Research Programs
Barnard College
Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship
Time period: In summer following admission to program, Fellows participate in a one-week workshop in which they identify the area in which they will conduct research over the next two years.
Purpose and activities: Provides students with a faculty member with whom she works in her junior and senior years to receive academic guidance and insight into life as an academic. Mellon fellows may pursue independent research under the direction of her faculty member, work as a research assistant on a project that the faculty mentor is currently pursuing, or work on curricular or teaching projects of interest to her faculty mentor. The program also helps fellows apply to graduate school by providing advice on suitable graduate programs, supervising the application process, as well as supplementing testing and application fees. Fellows attend scholarly conferences, including the local New York Regional Undergraduate Mellon Conference held each spring. They plan and participate in the annual Barnard Mellon Mays Distinguished Lecture, and have joined in a number of special projects, including a 2003 research trip to South Africa.
Eligibility: Sophomore or junior standing, minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 preferred, interest in pursuing graduate study toward the PhD in one of the Mellon supported fields, and demonstrated commitment to increasing opportunities for under-represented minorities
Payment: Stipend for the August workshop, as well as for the academic year for work with their faculty mentor. If the Fellow enrolls as a full-time student in a PhD program in a Mellon-identified discipline within three years of graduating from Barnard, the Fellow may have a portion of her undergraduate student loans repaid by the Foundation.
Website: https://www.mmuf.org
University of Maryland
Research Initiatives
Department of Sociology, Centers & Research Groups
The department works closely with several research centers and projects. Each of these research centers has a separate suite of offices, including administrative support, faculty and student offices, conference and data analysis rooms. Collectively, these centers account for several million dollars in annual research funding.
Website: http://socy.umd.edu/research/centers-and-research-groups
University of Michigan
The Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)
Time period: Ten weeks, mid-June through mid-August
Purpose and Activities: Gives undergraduates first-hand experience in social science research. Prepares interns for senior thesis projects, graduate school, and/or research-based employment opportunities. Students, under the supervision of a faculty mentor, will:
- develop a research question
- perform a literature search and review
- complete data analysis
- report findings in a poster
- learn good data management processes and research practices with a research process mentor
- attend classes at ICPSR
Eligibility: Sophomores and juniors with United States citizenship or permanent residency
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Payment: $3000-$5000 stipend, room and partial-board in university housing, and scholarship covering cost of fees, texts, and materials for coursework.
Website: http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/content/ICPSR/internship/
The Survey Research Center Summer Internship Program
Time period: 10 weeks, 20-40 hour per week, June through July
Purpose and activities: Students:
- gain hands-on experience working in survey design;
- gain teamwork, project management, and administrative skills;
- combine social science and statistical theory with practical challenges of day-to-day project implementation;
- apply and develop technical and communication skills;
- learn the principles of survey research from leading practitioners in the field.
Interns will be typically assigned to an ongoing research study, attend appropriate seminars/courses on principles of survey research, and participate in a research symposium, and are encouraged to apply for full-time positions at the center upon completion of the program.
Eligibility: Any full-time undergraduate student (completion of sophomore year or greater) in good standing (minimum grade point average of 3.0)
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Website: http://www.rackham.umich.edu/srop
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Moore Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (MURAP)
Summer Fellowship Opportunity in Humanities, Social Sciences and Fine Arts
The Moore Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (MURAP) invites applications for a ten-week paid summer research internship for undergraduate students (rising juniors or seniors) in the humanities, social sciences, and fine arts. MURAP seeks to prepare talented and motivated underrepresented students from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds, or those with a proven commitment to diversity and to eradicating racial disparities in graduate school and the academy, for graduate study in fields in the humanities, social sciences, and fine arts. The program provides students with a rigorous research experience under the guidance of a UNC faculty mentor.
Each participant will receive:
- Generous stipend
- Campus housing
- Meal allowance
- Writing, Communication Skills and Professional Development workshops
- GRE prep course (and all necessary materials)
- Paid domestic travel expenses to and from Chapel Hill
The student application is available online. To access an application, or for additional information about MURAP, please visit our website or contact MURAP at murap@unc.edu.
