about or undertaking research in the tropics have a number of options.
1. Panama. The department offers a spring term in Panama in conjunction with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Students take four intensive three-week courses in sequence, beginning with an introduction of key concepts in tropical ecology and conservation. The program also includes courses on coral reefs, parasitology, and anthropology (focusing on Pre-Columbian peoples and their land-use practices).
2. Kenya. This four-course program on Tropical Biology and Sustainability, also taught in three-week segments, takes place at Princeton University’s Mpala Research Centre in central Kenya and other sites in Kenya, in collaboration with scientists there, EEB faculty, other appropriate faculty from Princeton University, and faculty from Columbia University; Columbia students participate in the program. The courses delve into the ecology of savannas, conservation in Africa, the natural history of mammals, tropical agriculture, engineering and field hydrology and paleoecology.
3. Other. Individual students are welcome to pursue other independent field opportunities, with scientists from the Smithsonian Institution and the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, or other research institutions, such as the School for Field Studies at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, or James Cook University in Australia.
Senior Departmental Examination
A one-hour oral examination, consisting of a defense of the thesis research and general questions in the biological sciences will be held in May.
Princeton Pre Med Majors – Molecular Biology
About Molecular Biology Major
The Molecular Biology major is one of the larger concentrations at Princeton, with 50 to 60 sophomores joining the department each spring. Our introductory Cell and Molecular Biology course, together with courses in chemistry, physics, and statistics, prepare students for three upper level core courses covering fundamentals of modern experimental biology – genetics, biochemistry, and cell and developmental biology – and an intensive project lab course. A diverse set of elective courses allow students to delve into more specialized topics like immunology, cancer biology, genomics, and drug discovery. Students with interdisciplinary interests can combine the Molecular Biology major with certificates such as biophysics, neuroscience, global health and health policy, and quantitative and computational biology.
From classes you will learn how science is applied in research and medical advancements. In the junior and senior independent work, you will solidify your skills and apply them first hand by performing your own original research. During the junior year, you will learn to critically analyze the research literature and formulate a detailed research plan in preparation for embarking on your senior thesis. Many students choose a hands-on laboratory experience for their senior thesis research, although non-laboratory projects are also possible. A unique program for rising seniors to conduct laboratory thesis research during the summer maximizes the educational experience of our majors.
Major Requirements
All of the courses and independent work below must be done on a graded basis (NO PDF).
Prerequisites
- MOL 214, completed with a grade of C or better. Neither AP credit nor courses taken at other institutions can be used toward the fulfillment of the MOL 214 prerequisite.
- CHM 201/207 and CHM 202, or one unit of chemistry AP credit plus CHM 202 or 215, or two units of chemistry AP credit.
An alternate path into the department is through the Integrated Science curriculum.
General Requirements
The following courses are required:
- Organic Chemistry CHM 301 & 304 or CHM 337. Courses taken at other institutions can be used toward fulfillment of the chemistry requirements with approval from the Department of Chemistry. The organic chemistry requirement must be completed before the beginning of the junior year.
- Quantitative Students satisfy the quantitative requirement by taking one course in statistics (SML 201, ORF 245, or MOL 290) and one course in either computer science (COS 126 or above) or math (MAT 103, 104, 175, 192, or any 200-level MAT course). SML 201 and COS 126 are the recommended choices for most students. AP credit cannot be used toward the fulfillment of the quantitative requirement. Courses taken at other institutions can be substituted for the second required course (but not for the statistics course), if approved by the corresponding department.
- Physics PHY 108 (strongly recommended), or PHY 103 & 104, or PHY 101 & 102. PHY 108 is a one-semester, biologically oriented alternative to the traditional full-year sequences. Pre-medical students needing two semesters of physics can combine PHY 101 or 103 with PHY 108. Neither AP credit nor courses taken at other institutions can be used toward the fulfillment of the physics requirement.
Department Core Courses
The following departmental core courses are required and, except under very special circumstances, must be taken before senior year:
- MOL 342 Genetics
- MOL 345 Biochemistry
- MOL 348 Cell & Developmental Biology
- MOL 350 Laboratory in Molecular Biology or MOL 320 Experimental Molecular Biology*
*MOL 350 is offered in the fall to junior concentrators and is the conventional path for the major. MOL 320 has limited enrollment and is offered in the spring to sophomores who intend to concentrate in MOL and plan to study abroad, or have taken/are concurrently taking MOL 348 and want an early introduction to research methods and laboratory experience. MOL 320 and MOL 350 are considered equivalent courses and only one can be taken.
Junior Tutorials
Each MOL junior will be enrolled in a Junior Tutorial. In the fall, Junior Tutorials, led by postdoctoral instructors, are held once a week for 1.5 hours and are broken into two segments, each with a distinct topic area. At the end of each 4-week segment, students write a short critique of a relevant research paper assigned by the instructor. [Please note that Junior Tutorials are not considered courses and do not count toward satisfying departmental course requirements. However, they are a moderate time commitment and a requirement for the degree.]
Other Departmentals
All students must take a total of at least eight departmentals. In addition to the four departmental core courses, students must take at least one 300, 400, or 500-level course with MOL as the primary listing.* The remaining three departmentals can be chosen from among all 300-or-higher-level MOL, MOL-crosslisted, or other approved courses. Note that CHM 301, 304 and CHM 337 qualify as departmentals. Only courses taken at Princeton count as departmentals; there are no exceptions to this rule.
*QCB 490/MOL 490 counts as a MOL primary listing course.
Choosing a Thesis Adviser
In September of your junior year, the MOL department will host two meetings which will go over the thesis adviser selection process and independent work. Thesis adviser selection takes place in October-November. Students meet with different faculty over a period of weeks, after which they each submit a rank order form. The MOL DUS will match students accordingly and assignments will be announced in early December.
Princeton Pre Med Majors – Neuroscience
Neuroscience Major Overview
Major Course of Study (14 courses)
3 Prerequisites Courses: Needed to enter the NEU major
- NEU 201 – Fundamentals of Neuroscience (Fall)
- NEU 202 – Intro to Cognitive Neuroscience (Spring)
- MAT 103 – Calculus I
Note 1: Your placement in (or out of) MAT 103 is decided by the Department of Mathematics.
Note 2: You do not need to take NEU 201 before NEU 202
2 Core Courses: Must be completed
Unless you have extensive programming experience or some experience with Python, it is strongly recommended that you take NEU 314 before NEU 350.
This course aims to provide a comprehensive yet intuitive grasp of the mathematical and computational tools central to the analysis of neural systems and neural data. The course will introduce students to topics in linear algebra, differential equations, and probability & statistics, with a heavy emphasis on applications to neurobiology. Coursework will focus primarily on problem sets requiring the use of a simple computer programming language (e.g., Matlab, Python). The course will seek to develop intuition and achieve a practical mastery of the methods introduced, and will equip students with programming and data visualization skills that are increasingly important to scientific inquiry in general, and neuroscience in particular.
This course is designed to introduce undergraduate students to modern methods of analysis applied to the activity of single neurons, the synaptic connections between neurons, and the dynamics of networks of neurons underlying learning and decision making. The course will include methods for intracellular and extracellular recording of neural activity, the application of optogenetic approaches to analysis of neuronal function, and noninvasive measurement of human cognitive information processing using fMRI. The capstone of the course is a 2-week independent research project designed and carried out by students.
1 Cognate Course: Required but not taught by NEU
- One of the following courses: PHY 101, PHY 103, PHY108, or another course approved by the Physics department.
Electives: (5 NEU + 3 Cognate courses)
I. Five NEU courses
- Students must take 5 NEU courses from 3 out of 4 subject areas.
- The areas are Molecular/Cellular/Disease, Neural Computation, Systems & Circuits and Social & Cognitive Neuroscience.
- List of current NEU electives
II. Three additional courses
A. Students must take one 200-level or higher course in cell biology from the following list:
- MOL 214 – Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology
- MOL 342 – Genetics
- EEB 211/MOL 211 – The Biology of Organisms
B. Students must take one 200-level or higher course in behavior from the following list:
- PSY 207 – Psychopathology
- PSY 255 – Cognitive Psychology
- PSY 252 – Social Psychology
- PSY/NEU 345 – Sensation & Perception*
- PSY 254 – Developmental Psychology
- PSY/NEU 338 – Animal Learning & Decision Making*
- EEB 311 – Animal Behavior
- EEB 313 – Behavioral Ecology
- EEB 329 – Sensory Ecology
*Note: crosslisted NEU courses will not count twice in the elective total.
C. Students must take one course in statistics from the following list:
- SML 201 – Introduction to Data Science is recommended.
Entry through the ISC program
The first year ISC sequence (ISC 231, 232, 233, 234) offers an alternative to the combination of MOL 214 or 215 (biology elective), COS 126 (a quantitative thinking elective), SML 201 – Introduction to Data Science and PHY 101-102 (required courses) (or the equivalent).
- ISC 236 – Biochemistry and Neuroscience offers an alternative to NEU 201 (a prerequisite).
- ISC 235 – Genetics and Genomics offers an alternative to MOL 342 Genetics (and will thus count as a “biology” elective).
Molecular/Cellular/Disease
- NEU 301 – Cellular Neurobiology
- NEU 331 – Introduction to Clinical Neuropsychology
- NEU 385 – Circuits for Survival: The Neuroscience of Innate Behavior
- NEU 403 – Genes and Neurons underlying Behavioral Evolution
- NEU 413 – The Neurobiology of Stress
- NEU 428 – Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Neural Basis, Clinic, and Interventions
- NEU 430 – Epigenetics in Neuroscience and Behavior
- NEU 443 – Computational Psychiatry
- NEU 447 – Neuroimmunology
- NEU 460 – The Cerebellum in Action and Cognition
- NEU 475 – Basal Ganglia in Health and Disease
- NEU 490 – Brain plasticity in Health and Disease
- NEU 501A – Cellular and Circuits Neuroscience
- ELE ECE 452 – Biomedical Imaging
- MOL 250 – Food, Drugs and Society
- MOL 433 – Biotechnology
- MOL 459 – Basic Virology
- MOL 460 – Diseases in Children: Causes, Costs, and Choices
- PHY 562 – Biophysics
- PSY 207 – Psychopathology
- PSY 317 – Health Psychology
- QCB 515 – Method and Logic of Quantitative Biology
Circuits & Systems
- NEU 200 – Functional Neuroanatomy
- NEU 260 – Life Cycle of Behaviors
- NEU 301 – Cellular Neurobiology
- NEU 316 – Cognitive Neuroscience of Selective Attention
- NEU 325 – Sensation and Perception
- NEU 336 – Diversity of Brains
- NEU 385 – Circuits for Survival: The Neuroscience of Innate Behaviors
- NEU 413 – The Neurobiology of Stress
- NEU 422 – Neural Dynamics of Cognition
- NEU 427 – Systems Neuroscience
- NEU 428 – Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Neural Basis, Clinic, and Interventions
- NEU 460 – The Cerebellum in Action and Cognition
- NEU 457 – Measurement and Analysis of Neural Circuit Dynamics
- NEU 475 – Basal Ganglia in Health and Disease
- NEU 501A – Cellular and Circuits Neuroscience
- NEU 502A – From Molecules to Systems to Behavior
- PHY 562 – Biophysics
Neural Computation
- NEU 330 – Computational Modeling of Psychological Function
- NEU 338 – Animal Learning and Decision-making
- NEU 340 – Neuroeconomics
- NEU 437 – Computational Neuroscience
- NEU 443 – Computational Psychiatry
- NEU 457 – Measurement and Analysis of Neural Circuit Dynamics
- NEU 499 – The Computational Basis of Natural Intelligence in the Human Brain
- COS 226 – Algorithms & Data Structures
- COS 343 – Algorithms for Computational Biology
- COS 402 – Artificial Intelligence
- COS 429 – Computer Vision
- COS 324 – Introduction to Machine Learning
- COS 302/SML 305 – Mathematics for Numerical Computing and Machine Learning
- COS 424/SML 302 – Fundamentals of Machine Learning
- COS 485 – Neural Networks: Theory and Applications
- ELE ECE 364 – Machine Learning for Predictive Data Analytics
- ELE ECE 452 – Biomedical Imaging
- MAT/APC 323 – Topics in Mathematical Modeling – Mathematical Neuroscience
- PSY 360 – Computational Models of Cognition
- QCB 515 – Method and Logic of Quantitative Biology
Cognitive & Social Neuroscience
- NEU 200 – Functional Neuroanatomy
- NEU 306 – Memory and Cognition
- NEU 316 – Cognitive Neuroscience of Selective Attention
- NEU 330 – Computational Modeling of Psychological Function
- NEU 331 – Introduction to Clinical Neuropsychology
- NEU 337 – Neuroscience of Social Cognition and Emotion
- NEU 338 – Animal Learning and Decision-making
- NEU 340 – Neuroeconomics
- NEU 422 – Neural Dynamics of Cognition
- NEU 499 – The Computational Basis of Natural Intelligence in the Human Brain
- NEU 502A – From Molecules to Systems to Behavior
- ELE ECE/NEU 480 – fMRI Decoding
- PSY/MUS 248 – Music Cognition
- PSY 409 – Cyborg Psychology
Last updated August, 2022
View the NEU Major Course of Study.
You should plan on completing NEU 201, NEU 202, and MAT 103 by the Spring of your sophomore year. You do not need to take NEU 201 before NEU 202. In your junior year, you should take NEU 314 (Fall) and NEU 350 (Spring). All other courses can be taken anytime during your stint here at Princeton.
NEU will allow individual courses to fulfill both NEU requirements and certificate requirements, providing it is permissible to the certificate program. Those of you who are seeking to obtain a certificate in another unit should check with those requirements.
The Director of Undergraduate Studies, (DUS), Professor Elizabeth Gould.
Yes, but there are two caveats. First, it must be an elective and the course cannot be a survey-style neuroscience course like NEU 201 or NEU 202; you must take those here at Princeton. Second, you must share, and have approved, the course syllabus with the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
Studying abroad can be a wonderful opportunity. Below is a document provided by the Office of International Programs that contains links to some places that have neuroscience programs and their course offerings. Some of these courses may be used to fulfill your major elective requirements. [Note: You should always check with the NEU Director of Undergraduate Studies before making any course selections.]
A selection of opportunities to study neuroscience abroad.
There are certainly other countries that you may want to check out; please consult with the Office of International Programs.
Unlikely. It would have to be a pretty significant project and you would have to find an interested co-advisor on the PNI faculty to help guide you through your work.
Possibly. Communicate with the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
No, not for NEU courses, but maybe for cognate electives. Communicate with Director of Undergraduate Studies.
Yes, but the decision is made by the Math or Physics departments. We follow their placement decisions. Follow up with your Residential College Dean and the department to facilitate your placement for these courses. Also advance placement (AP) credit must be listed in TigerHub.
In addition to pursuing graduate or medical studies, there are many other career opportunities for individuals rigorously trained in neuroscience.
Independent Work Timeline
JUNIOR YEAR
JP Tutorials
In the Fall semester of your junior year, you will participate in small group tutorials to discuss research papers from the primary literature. These tutorials provide an interactive format for you to learn to read and analyze current primary scientific literature — this is essential for you to develop new ideas about research and for formulating hypotheses.
You will participate in discussions headed by postdoctoral instructors once a week for 1.5 hours. The tutorial meets for 8 weeks. At the end, you will be asked to write a short critique of a relevant research paper assigned by the instructor. See the 2022 Fall Tutorial Guide (PDF) for important details.
ADVISER ASSIGNMENT PROCESS
At the start of Fall semester of junior year, you will be assigned a faculty adviser for your independent work. In most cases, you will continue working with this faculty adviser for your senior thesis in the following year.
In August before the semester starts, NEU juniors will be asked to complete a questionnaire ranking your preferences for research area and research approaches. You will also have the opportunity to communicate any specific research interests or experiences you would like the faculty to consider in the assignment process.
In late September of your junior year, you will be informed of your assigned adviser*, as well as next steps in setting up meetings and beginning independent work. Students are strongly encouraged to start planning their independent work with their faculty adviser during the Fall semester.
*Note that this process does not involve students reaching out directly to faculty. Selections will be made based on your preferences and faculty availability, after which meetings with your faculty adviser will be arranged.
SPRING JUNIOR YEAR
Junior Independent Work culminates with the submission of a research proposal. This proposal will serve as the basis for your senior thesis work. As is typical of research proposals, the document will include a short survey of the literature.
SENIOR THESIS
The senior thesis in neuroscience is the culmination of original research conducted by the student with the guidance of a faculty member in the Princeton Neuroscience Institute (including associated and affiliated members).
What can you do with a degree in neuroscience?
Research and Education
- Research/Teaching: overall options to consider
- Basic/Clinical
- Academic/Biotech/Pharma (private sector) / NIH (public sector)
- Levels of analysis: molecular through cognitive
- System: theory and modeling, experimental animal, clinical, social
- Focus: development, function, disease
- Professor, Research lab head (principal investigator), running a lab of scientist, post-docs, technicians and students (teach at undergraduate/graduate level); Medical school faculty (less teaching, more fundraising)
- Other research positions: research scientist, technician, lab manager, etc. [Note: research may be purely clinical working with patients, etc]
- Instructor, lecturer, or guest lecturer (may also have a research position)
- Dean (may also teach and do research)
- Run an academic program (advisor, coordinator, etc)
- High school, junior high, elementary science teacher
- Run a (neuro)science program at a youth education center (city-wide program for public schools, create a program for private schools, summer programs, etc)
- Teach Neuroscience to medical students
- Teach public about Neuroscience (non-profit organization, Allen Brain Institute, etc)
- Teach Neuroscience to adults (continuing education programs, run seminars for companies who want employees to understand brain/health better, train hospital employees about the brain)
- Work to improve funding for science education
- Teach Neuroscience abroad (developing nation or other)
Health-Related Careers
- Clinical psychologist (e.g., specialize in behavioral neuroscience)
- Physician (MD or DO)-neurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry, optometry…
- MD-PhD (clinical practice and research)
- Nurse (for example, in neuro ward, neuro-oncology, pediatric neurology, etc); Nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant
- Speech & language therapist (especially important for neurological patients with damage to left hemisphere, or children with neurodevelopmental disorders)
- Occupational therapist for adults (especially important following stroke, loss of basic function to take care of ones self, etc)
- Physical therapist for children (teach how to compensate/alleviate developmental disorders, e.g SPD, autism, ADD, motor disorders, etc)
- Audiologist (assess hearing function in children, babies, adults)
- Nutritionist (a neuro background give you a unique perspective on how nutrient and metabolism affect the nervous system)
- Social worker (a neuro background would help you to understand the specific issues affecting neurological patients upon re-entering their environment following hospitalizations)
- Clinical research- could work at a number of levels, from technician to research scientist
- Pharmacist (specialize in how drugs mimic neurotransmitter in the brain)
- MRI technician, histopathologist, public health, biostatistician, epidemiologist, medical forensics, develop neuroprosthetics
- Technician for other neurological procedures e.g. deep brain stimulation; genetic counseling
- Radiation physicist (calculates precisely how radiation should be used to target tumors)
- Administrator or coordinator (neurology ward or team or neurology residents)
- Run a public service project in an underserved area with limited medical care
- Veterinarian
Global Health
- Run a clinical research project in another country (or work for one)
- Run a public service project in a developing nation (or work for one)
- Work for the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)- specialize in neurological disease
- Global health reporting and/or data collection- focus on neurological health
- Careers at UN, NGOs, MSF, OXFAM, USAID, World Bank
Business & Law
- Neuroeconomist or economics consultant
- Chief-Scientific Officer (CSO), Executive Director or other high-level at private company, non-profit foundation, government institution, or academic program
- Marketing or advertising consultant (What is going on in the brain during decision making?)
- Equity consultant, analyst or broker for an equity firm, venture capitalist or hedge fund (Is a biotech or pharmaceutical company a good investment?)
- Spokesperson for a neuro-company; education public on research going on within the company
- Patent lawyer (e.g., draft a patent application to secure intellectual property rights for a neurobiological technique or product developed at Princeton)
- Lawyer (specialize in neurodegenerative disease cases, child development, etc)
- Consultant
Government & Policy
- Work for a governmental office (CDC, NIH, FDA, etc) that oversees public policy toward neurological disease, the aging brain, etc
- Capitol Hill Staffer (work in congressional office, science/health-related initiatives)
- Congressional advisor (advise on policy for the care of children with neurodevelopmental disease, intellectual disabilities, autism, epilepsy, etc)
- Advise on policy for the care of persons with psychiatric problems, etc
- Grants administrator and/or reviewer (Program manager- NSF, NIH)
- Global Health Organizations
Writing & Publishing
- Scientific journal editor (Neuron, Cell, Nature, Science, Nature Neuroscience, etc)
- Scientific journalist (correspondent or columnist)
- Science book publishing (writing, editing, recruitment of writers)
- Creative writing about the brain – for children or adults
- Write biographies of famous neuroscientists
- Web design and writing for the NIH or other neuroscience organizations
- Science education blogger
- Produce science education material web/print (Scholastic, Nature Education, etc)
Consulting (advising with a neuro background)
- Management consulting (specialize in biotech, pharma or healthcare companies); private consulting firm
- Lobbyist (for foundations, biotech, etc)
- Library (medical or other)
Non-profit Research or Foundations
- Grants specialist –evaluate research portfolio, set funding priorities
- Patient outreach
- Discovery specialist for a research foundation (coordinate academic and biotech research to cure a specific disease)
Creative Sector
- Graphic designer for any company/ organization on this list
- Design web-based scientific education material (NIH, Scitable, University Science Centers, Startup companies)
- Science consultant for the media (TV, movies, books, etc)
- Artist specializing in how the brain perceives things
- Architect who specializes in how the brain perceives spaces, color, texture, emotion, etc
- Toy designer- use knowledge to make brain developing toys
- Musician/instructor (understanding hearing and the brain and its role in composition, performance)
- Write neurosci-fi screenplays
- Web design, art, and/or writing for any neuroscience organization
Quant fields
- Investing, real estate, etc,
- Big data (e.g., Google, Calico)
- Artificial intelligence, brain-machine interfaces
—With thanks to Boston University’s Neuroscience’s “Life after College” page for many of these ideas–
Available Funding
James M. Shapiro ’80 Fund for Undergraduate Research in Neuroscience
Nancy J. Newman, MD ’78 & Valerie Biousse, MD Senior Thesis Research Fund for Neuroscience
Sanda & Jeremiah Lambert ’55 Fund for Undergraduate Neuroscience, in Honor of Clare Lambert ’08 and Hilary Lambert ‘10
PRINCETON NEUROSCIENCE NETWORK
Founded in 2015, PNN is the University’s only student organization dedicated to fostering a community of individuals interested in neuroscience. As a group, we hope to create more opportunities for students across all levels, both on and off campus, in the interdisciplinary and fast-advancing field of neuroscience.
Our initiatives are headed by three committees: Events, Research/Mentoring, and Outreach. Through guest speaker series, research panels, social events, and outreach programs for youth, we aim to connect, educate, and inspire individuals through this field.
To learn more about the organization, explore our website! You’ll find information about PNN and its members, our three committees, and what we’ve been up to recently. If you’re interested in joining, see our upcoming events below!
FALL 2022: Interested in joining PNN? Fill out this form!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Come to PNN’s upcoming Course Selection Study Break to talk to upperclassmen about what classes to take and ask questions about Spring 2021 course selection!
