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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 experiences
Students may opt to engage in research with Dartmouth faculty mentors or seek out research internships outside of Dartmouth. There are benefits associated with each of these types of research experience.
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 for doing research for academic credit (e.g. independent study, honors thesis, Senior Fellowship)
** Students who engage in faculty-mentored undergraduate research consistently rate these experiences as among the most valuable of their college career.
Research programs at Dartmouth:
- SURFD undergraduate research programs
- Dartmouth ERAS: research experiences in the sciences for first-year students
- URAD: part-time research assistantships
- Presidential Scholars: part-time research assistantships (eligibility based on GPA)
- Leave term grants: funding to enable students to engage in faculty-mentored research full time during a leave term
- Senior Fellowships: projects that go beyond what can be accomplished by taking courses in the existing curriculum
- Conference travel grants: for undergraduates presenting faculty-mentored research at academic conferences
- Other campus offices that provide funding for research
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: