Serving as a research assistant provides students with first-hand experience with psychological research. The faculty in our department conduct a variety of exciting research projects. Students can research factors that influence human behavior at every point in the life span, from prenatal to old age. 

Students in good academic standing are encouraged to become involved in research as early as possible in their academic program, preferably during sophomore and junior years. This kind of opportunity will be invaluable for students who are thinking about pursuing research-oriented graduate programs (e.g., PhD, certain master’s programs) in psychology or related areas. It will help them decide whether they have the interest and aptitude for research and will help them become competitive for admission to a graduate program. Many programs are looking for 1-2 years of research experience (more experience is required for PhD programs). 

There are multiple avenues for getting involved in research, such as by applying to a faculty lab (whether in the Psychology Department or other departments), applying to scholar programs, or applying to research opportunities outside of SDSU (e.g., summer research programs, research institutes). 

Please see the “Research Opportunities” section on this page for more information on how to find open research positions, depending on whether you are looking for opportunities at SDSU vs. outside of SDSU.

STEPS TO BECOMING A PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH ASSISTANT AT SDSU

  1. Find a research lab. You can find a full list of psychology faculty research labs on this webpage. This is the best place to start when exploring what your research interests are. Some faculty labs have a website that you can access for more information about their lab and lines of research.
    • You can also find a list of research scholar programs on this webpage, but note that these programs have their own application process and timeline. 
  2. Apply to the research lab. There are two different ways that students can apply to become a research assistant (RA). Students may choose to use both methods at the same time; however, this is not necessary. Some research labs may require you to submit a RAAP application (which you can download here) or they may have their own lab-specific application form for you to submit.
    • Formal Process: The Research Assistant Application Program (RAAP) occurs at the beginning of each Fall and Spring semester (and occasionally Summer). During this time, faculty inform our office whether they will be recruiting RAs to start in the upcoming semester. An updated list of open psychology faculty labs currently recruiting for research assistants is then posted under the “Research Opportunities at SDSU” discussion board (typically in early January for Spring research openings and mid-July for Fall research openings). Each lab will have unique requirements, application process, and deadline so be sure to thoroughly read the instructions for each lab that you are interested in applying to.
      • Occasionally, some research labs may ask our office to post that they are recruiting for RAs during the semester and/or to start in the summer. We recommend subscribing to this discussion board in order to be notified whenever a RA opportunity has been posted throughout the year. 
    • Informal Process: If you are interested in a research lab that has not been posted on the “Research Opportunities at SDSU” discussion board and/or if you miss the deadline for applying to research assistant openings through RAAP or scholar programs, you can independently reach out to research labs that you are interested in to see if they may still be accepting research assistants on a volunteer basis. You may be able to apply for a research assistant position via the faculty’s lab website or by emailing the lab email (if they have one). You can also email or speak to the faculty member directly, which may be more preferable if you are currently taking or recently took their class.
      • When communicating with a faculty member (whether via email or in-person), you need to professionally introduce yourself and express your interest in their lab and why. You will want to ask if they have openings in the semester you are interested in. You will also want to ask them if they want you to fill out the RAAP application, provide a CV/resume, and/or provide an unofficial transcript. If communicating via email, you should wait up to 2 weeks to hear back from the professor(s). If they don’t respond, you should send a follow up email. If they respond and are interested, you should set up a meeting with the professor(s) and/or lab manager.
      • Note that you may not receive PSY 499 credit if you join a research lab after the add/drop deadline for the current semester, but you will have the option of earning PSY 499 credit in future semesters.

There are limited SDSU faculty-led research opportunities, thus we also encourage you to be open to opportunities outside of SDSU. If you are looking for a research position outside of SDSU (e.g., in local SD areas, remote opportunities, summer research programs), please subscribe to the “Research Opportunities Outside of SDSU” discussion board.

Information on Qualifying for PSY 499 Credit

To qualify for PSY 499 credit, the research assistant opportunity has to be related to Psychology and affiliated with SDSU. We try to extend this opportunity to students who are in labs in other departments that work closely with our SDSU Psychology faculty or if the opportunity is under the Psychiatry department at UCSD, but we can’t apply PSY 499 credit to opportunities outside of these areas. If you are involved in a research lab that does not qualify for PSY 499, there may be other avenues by which you can earn units toward your overall degree requirements (e.g., earning 499 credit through a different department, GEN S 200/400).

Please contact the Psychology Advising Office (psychology.advising.sdsu@sdsu.edu) if you have any questions regarding earning PSY 499 for a research assistant position.