Northwestern University
Global Engagement Studies Institute
The GESI study abroad program immerses students in experiential learning for eight or ten weeks. It develops global leaders while contributing to the sustainable development of communities where students work and learn. Sites are run by GESI's on-the-ground partners and offer students the opportunity to address issues in areas such as health, education/youth, environmental sustainability, women’s empowerment, social enterprise development, microfinance, and more.
If you are looking for a program where you learn by doing and are ready to challenge yourself in the pursuit of global social change, GESI is for you.
Here are the GESI basics:
What: GESI participants design and implement a community development project with their host community and a small, interdisciplinary team of talented students from across the country.
Who: Any undergraduate or recent graduate seeking hands-on field experience with comprehensive academic preparation.
Where: Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Nicaragua, or Uganda.
Website: http://gesi.northwestern.edu/
The Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP)
Time period: Eight weeks, from mid-June through mid-August, 30-40 hours per week
Purpose and Activities: Each selected participant is matched with a Northwestern faculty member to carry out an appropriate full-time research project. Some faculty mentors agree to work with students to craft an independent research project based on the student’s interests, and other mentors will have students contribute to an ongoing project. The research training is coupled with activities that prepare students for the graduate school application process, success in graduate school, and the development of their professional careers.
Eligibility:
- current sophomore or junior
- have cumulative GPA of at least 3.2
- be U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- have an interest in pursuing a doctoral degree at Northwestern University
Students belonging to groups which have been traditionally underrepresented in graduate education are encouraged to apply. Course credit is available, but you will need to communicate with the Registrar at your home institution to determine if they will accept the credit.
Location: Chicago, IL
Payment:
- $4000 stipend
- round-trip plane ticket (to Chicago)
- University housing (single rooms)
- a campus meal subsidy of $450 (not intended to cover all meals)
Website: http://www.tgs.northwestern.edu/diversity/undergraduate-summer-research/
Princeton University
Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (PSURE)
Time period: mid-June to beginning August
Purpose and Activities: A summer research experience for up to 20 undergraduates who express a serious interest in pursuing a PhD and following a career in college or university teaching and research. The purpose of the program is to motivate and prepare students to make competitive applications to research doctoral programs, with a view toward completing the PhD and going on to teach and conduct original research.
Student meets with faculty member weekly to discuss research design, methods and progress. The Graduate School offers a GRE Preparation course that meets weekly and students also attend a weekly research seminar. During these sessions students also explore the graduate application process, prepare their Statement of Academic Purpose, and receive information about graduate student life and financial aid.
At the end of the program, students are expected to give several brief oral presentations about their work during the course of the summer, and must also present a final paper of no less than 20 pages.
Eligibility: Student must be:
- a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- currently enrolled full time as a sophomore or junior
- in good academic standing
- achieved a 3.5 GPA.
In addition, the program seeks and gives preference in admission to students who are:
- racial/ethnic minorities
- from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds
- from small liberal arts colleges
- have not participated in a prior summer research experience at a major research institution
Texas A&M
Research Institute in Sociology and Social Inequality
The Texas A&M Sociology department offers summer “Research Institute in Sociology and Social Inequality” REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) site, funded by the National Science Foundation. This 8-week summer program is an exciting opportunity for up to 10 undergraduates to gain research experience with close guidance from a faculty mentor. Texas A&M faculty will provide world-class opportunities to engage in research on the causes and consequences of social inequality. Students will gain hands-on training in a range of research methods, including interviews, experiments, and survey analysis. In addition, Texas A&M Sociology boasts three research centers that will support the students’ work: the Texas Federal Statistical Research Data Center; the Stuart J. Hysom Social Psychology Laboratory; and the Howard B. Kaplan Laboratory for Social Science Research. Examples of research projects and details about the program can be found at https://liberalarts.tamu.edu/
Students complete a research project and present their work at an academic conference the following semester. The program covers travel costs for the summer, room and board, travel costs for the academic conference in the following semester, and a stipend.
Students can learn more about the program at https://liberalarts.tamu.edu/
If you have any questions, they can be reached at reusociology@tamu.edu.