Information and resources

Dartmouth College provides opportunities for undergraduates to engage in faculty-mentored research, scholarship and creative projects outside the classroom. Students acquire first-hand experience in an academic field while developing skills such as critical thinking, information processing, and effective communication. Because of Dartmouth's quarter system and the requirement that students take at least one leave term during the traditional academic year, students can engage in research in a variety of ways at different points during their years at Dartmouth.

There are multiple ways to engage in research, scholarship and creative projects with a Dartmouth faculty mentor (which includes faculty in the Arts & Sciences as well as in Geisel School of Medicine, Thayer School of Engineering, and Tuck School of Business). Examples include:

• Part-time research assistantships
• Full-time research during a leave term
• Hired directly by faculty and paid hourly wages

In addition to research outside of the curriculum, students may also engage in research for academic credit:

• Independent study/research 
• Senior honors thesis research
• Senior Fellowships (large-scale independent projects that are conducted in lieu of a traditional major)

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

• The research must contribute to the student's academic development. The following types of projects are NOT eligible for UGAR funding: 
  • Administrative or clerical (tasks typically compensated via wages such as maintenance of a website, editing of a publication, scheduling research participants, etc.)
  • Curricular (development and/or assessment of course materials)
  • Commercial (tasks related to development of a commercial product)
  • Institutional (tasks related to strategic direction of an institutional initiative)
• Faculty mentors must be currently employed as faculty at Dartmouth College (including the medical, engineering, and business schools)
  • Additional criteria for faculty mentors
• Faculty-mentored research can be part-time while taking classes or full-time during a leave term. Check the requirements of specific programs to ensure that the student role in the project meets the program guidelines.
  • Part-time research assistantships: students engage with faculty on faculty research projects. Students must be on campus and faculty mentors are also expected to be on campus. Remote research is not eligible for funding.
  • Full-time leave term research: students are expected be more independence and more in-depth engagement. If the research does not take place on campus, there must be a compelling reason for the location of the research (e.g. field work)

Dartmouth College is an institutional member of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR).

CUR provides support and professional development opportunities for faculty, staff, administrators, and students. Their publications and outreach activities are designed to share successful models and strategies for establishing, nurturing, and institutionalizing undergraduate research programs.

As a member of the Dartmouth community, you can join CUR for free.

To access the resources provided by CUR:

• Activate your membership here.
• When you are registered as a member, you will receive CUR newsletters as well as an electronic subscription to the journal CUR Quarterly.