While not required, the Department of Political Science encourages undergraduate students to pursue independent research during their time at the University of Michigan and offers multiple ways to make this possible.
Research Assistantship
Students interested in assisting faculty or graduate students with their research projects can provide their information to the department through this form, and faculty members who are in need of assistance have access to submissions and will reach out to students individually with opportunities.
Students may reach out to department faculty whose fields of research line up with the student’s and inquire whether the faculty member needs any assistance with their research. We have our faculty broken down by fields of expertise on our website.
If you have a research assistantship and would like to receive up to 3 credits of experiential credit, submit your proposal for POLSCI 383: Political Science Research Opportunity to the department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies by filling out this form.
Independent/Directed Study
Students are also encouraged to reach out to department faculty to ask whether they would be willing to support you through an independent research project on a topic of your choice. Students are able to receive up to 3 credits of experiential credit per term for these independent projects. Each credit equates to about 10 pages of writing for a final research paper.
If you have secured a faculty member and have a study plan in place, submit your proposal for POLSCI 384: Directed Studies to the department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies by filling out this form.
Honors Major
Students who have an overall and major GPA of 3.5 and have completed POLSCI 381 ahead of their senior year can apply for the Political Science Honors Major. More information on the Honors major can be found here.
Research Resources
The University of Michigan has a lot of services available to assist students with their independent research. The U-M Library specifically has resources for every stage of a research project as well as an extensive research guide.
Funding and Awards
All Political Science majors and minors are eligible to apply for up to $500 through our Academic Experience Fund to request support for their research. Students working on their Honors Thesis are able to apply for funds from the Gerstein Family Research Stipend. There are other funding opportunities available through the University of Michigan Library.
Exceptional undergraduate research projects are eligible for certain awards.
Faculty/graduate student advisors can nominate students for the Frank Grace Award for Undergraduate Research Excellence, which awards $500 to the most impressive undergraduate research activity in the department.
Honors theses are eligible for the Frank Grace Award for Outstanding Honors Thesis, which is chosen by the department's Honors Director in conjunction with thesis advisors and awards $1,500 for the single best honors thesis in political science submitted each year.
The University of Michigan Library awards the Pamela J. MacKintosh Undergraduate Research Awards to recognize students who’ve conducted outstanding library research during the academic year in any discipline.
Publications
The University of Michigan has many opportunities dedicated to publishing undergraduate student work. The department specifically works in partnership with the Michigan Journal of Political Science and the Michigan Undergraduate Law Review.
