Research
Discover uncharted territory through hands-on experimental work or data analysis with a faculty member or graduate student mentor. There are many opportunities for students to participate in research, even at the undergraduate level.
Research Opportunities at the University of Michigan
These are only some opportunities listed. Check with your department for more opportunities. If you have an opportunity to add, please let us know!
Missing an Experience? Add it here.
Barger Leadership Institute
The home for immersive and interdisciplinary undergraduate leadership experiences at the University of Michigan. Here, we take a holistic approach to help you explore, nurture, and realize your authentic leadership potential. Through the power of empathy, understanding, and mindfulness, we explore a leadership approach based on dedicated practice, deep human connection, and inspiration. With a balance of high-touch mentorship and real-world autonomy, BLI offers a certificate, classes, fellowships, and more — all designed to enhance and elevate the full Michigan educational experience. BLI is far more than a resume builder. It’s the realization of leadership potential in all aspects: social, situational, relational, and cultural. We’re not merely offering a skill set; we help instill a mindset — one that will serve you throughout your education, career, and life."
Detroit Community-Academic Urban Research Center
Enhance understanding of the relationship between the social and physical environmental determinants of health, and translate that knowledge into public health interventions, programs, and policies aimed at promoting health equity. The Detroit URC seeks to maintain an effective partnership that identifies problems affecting the health of residents in Detroit and promotes and conducts interdisciplinary, community-based participatory research which recognizes, builds upon and enhances the resources and strengths in the communities involved.
Michigan Learning Communities
MLCs are self-selected groups of students and faculty, often from diverse backgrounds, drawn together by shared goals and common intellectual interests. Those interests can range from community service to cutting-edge research and from mathematics to communication arts.
Michigan in Washington
The Michigan in Washington (MIW) program offers an opportunity each year for 20 undergraduates from any major to spend a semester (Fall or Winter) in Washington, D.C. Students combine coursework with an internship that reflects their particular area of interest (such as American politics, international studies, history, the arts, public health, economics, the media, the environment, science, and technology). The semester in Washington is action-packed. Students work four days a week (32 hours), attend an elective one evening a week, and a policy research course on Friday mornings. They spend their weekends exploring the city and taking in cultural events. Most leave Washington longing to return.
Multidisciplinary Design Program
The Multidisciplinary Design Program provides team-based, “learn by doing” opportunities through participation on research, industry, and student org teams. With MDP, you can: apply what you learn in class to engineering design projects; gain the technical and professional skills necessary to thrive in engineering research or professional settings; and experience how people from multiple disciplines collaborate within a team. The MDP program is open to first year undergraduate through professional masters students from across the university.
Problem Solving Initiative
PSI is a collection of courses that brings together students and faculty from law and other disciplines to actively apply creative problem solving, collaboration, and design thinking skills to complex, pressing challenges in a classroom setting. PSI classes allow students to learn about topics such as sustainable food systems, connected and automated vehicles, human trafficking, “fake news,” firearm violence, and new music business models. At the same time, these classes allow students to learn about and apply tools, such as problem reframing, practicing empathy, prototyping, and more, that they will continue to apply in other classes, collaborative efforts, and the workplace.
Program in Practical Policy Engagement
The Program in Practical Policy Engagement (P3E) was established in the Spring of 2018 with a generous gift from the Power Foundation and support from the University’s Provost and Ford School. Elisabeth Gerber, Jack L. Walker, Jr. Collegiate Professor of Public Policy, was the program’s director. She was joined by staff that had years of experience working on public policy at the local, state, and federal levels. A university-wide resource, P3E leveraged existing expertise and interdisciplinary approaches to generate policy-relevant research, analysis, and learning and events. P3E’s work centered on engaged learning, policy research, and policy impact. P3E’s work paved the way for expanded engaged learning opportunities at the Ford School that continue on with community learning partnerships and an expanded network of community partners.
Semester in Detroit
Semester in Detroit transforms U-M students through reciprocal relationships with the people, organizations, and neighborhoods of Detroit. By living, learning, and working in the city, our students engage with community leaders in transformative work - strengthening themselves as well as the wider region.
Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program
Established in 1988-1989, the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) creates research partnerships between undergraduate students and University of Michigan (U-M) researchers and community partners and organizations. Our students engage in research and creative projects with research mentors representing all 19 colleges/schools/units at U-M. UROP focuses on the skills, perspectives, and resources that diverse students bring to higher education by encouraging them toward a life-long appreciation for discovery, building understanding across differences, and critically examining information in the world around them.
UM-SMART
UM-SMART is designed for undergraduate students who have an interest in obtaining a combined MD | PhD degree leading to a career in academic medicine as a physician-scientist performing basic research relevant to human health and disease. As a UM-SMART summer research fellow, students work full-time in a basic research laboratory under the mentorship of a research faculty member. The goal of the UM-SMART program is to help students decide if a career as a physician-scientist is right for them, and to enhance competitiveness when applying to MD | PhD programs. The UM-SMART has helped 101 undergraduate participants learn about MD | PhD training since 2008. After graduation, 77% of past participants entered MD | PhD, PhD, or MD programs. This 10-week program is aimed at students who have some amount of basic and mechanistic research experience related to medicine and are interested in gaining more experience to advance their career goals. UM-SMART is not intended for students seeking clinical research experience on human subjects. Additionally, we do not offer opportunities in public health, the social sciences, or humanities.
What are some skills I will learn?
Hands-on Experience
Engaged learning provides practical experiences that complement classroom learning. Whether through internships, research projects, or service learning, students gain skills that are directly applicable to their future careers.
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
Engaged learning activities often require students to think critically and solve complex problems. These experiences foster higher-order thinking skills that are invaluable in any field of study.
Enhanced Understanding
By applying theoretical knowledge to real-world situations, students deepen their understanding of academic material. This practical application helps to reinforce what they’ve learned in lectures and readings.