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About Undergraduate Research

What Is Research?

Meaningful student participation in faculty-mentored scholarly or creative activity intended to make an original contribution to one or more disciplines.

The term "research" may conjure up images of lab benches and test tubes, but academic research is much broader in scope. It can be in any academic discipline, from theater to government to chemistry. It can be research in a traditional sense (e.g. data collection, archival research, structured interviews) or it can involve work that might be better characterized as a creative project (e.g. a work of art, a collection of poetry, a screenplay). Regardless of the field, students acquire first-hand experience in an academic field of research while developing skills such as critical thinking, information processing, and effective communication.

Types of research opportunities

Students may opt to engage in research with Dartmouth faculty mentors or seek out research internships outside of Dartmouth.

Why do research with a Dartmouth faculty mentor?

  • Engage more deeply in your academic coursework and major area(s) of study
  • Develop relationships with faculty outside of the classroom (and get a stronger letter of recommendation)
  • Continue research over multiple terms part time while taking classes and full time during a leave term
  • Consider options of doing research for academic credit (e.g. independent study, honors thesis, Senior Fellowship)

Research programs at Dartmouth:

 Why engage in research internships outside of Dartmouth?

  • Access to a broader range of research areas
  • Development of connections and networks outside of Dartmouth

Resources for students interested in research internships outside of Dartmouth:

Research at Dartmouth

Dartmouth offers a wide-ranging, challenging and stimulating curriculum. You can get a first-class education simply by picking and choosing among the myriad of classes in the course catalog.

However, the most exciting and engaging intellectual development often takes place outside of the traditional classroom. Faculty-mentored research allows you to explore a topic or area in more depth and to refine your academic and intellectual interests. Some students take on projects outside of their major field while others opt to challenge themselves with projects related to their major or career interests.

For students planning to continue on to graduate school, undergraduate research is particularly important, as some graduate programs require students to have engaged in research during their college years.

Even for those who do not plan to pursue graduate work, engaging in undergraduate research develops essential skills, such as thinking critically, drawing evidence-based conclusions, and communicating findings and opinions. Perhaps the principal benefit of undergraduate research, however, is the opportunity to work one-on-one with a Dartmouth professor who can mentor and guide you as you make academic and career decisions.

Students who have participated in faculty-mentored undergraduate research consistently rate these experiences as among the most valuable of their college career.