Come to PNN’s upcoming Research Symposium to learn more about how to get involved in conducting research at Princeton!
COMMITTEES
Research & Mentoring Committee
Our Research & Mentoring Committee seeks to connect undergraduate students interested in neuroscience with graduate students and research faculty at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute. We focus on advertising undergraduate research opportunities and hosting symposiums to introduce students to the various avenues of neuroscience research conducted at Princeton.
Events Committee
The PNN Events Committee plans and oversees several events within the Neuroscience department and the university as a whole. We help manage PNN recruitment in the fall and spring semester through events such as the Academic Expo, Activities Fair, and the Neuroscience Open House. We also host a number of different events including PNN Film Events and the Neuroscience course selection study break, which is facilitated by experienced upperclassmen studying neuroscience.
Outreach Committee
Our Outreach Committee is responsible for reaching not only the Princeton undergraduate community, but also the surrounding Princeton area. The Outreach Committee has organized the Princeton Neuroscience Fair for elementary-aged students to learn about Neuroscience, as well as an outreach trip to Urban Promise, an after school program for underrepresented inner-city students in Trenton to spread awareness of the field.
Princeton Pre Med Majors – Politics
Princeton University is actively monitoring the situation around coronavirus (Covid-19) and the evolving guidance from government and health authorities, in keeping with our commitment to ensure the health and safety of all members of the University community. The latest information and resources for members of the Politics Department is available on the University’s COVID-19 page.
Princeton Pre Med Majors – Princeton School of Public and International Affairs
The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs offers a multidisciplinary liberal arts major for students who are interested in public service and becoming leaders in the world of public and international affairs. Students will acquire the tools, understanding, and habits of mind necessary to pursue policy problems of their choosing. The major is largely self-designed but with the structure and guidance needed for an education that is both broad and deep.
Please be sure to select the program requirements based on your graduating class year.
Classes of 2026+ Program Requirements
The curriculum consists of a wide range of courses offered through the School and through our partner departments that are relevant to the study of policymaking, policy analysis, and policy evaluation. Students take courses in economics, sociology or psychology and politics or history. An introductory public policy course is required along with an ethics course and a course on power & identity. Students enroll in policy seminars in the junior year and write a policy thesis in the senior year. To aid in students’ independent work, a research design workshop is also required.
Majors are required to take statistics and must be able to use the basics of single-variable calculus in order to take economics courses and some advanced elective options. Students who are concerned about their preparation should consider taking a course that provides instruction in single-variable calculus. In addition, the Undergraduate Program requires that students engage in some extra-curricular cross-cultural experience (which may include study abroad), or policy-relevant field experience (overseas or domestic).
By the end of fall junior year, students will have to select their area of intellectual depth: i.e. disciplinary depth or thematic depth (designated by SPIA).
Prerequisites
Students must complete four prerequisites from a list of pre-approved courses prior to the fall term of their junior year. All courses taken to meet these prerequisites must be taken on a graded basis. Freshman seminars may not be used to fulfill prerequisites. Students must earn a grade of C or higher in all courses counting towards prerequisites.
The following courses may be used to satisfy the prerequisites:
- Statistics
- SPI 200: Statistics for Social Science
- ECO 202: Statistics and Data Analysis for Economics
- ORF 245 Fundamentals of Statistics
- POL 345: Introduction to Quantitative Social Science
- Microeconomics
- ECO 100: Introduction to Microeconomics OR AP score of 5 on Microeconomics
- Sociology or Psychology
- Please find a list of eligible courses here.
- Politics or History
- Please find a list of eligible courses here.
All courses taken to meet prerequisites must be completed before September of the junior year with a grade of C or higher. A summer course or a course taken abroad may count to satisfy a department prerequisite if the course has been approved by the relevant department and by either OIP or one’s residential college dean or assistant dean for transfer credit. All requests to use a transfer course to satisfy a department prerequisite must be approved in advance by the SPIA Director of Undergraduate Studies.
A course taken at Princeton and used as a prerequisite may also be used to meet either a department core requirement (if it is on the list of core requirements) or as a departmental elective (if it is on the electives list).
Core Course Requirements
Students should review the list of core requirements for their specific class year.
Prior to graduation, students must complete the core course requirements listed below. Students are encouraged to take SPI 298 in the sophomore year, and must complete the course no later than the fall of the junior year. All courses used to meet these requirements must be taken at Princeton on a graded basis.
- SPI 298: Intro Public Policy (Fall only; sophomores and juniors)
- SPI 299: Research Design Workshop (Fall only; juniors only; non-credit bearing)
- SPI 300: Research Seminar (Spring only; juniors only)
- SPI 301: Policy Task Force (Fall and Spring; juniors only)
- One course in Power & Identity
- Please find a list of eligible courses here.
- One Ethics course
- SPI 365: Tech Ethics
- SPI 368: The Ethical Policy Maker
- SPI 370: Ethics and Public Policy
- POL 307: The Just Society
- POL 313: Global Justice
- CHV 310/PHI 385: Practical Ethics
- PHI 309/CHV 309: Political Philosophy
- EGR/ENT/REL 219: Professional Responsibility & Ethics: Succeeding Without Selling Your Soul
- One Intermediate Economics course
N.B. Students who wish to take ECO 300, 301, 310, or 311 are responsible for completing additional prerequisites on their own.- SPI 304: Microeconomics for Public Policy (formerly listed as SPI 300)
- ECO 300: Microeconomic Theory
- ECO 301: Macroeconomics
- ECO 310: Microeconomic Theory: A Mathematical Approach
- ECO 311: Macroeconomics: A Mathematical Approach
Elective Courses
Students must complete six electives according to the following guidelines.
- Disciplinary Breadth (3 courses): Take one course from each of three SPIA-related departments not already covered by the intellectual depth requirement, noted below (ECO is excluded because it is already a required prerequisite and Core course). Prerequisites and core courses may double count; ECO courses may not.
By graduation, we strongly encourage students to have taken courses in departments where they have not yet taken a course (for example in a natural science, if they are focusing on the social sciences). - Intellectual Depth (3 courses): Disciplinary OR Thematic Depth
- Disciplinary Depth: Take three courses in one SPIA-affiliated department – e.g., ECO, EEB, HIS, POL, PSY, SOC
- Thematic Depth: Take three courses that address a given theme. Courses are drawn from SPIA-affiliated departments or SPIA-approved courses.
Thematic areas might include:- Governance, Law, and Citizenship
- Development, Poverty, and Inequality
- Health and Wellbeing
- Environment and Energy
- Race and Ethnicity
- Violence, Conflict, and Human Rights
- Globalization and International Relations
- Independent: Students may propose an alternative thematic pathway in consultation with their advisor.
A list of eligible elective courses available for Spring 2023 are available here.
Regional Focus: Students should also pursue regional focus across their SPIA coursework. Thus, across the SPIA prerequisites, core, and electives, students must take at least two courses that focus substantively on a particular continent.
Among the six (6) electives, a student may take only three electives from one department. For the concentration as a whole, a student may not take more than 5 courses from one department.
Up to three elective courses may be taken in semester-long study abroad programs.
Independent Work
To satisfy the junior independent work (“JP”) requirement each student must complete a year-long paper in connection with a non-credit bearing fall Research Design Workshop (SPI 299) and a credit-bearing spring Research Seminar (SPI 300).
To aid in the writing and preparation of the year-long JP, the non-credit bearing fall Research Design Workshop will introduce students to research design: How does one define an important and researchable question? How does one deploy systematic concepts and evaluate competing hypotheses/arguments? How does one evaluate the plausibility, ethics, and relative success of alternative policy solutions? The course will focus on research design rather than specific methods.
In the spring Research Seminar course, a faculty member supervises a small group of students engaged in research on a specific topic in public and international affairs. Faculty will introduce students to the existing state of knowledge and available evidence for research within a well-defined topic that is timely and important in the area of public policy. Supported by the separate coursework required in the Research Seminar, students will complete their year-long junior paper.
To satisfy the senior independent work, each student must complete a senior thesis that clearly articulates a research question about a significant public policy issue and draws conclusions that contribute to the debate on that issue.
Senior Comprehensive Examination
The school’s senior comprehensive examination is an oral defense of the senior thesis that also tests the student’s ability to integrate the senior thesis with coursework.
International Programs
Any concentrator may study abroad in one of the department’s overseas programs in the first or second semester of junior year. Recent international programs include Pembroke College at Cambridge University and the University of Cape Town in South Africa. At each site, students enroll in coursework at the host university and take a Policy Task Force directed by a faculty member at the host institution.
Cross-Cultural or Field Experience Requirement
Prior to the second semester of senior year, each student must have completed an approved cross-cultural or field experience. The requirement may be satisfied in a number of ways, including but not limited to semester study abroad, summer study abroad, summer language study abroad, policy-relevant summer jobs abroad, ROTC training, senior thesis research in the field, extended service in an underserved community, or an internship involving public policy work in a nonprofit, government, or international agency such as the United Nations, the World Bank, the US Congress, or a state or federal agency.
Summer study, language study, or thesis research must be done for at least four weeks to qualify. Students must engage in an internship, job, or community service project for at least six consecutive weeks, and at a minimum of 40 hours per week or a total of 240 cumulative hours to qualify. Eligible community service work must involve policy work that will enhance one’s learning and understanding of public service.
Cross-cultural or field experience gained during the freshman or sophomore year or as a participant in the Bridge Year Program may count toward this requirement. To meet this requirement, all past or proposed work must be approved by the undergraduate program.
All students must record with the Undergraduate Program Office the completion of this requirement. Please complete and electronically submit the form available on our website.
Additional Information
The program provides funding during summer, fall and winter break for travel and living expenses related to senior thesis research in public policy. The school also provides funding to students in the department who participate in public policy internships over the summer. For additional information, consult the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs Undergraduate Program website.
Classes of 2023, 2024 and 2025 Program Requirements
The curriculum consists of a wide range of courses offered through the School and through our partner departments that are relevant to the study of policymaking, policy analysis, and policy evaluation. Students take courses in at least four disciplines, including economics, history, politics, psychology, sociology, and science for public policy. One course in ethics is also required. Students enroll in policy seminars in their junior year and write a policy thesis in their senior year.
Majors are required to take statistics and must be able to use the basics of single-variable calculus in order to take economics courses and some of the courses in science policy. Students who are concerned about their preparation should consider taking a course that provides instruction in single-variable calculus. Students are also required to complete one foreign language course beyond the University requirement. In addition, the department requires that students either study abroad or engage in some other cross-cultural experience or policy-relevant field experience (foreign or domestic).
When students declare the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs as their major in the spring of their sophomore year, they are required to describe their primary policy interests and how their plans for coursework are related to those interests. In particular, students will be asked to select among a list of policy areas designated by SPIA or, in the event their interests do not match one of the designated areas, to describe their own area of interests and the coursework that would accompany it. Students will also be asked to describe how they have or plan to meet departmental requirements for additional language study and for cross-cultural or field experience. Each student will then be assigned a faculty course advisor appropriate to their interests and program of study.
Prerequisites
All courses taken to meet these prerequisites must be taken on a graded basis (no P/D/F option). Students must receive a grade of C or higher in all courses used to meet the prerequisites. *As an exception, students may count courses taken P/D/F, in Spring 2020 only, toward their prerequisites.
AP courses or freshman seminars may not be used to fulfill prerequisites. One course may not be used to fulfill more than one prerequisite.
A course taken at Princeton and used as a prerequisite can also be used to meet either a SPIA core requirement (if it is on the list of core requirements) or as a SPIA elective (if it is on the electives list).
A summer course or a course taken abroad might meet the prerequisite requirement, but only if approved by the School’s Undergraduate Program Office.
Prior to the beginning of the junior year, the following prerequisites must be completed:
Statistics (One Course Required)
- SPI 200: Statistics for Social Science
- ECO 302: Econometrics
- ECO 312: Econometrics: A Mathematical Approach
- POL 345: Introduction to Quantitative Social Science
- POL 346: Applied Quantitative Analysis
AP Statistics does not fulfill this prerequisite.
Microeconomics (One Course Required)
- ECO 100: Introduction to Microeconomics
- ECO 300: Microeconomic Theory
- ECO 310: Microeconomic Theory: A Mathematical Approach
- SPI 304: Microeconomics for Public Policy
AP Microeconomics does not fulfill this prerequisite.
History (One Course Required)
- One course with an HIS listing
- A cross-listed course with an HIS designation
Courses in the HA distribution area do not qualify unless they are designated HIS. For example, courses in NES or SOC that are in the HA distribution area do not fulfill this requirement unless they are cross-listed with HIS.
Politics, Sociology, or Psychology (One Course Required)
- One course with a POL, SOC, or PSY listing
- A cross-listed course with a POL, SOC, or PSY listing
- A course taken to meet the statistics requirement cannot be used to meet this requirement.
Core Course Requirements
Prior to graduation, students concentrating in the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs must complete the following core courses. All courses used to meet these requirements must be taken at Princeton on a graded basis (no P/D/F). *As an exception, students are allowed to P/D/F core courses taken in Spring 2020. Courses taken to meet elective requirements cannot be used to fulfill core requirements.
One Course in Microeconomics
- SPI 304: Microeconomics for Public Policy
- ECO 300: Microeconomic Theory
- ECO 310: Microeconomic Theory: A Mathematical Approach
One Course in Politics
- POL 220/SPI 310: American Politics
- POL 230/SPI 325: Introduction to Comparative Politics
- POL 240/SPI 312: International Relations
- POL 351/SPI 311: Politics in Developing Countries
One Course in Sociology or Psychology
- SPI 331/SOC 312/AAS 317/POL 343: Race and Public Policy
- SPI 340/PSY 321: The Psychology of Decision-Making and Judgment
- SPI 345/PSY 384/AAS 384: Prejudice: Its Causes, Consequences, and Cures
One Course in Science Policy
- CEE 344/ENV 344: Water, Engineering, and Civilization
- SPI 350/ENV 350: The Environment: Science and Public Policy
- SPI 353/MAE 353: Science and Global Security
- ENV 304/SPI 455: Disease, Ecology, Economics, and Policy
- GHP 350/SPI 380/ ANT 380: Critical Perspectives in Global Health Policy
- GHP 351/SPI 381: Epidemiology: An Ecological and Evolutionary Perspective
One Course in Ethics
- SPI 365: Tech Ethics
- SPI 368: The Ethical Policy Maker
- SPI 370/POL 308: Ethics and Public Policy
- REL 394/CHV 394: Environmental Ethics and Modern Religious Thought
- REL 261/CHV 261: Christian Ethics and Modern Society
- POL 307/CHV 307: The Just Society
- EGR/ENT/REL 219 Professional Responsibility & Ethics: Succeeding Without Selling Your Soul
Elective Courses
Each student must complete four electives on a graded basis from a list issued by the School.
List of Electives Offered Spring 2023
- No more than three electives can be courses listed or cross-listed by the same department.
- Courses used by students to meet prerequisites or core requirements will not count against this limit.
- Methodology courses that are on the electives list and all courses offered by the School also will be exempt — meaning that you can take more than three SPI courses as electives.
- Cross-listings on SPI courses such as SPI 315/POL 393 or SPI 466/HIS 467 will count toward the limit for the other departments. Up to three elective courses can be taken in the School’s semester-long study abroad programs.
- Electives taken at Princeton University must be taken on a graded basis.
- Summer courses may not be used as electives.
Independent Work
To satisfy their Junior Independent Work requirement (“JP”), each student must complete one Policy Task Force and one Policy Research Seminar in their junior year. The Policy Research Seminar includes a methods laboratory and also counts as one of the 31 A.B. courses.
In the Policy Task Forces, small groups of juniors work together with a faculty director, one or two seniors and often a graduate student, to propose solutions to current problems in public and international affairs. Each junior conducts research on a topic that relates to the larger policy question that is the focus of the Task Force. The principal collective product is a final report with policy recommendations, drafted after debates among the entire group.
In the Policy Research Seminars, a faculty member supervises a small group of students similarly engaged in research on a specific topic in public and international affairs. Students also participate in a methods lab designed to teach them methods for quantitative and qualitative research. An important aim of all the elements of the research seminar is to prepare students for their senior thesis work. Each student must complete a senior thesis that clearly articulates a research question about a significant public policy issue and draws conclusions that contribute to the debate on that issue.
Senior Comprehensive Examination
The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs senior comprehensive examination is an oral defense of the senior thesis that also tests the student’s ability to integrate the senior thesis with coursework.
International Programs
Any concentrator may study abroad in one of the departments overseas programs in their first or second semester of their junior year. For Spring 2023, SPIA will be hosting policy task forces at the University of Cambridge, Pembroke College and the University of Cape Town. At each site, students enroll in coursework at the host university and take a department task force that is taken in place of a task force in Princeton.
Language Requirement
Students majoring in the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs must complete at least one foreign language course beyond the current University requirement. This can be done:
- By taking an additional course (200 or 300 level) in the language used to meet the University requirement. (Note, where upper-level courses are not available, e.g., ASL or Swahili, students will have to take a course at least at the 102 level in another language.) Either a language course or a subject matter course taught in the foreign language will count, or
- By taking a course at least at the 102 level in a language other than the one used to fulfill the University foreign language requirement.
Courses used to meet this requirement may be taken at Princeton University or elsewhere; all courses must be taken on a graded basis.
All students must record with the Undergraduate Program Office the completion of the language requirement. Please complete and electronically submit the form available on our website.
Students who are bilingual must first contact the department to initiate the process for certifying their SPIA language credentials. Note, the certification process is handled by the Princeton Center for Language Studies (PCLS) and may take a couple weeks to complete.
Cross Cultural or Field Experience Requirement
Prior to the second semester of the senior year, each student must complete an approved cross-cultural or field experience. The requirement can be satisfied in a number of ways, including but not limited to semester study abroad, summer study abroad, summer language study abroad, policy-relevant summer jobs abroad, ROTC training, senior thesis research in the field, extended service in an underserved community, or an internship involving public policy work in a nonprofit, government, or international agency such as the United Nations, the World Bank, the US Congress, or a state or federal agency.
Summer study, language study, or thesis research must be done for at least four weeks to qualify. Students must engage in an internship, job, or community service project for at least six consecutive weeks, and at a minimum of 40 hours per week or a total of 240 cumulative hours to qualify. Eligible community service work must involve policy work that will enhance one’s learning and understanding of public service.
Cross-cultural or field experience gained during the freshman or sophomore year or as a participant in the Bridge Year Program may count toward this requirement. To meet this requirement, all past or proposed work must be approved by the undergraduate program.
All students must record with the Undergraduate Program Office the completion of this requirement. Please complete and electronically submit the form available on our website.
Additional Information
The program provides funding during summer, fall and winter break for travel and living expenses related to senior thesis research in public policy. The school also provides funding to students in the department who participate in public policy internships over the summer. For additional information, consult the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs Undergraduate Program website.
Princeton Pre Med Majors – Psychology
The Department of Psychology welcomes students with a range of interests. The Psychology concentration, within the Division of Natural Sciences, provides foundational and advanced undergraduate courses on sensation, perception, movement, language, reasoning, decision making, and social interaction. Psychology majors have an opportunity to be involved in cutting-edge research for their independent work.
Prerequisites
The prerequisites for entering the Department of Psychology are the successful graded completion (without PDF) of PSY 251 (Quantitative Methods) or a pre-approved statistics course in another department (for example, ORF 245 or ECO 202, SPI 200, SML 201, or POL 345), along with two other courses from the following list:
- PSY 101 (Introduction to Psychology)
- PSY 252 (Social Psychology)
- PSY 254 (Developmental Psychology)
- PSY 255 (Cognitive Psychology)
- PSY 258 (Fundamentals of Neuroscience) or NEU 200 (Functional Neuroanatomy)
All requests for an alternative set of prerequisites must be approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
Sophomores who have fulfilled the prerequisites may apply for early concentration. If accepted, they may engage in independent reading with a faculty advisor and submit a paper at the end of the Spring semester. This preparation may qualify them for more advanced independent work in the Junior year.
Psychology Degree Requirements
The Psychology concentration requires graded completion (without PDF) of at least eight courses within the department, in addition to the three prerequisite courses. If they were not already taken as prerequisites, students must take PSY 252, PSY 255, and either PSY 258 or NEU 200. It is recommended that students finish these three courses by the end of Junior year.
One of the eight departmental courses must be PSY 300 (Research Methods in Psychology), which must be completed by the end of Junior year.
Of the remaining departmental courses, all must be 200-level or higher, and at least four must be 300-level or higher. Students can take up to two cognate courses from other departments, approved by the Psychology Director of Undergraduate Studies, to count as departmental courses.
Any variations from these requirements must be approved by the Psychology Director of Undergraduate Studies.
Psychology concentrators must also successfully pass the Junior and Senior independent work.
Example Courses
Spring 2023
Asian-American Psyches: Model Minority, Microaggressions and Mental Health (CD or SA)
This course will analyze and evaluate through a psychological lens the psychosocial causes and consequences of significant current events that impact different Asian groups in the U.S., such as pandemic-spurred anti-Asian sentiment and educational policy (e.g., the debate over magnet schools moving to lottery systems rather than test based), as well as long-standing “everyday” experiences common to Asian Americans (e.g., navigating biculturalism, microaggressions and model minority stereotypes) that may impact identity and mental health.
Brain Plasticity (SEN)
Plasticity refers to the nervous system’s ability to change its structure and function in response to intrinsic or extrinsic influences. Plasticity is necessary for healthy brain development and is an important player in brain damage and disease, as too little or too much can underlie the inability of the brain to effectively repair itself. This course will consider recent research into these topics exploring molecular, cellular and circuit-level mechanisms of synaptic and structural plasticity during development and adulthood, under conditions of health as well as damage and disease.
Changing Minds: The Psychology of Individual and Collective Beliefs (EC)
Understanding how people believe and how what they believe impacts their behavior has recently become a central topic across the social sciences. This recent interest was spurred by the recent misinformation epidemic that has been consuming our communities. How do people change their beliefs? What factors facilitate the endorsement of conspiracy theories? How do people influence each other’s beliefs during communication? How do beliefs propagate through social networks? As part of this course, we will explore a multidisciplinary framework to understand the endorsement and propagation of true and false beliefs through social networks.
Cognitive Science of Human Values (EC or SA)
An overview and examination of the cognitive science of human values and applications to contemporary global challenges. Interdisciplinary course highlighting research from cognitive neuroscience, psychology, behavioral economics, data science, and public health. Topics include utility and value, reinforcement learning, risky decision making, time preferences and self-control, social decision making, and applications to pandemics, polarization, technology, and the climate crisis.
Cyborg Psychology (EC)
Cyborgs are created when biological brains are enhanced with technology. This course will explore a wide range of mind-machine interactions. Are search engines changing the structure of human memory? Is your laptop or smartphone part of your mind? Are human brains flexible enough to update motor and sensory systems, expanding the self to include artificial limbs, exoskeletons, remote-control devices, night vision, wearable computing, etc.? How do experiences in virtual reality impact psychology? As technology advances we are all becoming cyborgs. Now is an exciting time to study the interactive interface of technology and mind.
Deep Learning as a Cognitive Model for Social Neuroscience (EC)
This course explores the neural foundations of social cognition in natural contexts. Highly controlled lab experiments fail to capture and model the complexity of social interaction in the real world. Recent advances in artificial neural networks provide an alternative computational framework to model cognition in natural contexts. In contrast to the simplified and interpretable hypotheses we test in the lab, these models do not learn simple, human-interpretable rules or representations of the world.
