Have you ever imagined yourself being involved in the creation of new knowledge or the discovery of new ways of understanding? It’s pretty exciting.
Engaging in research is an opportunity to become more actively involved in your education through intellectual inquiry and experiential learning. It is a chance to explore your chosen field as well as other fields of interest, and an opportunity to develop the skills employers want (for example, teamwork, problem-solving, critical thinking and communication).
Undergraduate researchers always have a research mentor, which could be a faculty member or a graduate student. In many cases, they are part of a faculty-led research team that includes graduate students and may include other undergrads. Some students are able to contribute to a journal article or conference presentation in which research findings are disseminated at a professional meeting.
Students may participate in research projects for course credit, as volunteers, or as paid research assistants. Sometimes faculty ask students to volunteer for a semester before considering them for a paid position.
The College of Education offers several types of research experiences for undergraduates.
Each year, College of Education faculty are invited to apply for funds provided to the college by MSU’s Office of Undergraduate Research. Faculty submit research proposals early in the fall semester, and those who receive awards use the funds to hire undergraduate students on an hourly basis.
If you have any questions, contact Emily Bouck at ecb@msu.edu.
Some faculty within the college may offer paid research experiences for undergraduates from internal or external grants they have received. Faculty may advertise on Handshake, in their classes, or connect with students they already know; students can also directly contact faculty with whom they may wish to work to inquire about potential funding or paid positions.
A small number of incoming freshmen are invited by the MSU Honors College to become Professorial Assistants. The Honors College pays Professorial Assistants a stipend to work with faculty members for approximately eight hours per week during the academic year. It is sometimes possible for students who are not Professorial Assistants to engage in these projects as volunteers or paid research staff members. Interested students who are not PAs may contact faculty researchers directly to express their interest in a particular research project. Please see the tips below for approaching a faculty member about your research interests.
Before contacting a faculty member about your research interest, you should do some preparation (similar to the way you would prepare for a job interview). Do an online search and learn more about the faculty member’s research agenda. If she or he has a website, that is an excellent place to begin. Read the abstracts (summaries) of journal articles the faculty member has published, or browse books or book chapters that she or he has written. If you have taken a class from the faculty member, think about what it was that sparked your interest in her or his research. Think carefully about the strengths and talents you would bring to the research team. Be prepared to talk about your previous work experiences. The work may be different, but the faculty member will want to know that you have been successful in the work place; that is, you showed up when and where you were scheduled to work, you got to work on time, you did what you were asked to do in a timely fashion, etc.
If you are unable to find a paid research position, the Office of Undergraduate Research has some suggestions for funding your work: