Department of Psychology
Scholarships
Consider completing a Fresno State Scholarship Application for 2021-22. Applications are due by March 2nd.
When you complete the application, you will be given an opportunity to specify particular scholarships that you want to apply for. If you are an undergraduate, you should consider selecting the Downing Science Scholarship, the Carl E. Levin Scholarship, the Lee J. Cronbach Scholarship, the Alan D. Button Scholarship (if they show up on the list). If you are a graduate student, you should consider selecting the Lee J. Cronbach and Roger L. Bailey Scholarships. If you are in the School Psych program, you should also select the John Thomas and the Michael Herrera Scholarships. If you have already completed a Fresno State Scholarship Application but did not select the specific scholarships mentioned above, you might want to take a minute to update your application and make these selections.
Note that completing a scholarship application does not guarantee a department scholarship. However, it does make you eligible to receive a department scholarship if you are selected for one of them.
Scholarships and Awards
The Dean's Medalist and Graduate Dean's Medalist Nominees
Each department in the College of Science and Mathematics designates one graduating senior and one graduate student as our Dean’s Medalist nominees. Simply being nominated at the department level requires superior academic performance and outstanding contributions to the student’s department, college, university, and community.
Outstanding Student Award
Each department in the College of Science and Mathematics also recognizes one graduating senior and one graduate student who have very high GPAs and who have contributed to the department and community as our “outstanding students.”
Robert Levine Student Research and Travel Award
Bob Levine was a longtime professor at Fresno State. He was a world-famous social psychologist, a highly successful author and popularizer of social psychology, and a past-president of the Western Psychological Association. He was also an outstanding teacher and mentor who loved nothing more than guiding students through the process of conceptualizing, conducting, and presenting psychological research. In honor of Bob's lifelong commitment to student success, the Levine Award is designed to support student research and travel, especially among first-generation college students.
Aroldo Rodrigues Outstanding International Student Award
This award is named in honor of Aroldo Rodrigues, who was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1933. In Brazil he graduated in both Law and Psychology and eventually came to the U.S. to earn a Ph.D in social psychology at UCLA. After an illustrious career back in Brazil, Dr. Rodrigues came to Fresno State as a faculty member in 1993, became Professor Emeritus in 2008, and retired and returned to Brazil in 2013. Dr. Rodrigues represents the vibrant potential of international scholars around the globe, and this award recognizes the Psychology department’s belief in the value of a diverse, international approach to the study of human behavior.
Benjamin B. Burton / Alan D. Button Renaissance Person Award
The Benjamin B. Burton / Alan D. Button Renaissance Person Award goes annually to a student who has diverse interests and who excels at many things. It is given in honor of former faculty members Ben Burton and Alan Button—who were inspiring renaissance people themselves.
Merry West Outstanding Reentry Student Award
The Merry West Outstanding Reentry Student Award recognizes outstanding academic performance in a student who has returned to the university to continue her or his education. It is named in honor of Merry West, a former faculty member who returned to school and developed an impressive career in midlife.
Outstanding Psychology 144 Research Report Award
This award goes each semester to the Psychology 144 student who in the opinion of that semester’s Psychology 144 instructors has written the highest quality final research report, in terms writing, methodology, and data analysis, and interpretation.
William C. Coe Outstanding Psychology Thesis Award
This award goes each year to the graduate student who has completed a thesis that is judged by the Graduate Committee to be the best of the year in terms of writing, logic, methodology, data analysis, and overall contribution to the literature.
Downing Science Scholarship
Each department in the College of Science and Mathematics awards one Downing Science Scholarship to a rising senior based on his or her academic record and achievement through the junior year.
Edward V. Tenney Memorial Scholarships
The Edward V. Tenney Memorial Scholarships are named after Ed Tenney—a longtime Chair of the Department of Psychology at Fresno State. These scholarships go annually to two outstanding undergraduate students—one female and one male—who have the potential to make a contribution to the field of psychology and who, in Ed Tenney's words, are possessed of a "rich and differentiated" personality.
Lee J. Cronbach Scholarship
Lee J. Cronbach was a Fresno native and Fresno State grad who went on to become one of the most accomplished educational psychologists and statisticians of the 20th century. The Cronbach scholarship goes annually to a student with a high GPA who has demonstrated a strong interest and ability in quantitative psychological research.
Roger L. Bailey Memorial Scholarship
The Roger L. Bailey Memorial Scholarship was endowed by the family and friends of Roger Bailey. One scholarship is given each year to a graduate student who is pursuing a degree in psychology or counseling.
Pickford Memorial Fund Scholarships
The Pickford Memorial Fund Scholarships come from an endowment from the estate of Vivian I. Pickford. We award about 10 to 12 of these annually to upper-division undergraduates and graduate students who have excelled in the classroom and as department citizens, and who will be continuing at Fresno State during the fall.