Contents

• Intro
• Process

Intro

Undergraduate students interested in working for research credit in a lab, completing a senior thesis, or conducting research for the Biology/Botany/Zoology 152 independent research project need to register for a research credit course. In order to register for a research credit course with Dr. Davidson, you will first need Dr. Davidson's authorization (via Jane Lambert). You will not be able to register for the course until Dr. Davidson's authorization is recorded in the campus computer systems.

To get Dr. Davidson's authorization, first ask Jane Lambert if you can be authorized. Your supervisor cannot help with this, as it is an academic process wherein Dr. Davidson alone can authorize students to register for the courses that he teaches.

Authorization is not automatic. You need to get it for every course you take with Dr. Davidson. Even if you take the exact same course two semesters in a row, you must request authorization for each semester individually. Authorization for a course is a multi-step process which may take several weekdays or longer:

Process

• First, ask Jane Lambert (jane.lambert@wisc.edu) if you can be registered for a specific research credit course with Dr. Davidson.
  • DO NOT ask Dr. Davidson directly.
  • Let Jane know the number of the course that you wish to register for (Psychology 621, 681/682, 691/692, 699).
    • Jane can help you make this determination if you are unsure.
  • Include your supervisor's name, your student ID number, and the number of credits you would like to register for with your request.
  • Also include any other crucial information. For example, if this is for a Biology/Botany/Zoology 152 project, or if you are interested in doing a senior thesis.
• Jane will confirm the details of your request and send you a Course Agreement.
  • You must review, sign, and return the course agreement before Jane can finish your authorization.
    • Please note: Jane will get Dr. Davidson's signature as your "faculty mentor." You do NOT need to get your direct supervisor's signature.
• Jane will ask Dr. Davidson for authorization for you.
• Jane will communicate Dr. Davidson's authorization to the Psychology department as appropriate. 
• Psychology will enter the authorization in the campus computers.
• Jane will send you a confirmation email indicating that you are authorized to register for the course.
  • If you have not received an authorization confirmation email within 5 weekdays of returning your signed course agreement, let Jane Lambert know.
• Register for the course as soon as you receive the authorization confirmation email. The authorization window is often very short--typically only 3 days--and if you do not register within that window, the entire process will need to start over.