The St. Mary’s Project (SMP) is a year-long, eight-credit, capstone of study at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
SMPs are an independently designed and executed course of study. Working in close conjunction with one or more professors, in or outside of the department, students have the opportunity to explore, in depth, a question or idea that entrances and intrigues them.
An SMP may take the form of a research paper or a creative expression of the arts. It may include collaborative work and build upon components of internships, study-abroad programs, and other experimental formats, as well as traditional research skills.
SMPs in Psychology
A year-long intensive study of a particular topic generally related to a faculty mentors’ research area/interests, culminating in a written thesis.
May involve:
- empirical research conducted at St. Mary’s College of Maryland
- research conducted off-campus as a part of an internship or summer research program at another institution
- library research on data collected by others to address a novel question and development of some accompanying component such as a program proposal, handbook, or website.
All students present their SMP to the psychology department as either an oral or poster presentation.
Some students go on to have their papers published professionally and/or presented at industry conferences.
Learn more about St. Mary’s Projects
- Psychology SMP Showcase
- Psychology SMP Abstract Database
- View SP20 Virtual Psychology SMP Presentations
- View FA20 Virtual Psychology SMP Presentations
“Completing an SMP will make you stand apart when you talk to potential employers because you will be excited about it and it shows discipline and analysis skills.” – Stephanie Klapper ’10, deputy director of community outreach for Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative
Some recent examples of St. Mary’s Projects:
Perceived Illegitimacy of Bisexual Identity: Exclusion from Lesbian and Gay Spaces
Erika Blair ’21 (mentor: Gili Freedman)
Implementing Mental Health Programs into Grades K-5
Ethan Brennan ’20 and Mary Beth Kappert ’20 (mentor: Scott Mirabile)
Religion-Based Sexism and Attachment to God: The Moderating Roles of Religiosity, Spirituality, and Feminist-Oriented Spirituality
Isabel Lott ’21 (mentor: Ayse Ikizler)
Singing to Learn: How Pitch Information Facilitates Encoding and Retrieval.
Rachel Thompson ’19 (mentor: James Mantell)
Influence of the Gut-Brain Microbiome Axis on Conditioned Morphine Reward
Francesca Ziccardi ’21 (mentor: Dr. Torry Dennis)