Principles of psychology relevant to the theory and practice of education. Through selected readings, discussion, and classroom observations, students study theories of development, learning, cognition (including literacy), and motivation, as well as individual and group differences in these areas; assessment; and the social psychology of the classroom. The course focuses on how learning by children and adolescents at the elementary, middle, and secondary school levels is influenced by their own characteristics and experiences and the various contexts in which they learn: family, school, community and culture.
Foundations of Psychological Thought (EC or HA)
An exploration of original texts in the history of ideas about the workings of the human mind starting in Antiquity and leading to the development of the empirical discipline of psychology in the 19th century and some of its modern trends. Subsequent developments, including the child study movement, are explored though 20th century writings, culminating with Sartre’s philosophical psychology and sources in Eastern thought to put the Western trajectory in perspective.
Health Psychology (SA)
The objectives of this course are to understand the bio-psycho-social/processes that influence health-related behaviors, health and wellness, and health-care delivery. Topics to be examined include the psycho-physiological, neuro-psychological and socio-cultural bases of health and illness; pain; adaptation to chronic illness; stress; personality and illness; death, dying, and grief; substance use; obesity and nutrition.
Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience (EC)
Cognitive neuroscience is a young and exciting field with many questions yet to be answered. This course surveys current knowledge about the neural basis of perception, cognition and action and will comprehensively cover topics such as high-level vision, attention, memory, language, decision making, as well as their typical and atypical development. Precepts will discuss the assigned research articles, pertaining to topics covered in class with an emphasis on developing critical reading skills of scientific literature.
Music Cognition (SEN)
Music can get your feet tapping, trigger a cascade of memories, mire you in nostalgia, or leave you with an earworm. What happens when tools drawn from cognitive science are applied to understanding these experiences? What can music tell us about the human mind, and what can psychology and neuroscience tell us about music? This course will provide an introduction to music cognition, emphasizing the potential and the challenges that characterize work at the intersection of science, the humanities, and the arts. Students will gain experience posing their own questions at this intersection, and identifying appropriate methods to answer them.
Prejudice: Its Causes, Consequences, and Cures (EC)
Prejudice is one of the most contentious topics in modern American society. There is debate regarding its causes, pervasiveness, and impact. This goal of this course is to familiarize students with the psychological research relevant to these questions. We will review theoretical perspectives on prejudice to develop an understanding of its cognitive, affective, and motivational underpinnings. We will also discuss how these psychological biases relate to evaluations of, and behavior toward, members of targeted groups. In addition, research-based strategies for reducing prejudice will be discussed.
The cognitive processes underlying the use and understanding of language, and in learning to speak. Topics include speech production and perception, grammar and meaning, knowledge and words, and pragmatic aspects of language.
Psychotherapy Theories and Skills: Connecting the Clinic, Lab, and Everyday Life (SA)
This course will review key psychotherapeutic skills from dominant therapeutic modalities. We will learn about the theoretical and empirical backing for each skill and then practice applying them to achieve goals in our own lives. Students will gain knowledge of the science and practice of psychotherapy as well as concrete skills in applying therapeutic techniques in their own lives.
Quantitative Methods (QCR)
Science searches for patterns in data. Quantitative methods are tools for finding and evaluating these patterns. This course introduces foundational concepts in quantitative methods, including data visualization and common statistical tests used in psychological research.
Justin A. Junge
Selected Topics in Psychotherapy Research
This course will provide an overview of several theoretical orientations to psychotherapy and critically evaluate how the effects of therapies are measured and studied. Cognitive-behavioral approaches to psychotherapy will be explored in depth. Application of research findings to clinical practice will be examined closely, including issues related to psychotherapy integration and the treatment of diverse populations in various settings. The course will also include reviews of the current state of psychotherapy research for a number of psychological disorders and consider current controversies in the area of treatment outcome research.
This course will provide an introduction to the scientific study of sensation and perception, the biological and psychological processes by which we perceive and interpret the world around us. We will undertake a detailed study of the major senses (vision, audition, touch, smell, taste), using insights from a variety of disciplines (philosophy, physics, computer science, neuroscience, psychology) to examine how these senses work and why. We will begin with physical bases for perceptual information (e.g., light, sound waves) and proceed to an investigation of the structures, circuits, and mechanisms by which the brain forms sensory percepts.
Social Psychology (SA)
The scientific study of social behavior, with an emphasis on social interaction and group influence. Topics covered will include social perception, the formation of attitudes and prejudice, attraction, conformity and obedience, altruism and aggression, and group dynamics.
Systems Neuroscience: Computing with Populations of Neurons (SEL)
Introduction to a mathematical description of how networks of neurons can represent information and compute with it. Course will survey computational modeling and data analysis methods for neuroscience. Example topics are short-term memory and decision-making, population coding, modeling behavioral and neural data, and reinforcement learning. Classes will be a mix of lectures from the professor, and presentations of research papers by the students. Two 90 minute lectures, one laboratory. Lectures in common between NEU 437/NEU 537.
Carlos D. Brody
Independent Work
Overview
Empirical research is at the core of our work as psychological scientists. The primary goal of your independent work is to make sure you learn how to understand, conduct, and communicate empirical research. During your Junior and Senior years you will learn:
- To critically analyze the primary scientific literature.
- To frame a scientific question in a creative, original way.
- To select the appropriate methods necessary to test a research question.
- To develop a clear presentation of your work including defining the topic, stating the plan of the paper, appropriately organizing the material, and discussing your findings in the context of the existing literature.
Junior Independent Work
Overview of the Junior Paper
The goal of the Junior Paper (JP) is to acquaint students with focused study in the field of psychology; develop proficiency in reading and analyzing the professional literature; develop an independent project as preparation for a thesis, and work in close consultation with a faculty member.
Students write two JP papers, one in the Fall semester and one in the Spring. For each JP, the student must also give a presentation midway through the semester showing their progress.
Midpoint Presentations
For both the Fall and Spring JP, you will have to give a 10-minute presentation midway through the semester to show your progress.
You will be grouped with 4 to 6 other Juniors. The group will meet midway through the semester, for 1 to 2 hours. Each student will give a presentation to the group. A faculty member will also be present, to grade the presentations. The Midpoint Presentation will count for 10% of the final grade for the paper.
To help you prepare, it is important to discuss your presentation with your advisor well ahead of time. You may use slides or other presentation material if you wish, but it is not required. You should summarize your topic, why it is an interesting topic to write about, and how it relates to psychology. You should also summarize whatever progress you have made on reading and synthesizing the literature. If your JP includes an experiment in which you are collecting data, you can present preliminary data. However, keep in mind that the presentation should be strictly within the time limit. Be succinct and organized!
The other students in your group will have background knowledge in psychology like you, but may not have any expertise in your specific topic, so make sure to explain your work a general way such that everyone can follow it. You will get a chance to hear about their work as well, and learn about a range of topics. You will also be able to see the progress that others have made toward their final papers.
The Department of Psychology Undergraduate Program Manager will contact you early in each semester to schedule your Midpoint Presentation. Presentations will take place in the week prior to midterm week (see Important Dates).
Juniors studying abroad for a semester will be exempt from the Midpoint Presentation for that semester.
Fall Semester Junior Paper
The primary goal of the Fall JP in Psychology is for students to practice how to formulate a question and to query the literature. The paper should involve critical analysis and original synthesis, with a topic chosen collaboratively by student and advisor.
The Fall JP may take many formats. Different advisors prefer different approaches, and you can discuss the options with your advisor. Make sure you clarify with your advisor exactly what is expected of you.
In one common approach, you will find a topic that overlaps both your interests and your advisor’s expertise. You will research the topic, find the relevant scientific literature, and write a review paper on that literature. However, the literature review must be more than a recounting of what others have done. You should formulate an open question of interest, and use the literature to explore that question.
In a second common approach, some faculty organize a “JP lab,” with many students working together in a discussion group that meets regularly. At the end of the process, you must submit a paper formulating a question and synthesizing the literature.
In a third common approach, you will become a part of a research team, working with your faculty advisor as well as the graduate students and other researchers in the lab group. At the end of the Fall semester, you will be required to submit a paper describing your work to date. The paper should explain the questions being investigated empirically and place them in the context of the larger literature background. You may also include any results you have by that time. The exact format of the paper will depend on your discussions with your advisor.
The Fall JP should be 10 to 20 pages (about 2,500 – 5,000 words). Longer is not better. You should be able to cover your topic concisely. The paper should contain a title page; an abstract (a short, 100 – 300 word summary); the main text, divided up into sections with headings; and references. The references should be to appropriate sources, primarily published papers in scientific journals. The number of references depends on your topic, but are often between about 10 and 30. The paper should be double-spaced and must be submitted in a journal format that is pre-approved by your advisor.
Spring Semester Junior Paper
The primary goal of the Spring JP in Psychology is to prepare students for a thesis by having them formulate an original idea and embody it in a paper. It should be written for a broad, academic audience.
The format for the Spring JP is flexible and depends on discussions between you and your advisor. Different advisors prefer different approaches, and you can discuss the options with your advisor. Make sure you clarify with your advisor exactly what is expected of you.
In one common approach, a Spring JP can be a theoretical piece that proposes a thesis idea and uses creative exploration of the literature to evaluate the idea. This type of JP would look like a mini-thesis, or like a first pass at a thesis.
In a second common approach, a Spring JP can be a research proposal. In some cases, the research proposal lays the groundwork for the Senior Thesis, but this is not required. The goal of writing a research proposal is to learn how to read the literature, identify an interesting scientific question, and design an experiment that might address that question. A research proposal typically includes a comprehensive review of the relevant research literature, a statement of your specific scientific question, a detailed description of the methods you will use to collect data, a description of the statistical analyses you will use, and a discussion of the possible outcomes and their interpretations. It may be useful to include figures diagramming the possible quantitative outcomes.
In a third common approach, a Spring JP might be a write-up of experimental work done during the Junior year, complete with separate sections for introduction, methods, results, and discussion, again like a mini-thesis. Some students may be midway through an experiment, without complete results, by the end of the Spring semester. In that case, the student may write something more like a research proposal, including an introduction placing the experiment in the context of the larger literature, a description of the methods, and a discussion of the possible outcomes.
The Spring JP should be 20 to 40 pages (about 5,000 to 10,000 words). Longer is not better. You should be able to cover your topic concisely. The paper should contain a title page; an abstract (a short, 100 – 300 word summary); the main text, divided into sections with headings; and references. The references should be to appropriate scholarly sources, primarily published papers in scientific journals. The number of references depends on your topic, but are often between about 10 and 50. The paper should be double-spaced and must be submitted in a journal format that is pre-approved by your advisor.
Grading
The Fall JP will be graded based on a combination of a Midpoint Presentation grade (counting for 10%), evaluated by an assigned faculty member who is present at the presentation, and a final paper grade (counting for 90%), evaluated by the student’s advisor.
The Spring JP will be based on a combination of a Midpoint Presentation grade (counting for 10%), evaluated by an assigned faculty member who is present at the presentation, and a final paper grade (counting for 90%). The paper will be evaluated by the student’s advisor.
The grades for the Fall and Spring JPs will then be combined. The Fall JP will count for 40% of the final Junior independent work grade, and the Spring JP will count for 60% of the final Junior independent work grade.
Students will receive a single grade on their transcripts in the Spring semester for Fall and Spring Junior independent work.
Psychology Senior Independent Work / Senior thesis
Overview
Each Psychology Senior works in close consultation with a faculty advisor to develop, carry out and write a Senior Thesis.
Students can conduct an experimental thesis, a computational thesis, or a theoretical thesis. An experimental thesis should include a comprehensive literature review, findings from at least one original research study (an experiment or a field study) with appropriate statistical analyses, and a general discussion of the findings. A computational thesis should include a review of the literature and description and discussion of the computational models that the student has completed. A theoretical thesis should include a comprehensive review of the research literature on a psychology topic of importance, including an extensive evaluation of the findings and original interpretations, theoretical proposals, or a proposed program of research to add further scientific knowledge.
Students are encouraged to be proactive in finding a faculty advisor. Some students continue to work with the same advisor as in the Spring semester of Junior year, but this is not required. To find an advisor you are encouraged to read the research descriptions of faculty on the Department of Psychology website to identify topics that are of interest to you. You can then contact faculty directly and arrange to meet with them to get a better sense of what they work on. Once you have settled on a preference you will submit your Senior Thesis sign-up form in the Psychology Independent Work Portal. Based on that request and consultation with the faculty, you will be assigned to an advisor.
If your Senior Thesis is an extension of your JP, then some of the background material, the design of an experiment, and in some cases even some of the data may overlap between the two projects. You will have to consult with your advisor about how much overlap is reasonable and how much more you will need to add to the Senior Thesis. However, when you write the thesis, if there is substantial overlap, you must include a statement at the beginning of the thesis detailing exactly what the overlap is.
Experimental Senior Thesis
Not all students decide to do an experimental thesis. You should discuss the possibilities with your advisor.
Many students join a lab in the Department of Psychology and contribute to the ongoing program of research. In that case, your research question will evolve from discussions with your advisor and will be closely related to other experiments in the same lab.
Some students elect to do a more independent experiment. The challenge, in that case, is developing a research question and hypothesis that are of an appropriate scale for a Senior independent project. Students often have an easy time deciding on a general research topic but struggle with settling upon a focused research question. The best place to start in developing a research question is to review the literature and to have discussions with your advisor. A literature review will help you determine what is already known about a particular topic and what specific questions other researchers have not yet addressed. It will also expose you to a range of methods used to approach that scientific topic.
Designing the experiment is the most important part of the process. You should discuss the design with your advisor and make sure to get the details right before collecting data. Make sure the design will adequately test your hypotheses. Plan the specific statistical tests you will do, and plan on the right number of subjects to gain sufficient statistical power.
Before you collect data from animals, you must obtain approval from the University’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). Before you collect data from humans you must obtain approval from the University’s Institutional Review Board (IRB). See the section below on Resources for additional information about the IRB process.
Once the data are collected, you will analyze it, plot it in graphical formats to make the results easier to evaluate and perform statistical tests to determine if the results vary significantly from what was expected by chance. There is a great range of statistical tests, and you will have to discuss with your advisor to decide which is appropriate. You may even need to collect more data once the initial analysis is complete. Statistical tutoring is available through the Department of Psychology. For more information on tutoring and workshops, contact the Department of Psychology Undergraduate Program Manager.
An experimental thesis usually has four sections: introduction, methods, results, and discussion.
Introduction
The Introduction includes a comprehensive review of the relevant scientific literature. Typically, you will have many references (sometimes as many as 50 or more) in your literature review. You do not, however, need to discuss every article in exhaustive detail. You might cite the main result from some articles while providing more details for others. As a general guideline, you should include only as much detail as needed to make your point. You should link the articles together so that your Introduction flows logically to your closing statements. Make sure you synthesize the previous research. The Introduction should be a story that explains and develops your understanding of the literature. As you close the Introduction section, you should set the stage for your research study. Briefly, lay out your plan; tell the reader how your study is the next logical step in the research. What does your study add to the literature? Include your hypothesis and rationale. How do you plan to examine the unanswered question and what do you expect to happen?
Methods
The purpose of this section is to provide step-by-step instructions so someone else could carry out a reasonable replication of your study without your help.
Results
The purpose of this section is to provide an objective description of your findings. Include descriptive statistics (such as means and standard deviations), inferential statistics (p values and statements of statistical significance), and graphs that display the data as clearly as possible.
Discussion
The goal of the discussion is to provide readers with meaningful commentary about the interpretation, importance, and larger implications of your findings. It is important to remind the reader of your main hypothesis. Was it supported by the data? How does this finding fit in with or relate to past findings? What are the potential weaknesses of your study that you might change if you were to repeat it? What future experiments might be done to gain more insight about the topic? Place your research in a greater context to show how or why it is important.
Departmental Examination
You will be required to present your Senior Thesis to your primary reader (advisor) and secondary reader as part of the Senior Thesis Departmental Examination.
Time
You will have 10-15 minutes to present your Thesis. You will not be able to present every finding in your Thesis. During the remainder of the 45-min. to 1-hour exam, you will have to answer questions related to your Thesis.
Slides
You are not required to use slides during the presentation, but most students do. You should do what makes you feel most comfortable. If you use slides, remember that less is more. Don’t try to rush through 50 slides in 10 minutes. Rule of thumb: 1 slide per minute.
Clarity
It is good to have 1-2 “take-home” points you want your audience to remember. Keep in mind that you have been studying your research question for a year (or longer) whereas this research could be relatively new to your audience.
Graphics
As the saying goes, a picture (or graph) is worth a thousand words. Keep in mind, however, that pictures that are unrelated to your point can be distracting. The audience should be able to understand the meaning of the image without your explanation. Use graphics to facilitate understanding.
Resources
The Advisor
The advisor is a student’s most important resource. You should meet with your advisor as soon as possible to get started on the independent work. You are encouraged to discuss with your advisor their expectations about your research collaboration. Different faculty have different advising styles. Some require a weekly meeting, whereas others will leave the pacing of the work and the amount of student-advisor contact up to you. In the end, it is your independent work.
Below are a few important issues you should consider as you start the collaborative relationship with your advisor.
- What is your advisor’s area of expertise? Consider which parts of your advisor’s guidance you will need for each part of the research and writing process.
- Talk with your advisor to clarify and establish any expectations you have. Can you meet to brainstorm about ideas or get recommendations for reading? Will they read work in progress or only polished drafts? Is it essential to meet weekly or on another schedule?
- How many drafts of the paper will your advisor read? Should you write a cover letter that directs your advisor to questions you have about the written work you submit?
- Talk with your advisor about your schedule. You are likely to be more productive if you establish deadlines for submission of work and establish expectations for receiving feedback.
- Consider what you want to accomplish in individual meetings with your advisor. You might suggest an agenda for each meeting.
- Anticipate different ideas about how to approach your independent research. How will you decide which advice to accept and which to reject? How will you negotiate between your vision of the Senior Thesis and your advisor’s if that becomes an issue? Be prepared to defend the decisions you make about the work and the advisor’s feedback.
Library Resources
As a Psychology concentrator, you will have access to an extensive collection of books and journals relevant to psychology in the Lewis Science Library.
Writing Center
Housed in Whitman College, the Writing Center offers free one-on-one conferences with experienced fellow writers trained to consult on assignments in any discipline. Special 80- minute conferences are available for JP and Senior Thesis writers, who may sign up to work with a graduate student fellow from the department of their choice. The Writing Center also holds 50-minute regular conferences seven days a week, and drop-in hours.
Statistics Tutoring and Consultation
The Department of Psychology holds ongoing individual consultation on statistical analysis for empirical theses. Participation is voluntary. You will receive emails from the graduate student statistics consultants about how to schedule a consultation.
The University Data and Statistical Services library also makes statistical consultants available by appointment on Zoom to help you in downloading, formatting, reshaping, or analyzing data. If you need assistance in identifying and locating data, contact a subject specialist.
Training for the Ethical Use of Human Subjects/Animal Subjects
Human Subjects Certification Program
Every research institution, including Princeton University, has an Institutional Review Board (IRB) whose purpose is to protect the rights and welfare of human research participants. The purpose, design, procedures, and other features of all proposed human studies must be fully approved by the IRB before they can be conducted. Researchers must complete and submit copies of questionnaires and be certified by completing the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI). Students receive training on how to complete the IRB questionnaire and prepare for the certification in an extensive workshop that is mandatory for those conducting experimental theses.
Use of Animals in Research
All research involving non-human animals must be reviewed and approved by the University’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). Students who plan to use animals for their research must contact the faculty member who is supervising the research project in order to abide by both Princeton University and government regulations.
Writing a Successful IRB: Undergraduate IRB Group Workshops
IRB group workshops are available to Psychology undergraduates who are conducting human studies. The workshops are offered throughout the academic year, but students will attend sessions only during the weeks in which they are actually preparing and submitting their study applications to IRB.
The workshop sessions will guide students through IRB procedures and provide them with detailed supervision and feedback for their particular IRB applications, from start to finish – i.e., from their initial writing of the application until their study eventually receives IRB approval.
Grading
Independent work is expected to show independence of thought. Students often ask, just how independent does the thinking need to be? Because psychology is a scientific discipline with a large and complex literature, we are not looking for students to propose major new theories or make breakthroughs. For experimental work, independence means that the student has read enough background literature to propose a creative experiment and to design and conduct the experiment thoughtfully without the advisor having to micromanage each step. For a theoretical paper, independence means that the student has read the published literature on a topic, synthesized it, summarized it intelligently, and added some thoughtful critique or perspective.
Senior Thesis – Written Component
The Senior Thesis grade is determined jointly by two readers, the student’s advisor and the second reader assigned by the department. These two grades are averaged together to obtain a single grade for the written component of the Senior Thesis. The student receives written comments from both readers. The grade will appear on the transcript as the “Senior Thesis Grade.”
Senior Departmental Exam
The final Departmental Examination is administered at the end of the Senior year. It is an oral presentation that the student will give to the two faculty members who graded the student’s written Senior Thesis. The examination normally lasts 45 minutes to 1 hour, and typically begins with the student presenting a brief (10-15 minute) summary of their thesis. This is followed by questions that the two faculty members will ask about the thesis, its background, and how it relates to other topics in psychology. The two faculty members present will determine a grade based on the quality of the presentation and the student’s ability to answer questions. The grade will appear on the transcript as the “Senior Departmental Exam Grade.”
Funding for Independent Work
Limited funding is available through a variety of mechanisms for students doing an experimental thesis in the Department of Psychology. The first step is to design your research project with your advisor and then consider the following sources for funding.
Advisor Funding
If you are doing an experiment in a Princeton lab in the context of your advisor’s research, then the first likely source of funding will be your advisor’s lab grants. Check with your advisor before applying for the funding listed below to determine whether your work will require additional resources.
The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR)
Please note that if you apply for the Office of Undergraduate Research Senior Thesis Research Funding (OUR-STREF) program, you will be required to apply for all departmental and programmatic funds for which you are eligible in one single application. These opportunities include the following:
OUR-STRF program, Fall Break funding
OUR offers some limited funding for Senior Thesis research to be carried out during the Fall break, on or off campus. This funding is often used for research participant costs, housing, or travel. Please check the SAFE site early for submission deadlines. The Fall break funding typically has a submission window in late September and early October.
OUR-STRF program, Winter Break/Intersession funding
OUR also offers some limited funding for Senior Thesis research to be carried out during the Winter break and Intersession, on or off-campus. Again, this funding is often used for subject costs, housing, or travel. The Winter break and Intersession funding typically have a submission window in late October and early November.
Summer funding between Junior and Senior year
Juniors wishing to apply to OUR for summer Senior Thesis research funding should apply in early Spring. Please check SAFE for submission deadlines. Details regarding eligibility, when and how to apply, review and award processes can be found on the Office of Undergraduate Research website.
Department Funding
The Department of Psychology’s fund for independent work is awarded based on the merit of the proposal and the need for funds. Students doing research in well-funded labs are less likely to receive departmental funding. Students can receive up to $1,000 in departmental funds toward their independent work. Please keep this limit in mind when designing your experiment. It is part of the challenge of practical science to keep the costs down. Sometimes some cleverness can help. For example, you may also be able to reduce the number of subjects by streamlining the experimental design. Discuss these options with your advisor.
The departmental fund for independent work may be used to pay for research participant fees, equipment fees, or supplies. It cannot be used for housing, living expenses, or travel-related expenses.
Please check the SAFE site for the time window for submitting proposals. The application period for Psychology funding opportunities closely follows the OUR-STRF funding cycles (see When to Apply on the Office of Undergraduate Research website).
Certificate Programs
The University offers a range of undergraduate certificate programs available for Psychology concentrators.
The most common certificate program among concentrators in Psychology is the Certificate in Neuroscience. Although the University offers a Neuroscience concentration, many students elect to concentrate in Psychology instead and earn a certificate in Neuroscience. These students are typically interested in cognitive or social aspects of neuroscience.
Psychology concentrators also often choose to earn the following certificates:
- African American Studies
- Cognitive Science
- Applications of Computing
- Gender and Sexuality Studies
- Language and Culture
- Linguistics
For information on all certificate programs, see Undergraduate Certificate Areas of Study
Library and Statistical Help
As a Psychology concentrator, you will have access to an extensive collection of books and journals relevant to psychology in the Lewis Science Library. Moreover, you can use the Princeton University Library homepage to search databases such as PSYCHINFO, PubMed, Web of Science, Lexis Nexis Academic, Mental Measurements Yearbook, PEP Archive (Psychoanalytic Electronic Publishing), Scopus, MIT’s Cog Net, etc.; as well as the Online Catalog, and numerous other information retrieval systems. Many databases and journals are also available electronically and can be searched and read full-text from any computer on campus or through VPN or proxy service when off campus.
Additionally, Meghan Testerman, the Psychology librarian at the Lewis Library, is also available to help you with library research. Meghan has also created a helpful guide for Psychology concentrators that covers things like finding literature and APA Style.
Writing Center
Housed in Whitman College, the Writing Center offers free one-on-one conferences with experienced fellow writers trained to consult on assignments in any discipline. Special 80-minute conferences are available for JP and Senior Thesis writers, who may sign up to work with a graduate student fellow from the department of their choice. The Writing Center also holds 50-minute regular conferences seven days a week, and drop-in hours.
Statistics Consultation
The University Data and Statistical Services library makes statistical consultants available by appointment on Zoom to help you in downloading, formatting, reshaping, or analyzing data. If you need assistance in identifying and locating data, contact a subject specialist
Career Paths
Psychology is a unique science because it is applicable to such a large range of career paths. Students who graduate from the Department of Psychology follow more career options than students from any other science department. Be sure to watch the short videos from some of our Seniors, sharing their career plans and experiences in the Department of Psychology.
Below are some of the many careers that previous Princeton Psychology graduates have pursued.
Clinical Psychology
An advanced degree in clinical psychology (Ph.D./Psy.D.) can offer exciting and diverse career options. A graduate degree in clinical psychology can prepare you for a career in providing therapy, engaging in clinical research, and/or teaching. Doctoral training in clinical psychology emphasizes a number of major skill areas including therapy, assessment, research, consultation, and supervision.
Our program fulfills the requirements for clinical psychology graduate schools. Recommended courses for psychology concentrators interested in pursuing an advanced degree in clinical psychology include Statistics, Research Methods, and Psychopathology. Direct experience with psychology research is also highly recommended. Any questions about pursuing advanced training in clinical psychology can be directed to Megan Spokas, Ph.D..
Medicine
A Psychology degree from Princeton can fulfill the entrance requirements for medical school.
Neuroscience
Although Princeton University also offers a Neuroscience concentration, many students who graduate with a Psychology degree pursue neuroscience in their graduate studies. For those interested in combining psychology and neuroscience, see the information on Certificate Programs.
Other Career Options
- Law
- Teaching
- Data Science
- Public Policy
- Business
- Economics
- Information Technology
- Behavioral Science
- Philosophy
- Arts (some of our students have even pursued music, art, dance, or acting and found that specific knowledge of human psychology, with a psychology degree in hand, opened opportunities in their careers)
Learn More
- Psychology as a Career from the American Psychological Association
- APA PsycCareers Job Center
- The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology
- A sample of recent job postings for a bachelor’s degree in Psychology
- Career Compass from Career Services at Princeton University
Princeton Pre Med Majors – Anthropology
Many people who major in sociology had never heard of it before they came to Princeton. These students learn that we offer a cutting edge undergraduate major for people interested in the social dimensions of politics, economics, history, psychology, and population dynamics. We are also a department in which concentrators can deepen their understanding of global issues, and our program is designed so that students who wish to go abroad in the spring of the junior year can do so. Our students benefit from a smaller major where they get more individual attention from faculty than they reasonably can expect in the larger concentrations.
If you are a sociologist at Princeton, the world is your oyster. This is a department where you can integrate different approaches to knowledge. Sociology was founded in the 19th Century by a Frenchman, Auguste Comte, who said we were destined to be the Queen of the Sciences. He believed that this new field could produce knowledge about society based on scientific evidence. He regarded sociology as the last science to be developed – following physics, chemistry, and biology – but sociology, he believed, should contribute to the welfare of humanity by using science to understand and therefore control and predict group behavior. In the United States, empirical studies of inequality between- and within-groups began with Jane Addams examining settlement houses in Hull House Maps and Papers(1895), W.E.B. Du Bois analyzing the black community in The Philadelphia Barrio(1899), and W.I. Thomas and Florian Znaniecki explaining the lives of immigrants in The Polish Peasant in Europe and America(1918).
Like the discipline’s founders, sociology professors at Princeton are working on important topics of concern in the “real world” inside and outside the university. Courses deal with such issues as the way that people find jobs, spend money, lose their homes, acquire an education, start businesses, participate in their neighborhoods, form families, and adapt to life in a new country. Course discussions include the role social networks play, the dilemmas that diversity exposes in higher education, and how poverty and inequality have deepened in America.
Recent books by professors in the department include studies of immigration, eviction, poverty, health, inequality, religious diversity, schooling, neighborhood life, and household finances. We are interested in revealing the exercise of power when none appears to be operating. And we help students trace how a course of action can have unintended consequences. We emphasize the careful use of evidence to develop and enrich our understanding of social processes, and we use a wide variety of statistical, ethnographic, and historical methods.
People often ask how practical a sociology degree is, and they are surprised to learn that our majors go into a wide range of fields from investment banking to law to medicine to big data analytics to education to political activism and the non-profit sector.
Career Paths
Sociologists pursue many different kinds of careers. They work with survey firms (public opinion polling, the census bureau, test marketing) and public health organizations, they are critical contributors to non-profit organizations that advocate for the disadvantaged or provide services for people in need. Professional schools (law, medicine, business, and government) are anxious to attract sociologists because they have a broad understanding of the social order and research skills (interviewing, participant observation, survey data analysis, etc.) that are valuable in these fields. So what do Princeton Sociology majors actually do when they leave us? We asked them in a survey of students who graduated in the 1980s and 90s. These are graduates who have been out in the world for long enough to provide a good idea of where they have landed. Here is what we found:
- A majority (54%) work in the private for-profit sector, but a significant minority (30%) work in non-profit organizations, including educational institutions. Smaller numbers work in government and other settings.
- About 18% work in education; 18% in communications and media; 16% in finance, insurance, and real estate; and 13% in law. Other fields of work include public policy, medicine, and manufacturing.
- A large majority obtain advanced degrees after graduating from Princeton. Of those who had been out of Princeton for at least six years, 68% had received advanced degrees. Most common were law degrees. There are also quite a few M.B.A.s, M.D.s and Ph.D.s among our graduates.
Sociology Major Requirements
Sociology majors must take nine courses within the department. Up to two courses can be courses with sociological content that come from other departments. (The Director of Undergraduate Studies has to approve those courses after seeing a syllabus.)
Within the nine sociology courses, the following four must be taken:
- SOC 101: Introduction to Sociology (taught in the fall and the spring and can be taken anytime, even after taking mid- and upper-level sociology courses)
- SOC 300: Claims and Evidence (taken in the Fall of the junior year to prepare students for the Junior Paper)
- SOC 301: Statistical Methods in Sociology
- SOC 302: Sociological Theory
Study Abroad
We have made it easy for students to study abroad in the Spring semester of their junior year. The seminar to help students write their Junior Papers (JPs) is offered in the Fall of the junior year. Students may also opt to study abroad earlier. Finally, keep in mind that some of our faculty are conducting research projects around the globe, including Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Europe. (So opportunities to assist in research do emerge.)
Funding
The Department has funding to support senior theses with a more limited amount for junior theses. The awards usually range from $250 to $500 and are made to complement awards from other providers in the SAFE grant application system. For more on how to use SAFE to apply for research grants, click here.
Current Term Courses
| SOC 101 | Intro. to Sociology |
| URB 200/ WWS 210 SOC 200 | Urbanism and Urban Policy |
| SOC 227/ URB 227 | Race and Ethnicity |
| SOC 250 | The Western Way of War |
| SOC 300 | Claims and Evidence |
| POL 345/ SOC 305 | Intro. to Quantitative Social Science |
| SOC 330 | Ethnographic Methods for Student Research |
| SOC 346 | Sociology of the Cubicle: Work, Tech. |
| URB 385/ SOC 385/ HUM 385/ ARC 385 | Mapping Gentrification |
| SOC 400 | Applied Social Statistics |
Prizes in the Department of Sociology Announced at Class Day
Isidore Brown Academic Achievement Award:
Given to the student who receives the highest SOC GPA in the highest honors category. $1,500 award.
Past Winners: You Jin Song (2014), Allison Kruk (2015), Charlotte Sall (2016), Arieh Mimran (2017), Gabrielle Agus (2018).
Isidore Brown Thesis Prize:
Given to the senior with the best sociology senior thesis. $1,500 award.
Past Winners: You Jin Song (2014) ,Nicholas Pang (2015), Taimur Ahmad (2016), Molly Strabley (2017), Gabrielle Agus (2018).
Lisa N. Bryant Award:
Given to the student who not only demonstrates an impressive intellectual spark in her sociological endeavors, but also is involved in service activities on and off campus. $300 award and a book.
Past Winners: Estela Diaz (2014), Christina Chica (2015), Kevin Lopez (2016), Briana Payton (2017), Rebecca Kahn (2018).
Poster Prize:
Given to the best poster related to the student’s senior thesis.
Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award:
Given to the best faculty advisor in the department. Decided on by junior and senior majors. Name put on plaque. Students are given a budget so as to give an item of their choice to the recipient.
Center for Migration and Development Senior Thesis Prize:
Given to the best senior thesis on the topic of migration and development.
Marvin Bressler Graduate Student Teaching Award:
Given to the outstanding graduate student preceptor and/or informal graduate student adviser. $500 award.
FAQs
At the start of Fall term of the senior year, the Departmental Representative meets with the senior class and asks that they indicate their preferences (1st through 3rd) for an advisor. The Dep Rep makes an initial recommendation for a good match, but students are free to pursue other leads.
It may well be that the Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects will determine that your study poses minimal risk or no risk at all. It is not your decision, however, to make as a student. If you are not using a public use data set, you will need to ensure that the people you research are able to give informed consent and that your research practices meet established ethical standards.
The Department has funding to support senior theses with a more limited amount for junior theses. The awards usually range from $250 to $500 and are made to complement awards from other providers in the SAFE grant application system. For more on how to use SAFE to apply for research grants, click here.
For Sophomores
In the fall, juniors majoring in sociology are required to take SOC 300, Claims and Evidence in Sociology, with K. Edin and F. Garip, and SOC 301, Statistical Methods in Sociology, with T. Hamilton (course times and days yet to be determined).
The following courses can count in place of sociology’s statistics course, SOC 301, Statistical Methods in Sociology:
- ORF 245/EGR 245, Fundamentals of Statistics
- POL 345/SOC 305/WWS 211, Introduction to Quantitative Social Science
- PSY 251, Quantitative Methods
- SPIA 200, Statistics for Social Science
Undergraduate Courses
Undergraduate Courses in Sociology Below we list undergraduate courses in Sociology. All sociology students are required to take 101, 300, POL 345 / SOC 305, and 302. Sociology majors must take nine courses within the department including those listed above. Two of the nine courses may come from other departments (cognates) with the approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies. In addition to the courses listed below, seniors are allowed to take graduate courses in the department with the approval of the faculty and the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
Required Courses
SOC 101 – Introduction to Sociology
Orientation to basic sociological concepts as analytical tools for the study of continuities and change in social and individual behavior. Influence of family, school, and the market. Social construction of self and selected aspects of the life course including childhood, love, and death.
Timothy Nelson
SOC 300 – Claims and Evidence in Sociology
Interpretion and evaluation of arguments in the sociological literature. Learning to read and write critically in sociology. Preparing claims and providing evidence in sociology.
Kathryn Edin & Jennifer Jennings
SOC 301 – Statistical Methods in Sociology
An overview of the research process in social science, including techniques of sampling, principles of measurement, problems of inference and proof, and basic methods of data analysis.
Tod Hamilton
SOC 302 – Sociological Theory
A systematic survey of the principal concepts underlying all sociological description and explanation-prediction, with special attention to the different ways these concepts are employed in the four currently leading groups of theories, namely structural functionalism, exchange theory, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism.
Ekedi Mpondo-Dika
200-level Courses
SOC 201 – American Society and Politics
P. Starr
SOC 204 – Social Networks
M . Salganik
SOC 207 – Poverty in America
M. Desmond
SOC 210/LAS 210/URB 210/LAO 210 – Urban Sociology: The City and Social Change in the Americas
P. Fernández-Kelly
SOC 211 – Sociology of Religion
Staff
SOC 214 – Creativity, Innovation and Society
Staff
SOC 216 – The Ghetto
Staff
SOC 222 – The Sociology of Crime and Punishment
Staff
SOC 225/GSS 225 – Sex, Sexuality, and Gender
Staff
SOC 227/URB 227 – Race and Ethnicity
P. Fernández-Kelly
SOC 240 – Families
Staff
SOC 241 – Self and Society
Staff
SOC 243 – Immigration, Citizenship and Identity
Staff
SOC 250 – The Western Way of War
M. Centeno
300-level Courses
SOC 300 – Claims and Evidence in Sociology
K. Edin & J. Jennings
SOC 301 – Statistical Methods in Sociology
Tod Hamilton
SOC 302 – Sociological Theory
Staff
SOC 307 – Contemporary China
Y. Xie
SOC 308/RES 308/EAS 308 – Communism and Beyond: China and Russia
D. Kaple
SOC 309/LAS 309 – Topics in the Sociology of Latin America
Staff
SOC 310/LAS 310/GSS 312 – Gender and Development in the Americas
Staff
SOC 315/LAS 316/AAS 315 – Race, Ethnicity and Nationalism in Latin America
Staff
SOC 317 – Race and Ethnicity in Global Comparative Perspective
Staff
SOC 327 – Immigration, Race, and the Black Population of the United States
T. Hamilton
SOC 329/LAO 329 – Immigrant America
T. Hamilton
SOC 330 – Ethnographic Methods for Student Research
C. Stack
SOC 331/LAS 330 – Social Exclusion in Latin America
Staff
SOC 332 – Sociology of Finance
Staff
SOC 335/POL 359 – Political Sociology
Staff
SOC 336 – Sociology of Complex Organizations
A. Goldstein
SOC 338/LAS 338 – The Sociology of Latinos in the U.S.
M. Tienda
SOC 339 – Sociology of International Migration
Staff
SOC 342 – Organizations: Management, Bureaucracy and Work
Staff
SOC 343 – Advanced Research Methods
Staff
SOC 344 Communications, Culture and Society
P. Starr
SOC 345 – Money, Work and Social Life
V. Zelizer & F. Wherry
SOC 346 – Sociology of the Cubicle: Work, Technology, and Organization
J. Vertesi
SOC 347 – The Social Life of the Metropolis
Staff
SOC 348 – Environmental Sociology
Staff
SOC 349 – Schools and Society: Race, Class and Gender in U.S. Education
Staff
SOC 352 – The Sociology of American Political History
Staff
SOC 356 – Sociology of Science
J. Vertesi
SOC 357 – Sociology of Technology
J. Vertesi
SOC 359 – Higher Education and Society
Staff
SOC 361/GSS 361 – Culture, Power and Inequality
Staff
SOC 363 – Religion in the United States
Staff
SOC 364/CHV 364 – Sociology of Medicine
E. Armstrong
SOC 365 – Health, Society and Politics
P. Starr
SOC 366 – Social & Economic Determinants of Health
T. Hamilton
SOC 368 – Special Topics in Sociology
Staff
400-level Courses
SOC 405/CHV 405 – The Sociology of Law
K. Scheppele
SOC 409/COS 409 – Critical Approaches to Human Computer Interaction
J. Vertesi
Other Courses
URB 200/WWS 210/SOC 200 – Urbanism and Urban Policy
D. Massey
AAS 202/SOC 202 – Introductory Research Methods in African-American Studies
Staff
URB 201/WWS 201/SOC 203/ARC 207 – Introduction to Urban Studies
Staff
URB 202/SOC 208 Documentary Film and the City
Staff
AAS 235/SOC 236 Race is Socially Constructed: Now What?
R. Benjamin
EGR 277/SOC 277/HIS 277 – Technology and Society
J. Vertesi
AAS 302/SOC 303 Political Bodies: The Social Anatomy of Power and Difference
R. Benjamin
GLS 303/SOC 304 The Global Ghetto Summer course
M. Duneier
GSS 311/SOC 311 – Gender, Crime, Media, Culture
Staff
WWS 331/SOC 312/AAS 317 – Race and Public Policy
D. Massey
WWS 334/SOC 313 – Media and Public Policy
P. Starr
GLS 323/SOC 324 – Contemporary Chinese Society, Global Seminar Summer course
Y. Xie
POL 333/LAO 333/LAS 333/SOC 325 – Latino Politics in the U.S.
A. Valenzuela
WWS 333/SOC 326 – Law, Institutions and Public Policy
P. Starr
WWS 330/SOC 328 Population, Society and Public Policy
M. Tienda
POL 334/SOC 333/LAO 334 – Immigration Politics and Policymaking in the U.S.
A. Valenzuela
POL 345/SOC 305/WWS 211 – Introduction to Quantitative Social Science
Staff
LAO 200/SOC 341/LAS 336 – Latinos in American Life & Culture
M. Tienda
THR 303/AMS 330/SOC 350 Ethnographic Playwriting
Staff
ECO 339/SOC 351 – Introduction to Population Problems
Staff
WWS 351/SOC 353/COS 351 – Information Technology & Public Policy
D. Dobkin
AAS 350/SOC 362 – Rats, Riots and Revolution: Housing in the Metropolitan United States
K. Taylor
AAS 301/SOC 367 – Black to the Future: Science, Fiction, and Society.
R. Benjamin
AFS 373/SOC 373 – Race, Class and Inequality in Post-Apartheid South Africa
Staff
URB 385/SOC 385/HUM 385/ARC 385 – Mapping Gentrification
A. Shkuda
ART 388/SOC 388 Photo, Urbanism and Civic Change Between 1960-1980
K. Bussard
GSS 420/SOC 420 – Born in the USA: Culture and Reproduction in Modern America
E. Armstrong
ANT 450/GSS 450/SOC 450 – The Revolution will not be Televised
J. Borneman
After Graduation: What Next?
Sociologists pursue many different kinds of careers. They work with survey firms (public opinion polling, the census bureau, test marketing) and public health organizations, they are critical contributors to non-profit organizations that advocate for the disadvantaged or provide services for the needy. Professional schools (law, medicine, business, and government) are anxious to attract sociologists because they have a broad understanding of the social order and research skills (interviewing, participant observation, survey data analysis, etc.) that are valuable in these fields. So what do Princeton Sociology majors actually do when they leave us? We asked them in a survey of students who graduated in the 1980s and 90s. These are graduates who have been out in the world for long enough to provide a good idea of where they have landed. Here is what we found:
- A majority (54%) work in the private for-profit sector, but a significant minority (30%) work in non-profit organizations, including educational institutions. Smaller numbers work in government and other settings.
- About 18% work in education; 18% in communications and media; 16% in finance, insurance, and real estate; and 13% in law. Other fields of work include public policy, medicine, and manufacturing.
- A large majority obtain advanced degrees after graduating from Princeton. Of those who had been out of Princeton for at least six years, 68% had received advanced degrees. Most common were law degrees. There are also quite a few M.B.A.s, M.D.s and Ph.D.s among our graduates.
To put some texture into these numbers, here are some examples of students who graduated with BA’s from our department in recent years. They are in many ways typical of the interesting people who study with us and go on to make remarkable contributions in the world:
Laura Hardman Collins ’99
Graduate Student at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University
I am currently in my second year of business school at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke, focusing on management in the non-profit sector. Before attending Business School, I served as Director of Recruitment and a Career Counselor at the Duke University School of Law. Prior to that, I directed Princeton Project 55’s Public Interest Program.
Helen Marrow ’00
Graduate Student in Sociology and Social Policy at Harvard University
I am still studying sociology in a Ph.D. program in Sociology and Social Policy at Harvard University. I keep in touch fairly well with my undergraduate professors and advisors from Princeton. I study immigration, race and ethnicity, social stratification and inequality, and am expecting to finish my Ph.D. in June 2007. I hope to get a job in academia after that, teaching Sociology at a research university.
Shawna Bowden Vican ’02
Graduate Student in Sociology at Harvard University
I spent two years between undergrad and grad school working in marketing at a major CPG company. Though I did tire of deciphering potato chip consumption patterns, my background in sociology proved very useful. [Now in graduate school, in sociology at Harvard] I’m working on a project following up my senior thesis. Using EEOC longitudinal data I’m examining the effects of “family-friendly” human resource policies on the gender mix within firms. Additionally, I’m joining a research team working on ethnographic research into how formal and informal job structures interact with work-life issues.
Catherine Casey ’02
Graduate Student in the Masters Program in Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
I’m just starting a Masters in Public Policy at the Kennedy School at Harvard, and am part of a new program – the Reynolds Foundation Fellowship for Social Entrepreneurship. Before coming to KSG I had been working with refugee programs, first in northern Uganda and most recently at a resettlement agency in New York City where I was running an employment program for underemployed refugee professionals.
Michelle Nielson ’03
Account Executive
I am currently an account executive at an international marketing firm specializing in consumer promotions and direct marketing. My job description changes everyday, and includes everything from drafting legal partnership agreements, to designing packages and toys with a team of creative artists. Prior to this position I worked in New York as a producer in the Broadcast Marketing Department at the CBS News Network where I wrote, edited and produced the on-air promos for the following shows: The Early Show, CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, 48 Hours, and 60 Minutes.
Amy Schnall ’04
Graduate Student in the Master of Public Health Program at Emory University
Since graduation from Princeton in June 2004, I have been enrolled full-time in the MPH (Master of Public Health) program at Emory University — concentrating in behavioral health and health education. Upon completion of my academic program this coming Spring (2006), I hope to work in the area of health communication creating public service announcements, commercials, and media campaigns. My primary interest centers on attempts to modify adolescent behaviors in the context of obesity, STDs, AIDS-risk exposure, condom use and body image-exercise.
Amy Krilla ’05
Research Assistant at the The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs
Currently, and for the next year,I am working as Daniel Kahneman’s research assistant here at Princeton, looking at cross-cultural data on happiness and wellbeing that was gathered using the Day Reconstruction Method. I am also trying to publish my senior thesis, a project that used Fragile Families data to analyze predictors of marriage among low-income couples.