Undergraduate Research

• Put together a resume. Visit the UM Career Center (https://careercenter.umich.edu/article/resume-resources) for advice
• Know how to get an unofficial transcript (via Wolverine Access)
• Line up 2-3 people who can offer you references (if needed)

Click on the options below to see what type of research opportunity fits with your goals.

If you are a first year student, then you might consider the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (https://lsa.umich.edu/urop) for your sophomore year. UROP creates partnerships between students and Michigan faculty, providing a wealth of research opportunities from which you can choose and through which you can advance yourself in a unique way. More than 1,300 of your fellow students work on real research and real scholarship with over 800 faculty members from the across campus. For more information about research opportunities at the University of Michigan please refer to the UROP webpage.

Comm 322 offers an opportunity for students to acquire knowledge and skills for conducting research in mass communication and mass media working on faculty research projects under the close supervision of a Communication and Media faculty supervisor.

Research experiences may include:

• Participation in regular research meetings
• Collecting, coding and/or analyzing data
• Preparation of written or oral reports
• Final research project to be determined by the faculty supervisor

Students may earn 1-3 credits per term and no more than 6 credits total for Comm 322. 

Is this experience right for you? Then:

Do your homework. Read up on-line about Comm and Media research projects. Find 2-4 people that you’d like to do research with. 

Contact faculty members about their research:

• Tell them that you are an undergraduate, what your major is, and that you are looking to participate in a research experience for credit (or as a volunteer, or for pay.)
• Let them know that you did your homework: tell them the specific things about their research that sounds the most interesting to you or that you are the most excited about.  Be sure to mention how you found out about their research program (e.g. social media, peer reviewed publications, a seminar you attended).
• Tell them specifically what you can contribute: you work well independently; you are responsible; you are very curious and eager to learn; etc.
• Attach a resume and an unofficial transcript.

Then…..one of three things will happen:

A.  No response….follow up politely once or twice about one week later.

B.  You will be told “no.”  Don’t take this personally. It's most often about time, money, and/or space. If you get the opportunity, ask for suggestions on how you could improve your approach.

C. You will be asked for an interview!  Arrive promptly and ready with some questions to ask.

• If the interview turns into a “yes” and you will be carrying out research for COMM 322 credit, you should fill out the Undergraduate Research Practicum Form, which will be routed to your faculty mentor first. The faculty mentor will include a synopsis of the project and route it for approval to the Associate Chair of Undergraduate Studies for final approval.
• If approved, you will be given an override to register for the class. Please make sure to register for the correct amount of credits. 
• You should sit down with your research advisor at the beginning of the semester and lay out the requirements for earning a grade of “A” in the “class.”  Examples of criteria to discuss include: What times are you expected to be in lab each week?  Are these times flexible (can you work more one week and less another)?  Are you expected to attend group meetings?  Do you need to write a weekly report? At the end of the term, should you give a presentation? Write up a paper?  Participate in the UG Research Showcase? Put these in writing!