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1000+ FREE Research Topics & Ideas

If you’re at the start of your research journey and are trying to figure out which research topic you want to focus on, you’ve come to the right place. Select your area of interest below to view a comprehensive collection of potential research ideas.

Research Topic FAQs

What (exactly) is a research topic.

A research topic is the subject of a research project or study – for example, a dissertation or thesis. A research topic typically takes the form of a problem to be solved, or a question to be answered.

A good research topic should be specific enough to allow for focused research and analysis. For example, if you are interested in studying the effects of climate change on agriculture, your research topic could focus on how rising temperatures have impacted crop yields in certain regions over time.

To learn more about the basics of developing a research topic, consider our free research topic ideation webinar.

What constitutes a good research topic?

A strong research topic comprises three important qualities : originality, value and feasibility.

• Originality – a good topic explores an original area or takes a novel angle on an existing area of study.
• Value – a strong research topic provides value and makes a contribution, either academically or practically.
• Feasibility – a good research topic needs to be practical and manageable, given the resource constraints you face.

To learn more about what makes for a high-quality research topic, check out this post .

What's the difference between a research topic and research problem?

A research topic and a research problem are two distinct concepts that are often confused. A research topic is a broader label that indicates the focus of the study , while a research problem is an issue or gap in knowledge within the broader field that needs to be addressed.

To illustrate this distinction, consider a student who has chosen “teenage pregnancy in the United Kingdom” as their research topic. This research topic could encompass any number of issues related to teenage pregnancy such as causes, prevention strategies, health outcomes for mothers and babies, etc.

Within this broad category (the research topic) lies potential areas of inquiry that can be explored further – these become the research problems . For example:

• What factors contribute to higher rates of teenage pregnancy in certain communities?
• How do different types of parenting styles affect teen pregnancy rates?
• What interventions have been successful in reducing teenage pregnancies?

Simply put, a key difference between a research topic and a research problem is scope ; the research topic provides an umbrella under which multiple questions can be asked, while the research problem focuses on one specific question or set of questions within that larger context.

How can I find potential research topics for my project?

There are many steps involved in the process of finding and choosing a high-quality research topic for a dissertation or thesis. We cover these steps in detail in this video (also accessible below).

How can I find quality sources for my research topic?

Finding quality sources is an essential step in the topic ideation process. To do this, you should start by researching scholarly journals, books, and other academic publications related to your topic. These sources can provide reliable information on a wide range of topics. Additionally, they may contain data or statistics that can help support your argument or conclusions.

Identifying Relevant Sources

When searching for relevant sources, it’s important to look beyond just published material; try using online databases such as Google Scholar or JSTOR to find articles from reputable journals that have been peer-reviewed by experts in the field.

You can also use search engines like Google or Bing to locate websites with useful information about your topic. However, be sure to evaluate any website before citing it as a source—look for evidence of authorship (such as an “About Us” page) and make sure the content is up-to-date and accurate before relying on it.

Evaluating Sources

Once you’ve identified potential sources for your research project, take some time to evaluate them thoroughly before deciding which ones will best serve your purpose. Consider factors such as author credibility (are they an expert in their field?), publication date (is the source current?), objectivity (does the author present both sides of an issue?) and relevance (how closely does this source relate to my specific topic?).

By researching the current literature on your topic, you can identify potential sources that will help to provide quality information. Once you’ve identified these sources, it’s time to look for a gap in the research and determine what new knowledge could be gained from further study.

How can I find a good research gap?

Finding a strong gap in the literature is an essential step when looking for potential research topics. We explain what research gaps are and how to find them in this post.

How should I evaluate potential research topics/ideas?

When evaluating potential research topics, it is important to consider the factors that make for a strong topic (we discussed these earlier). Specifically:

• Originality
• Feasibility

So, when you have a list of potential topics or ideas, assess each of them in terms of these three criteria. A good topic should take a unique angle, provide value (either to academia or practitioners), and be practical enough for you to pull off, given your limited resources.

Finally, you should also assess whether this project could lead to potential career opportunities such as internships or job offers down the line. Make sure that you are researching something that is relevant enough so that it can benefit your professional development in some way. Additionally, consider how each research topic aligns with your career goals and interests; researching something that you are passionate about can help keep motivation high throughout the process.

How can I assess the feasibility of a research topic?

When evaluating the feasibility and practicality of a research topic, it is important to consider several factors.

First, you should assess whether or not the research topic is within your area of competence. Of course, when you start out, you are not expected to be the world’s leading expert, but do should at least have some foundational knowledge.

Time commitment

When considering a research topic, you should think about how much time will be required for completion. Depending on your field of study, some topics may require more time than others due to their complexity or scope.

Additionally, if you plan on collaborating with other researchers or institutions in order to complete your project, additional considerations must be taken into account such as coordinating schedules and ensuring that all parties involved have adequate resources available.

Resources needed

It’s also critically important to consider what type of resources are necessary in order to conduct the research successfully. This includes physical materials such as lab equipment and chemicals but can also include intangible items like access to certain databases or software programs which may be necessary depending on the nature of your work. Additionally, if there are costs associated with obtaining these materials then this must also be factored into your evaluation process.

Potential risks

It’s important to consider the inherent potential risks for each potential research topic. These can include ethical risks (challenges getting ethical approval), data risks (not being able to access the data you’ll need), technical risks relating to the equipment you’ll use and funding risks (not securing the necessary financial back to undertake the research).

If you’re looking for more information about how to find, evaluate and select research topics for your dissertation or thesis, check out our free webinar here . Alternatively, if you’d like 1:1 help with the topic ideation process, consider our private coaching services .

Psst… there’s more (for free)

This post is part of our dissertation mini-course, which covers everything you need to get started with your dissertation, thesis or research project. 

• Ways to prepare for grad school

Graduate School Strategies: What is Academic Research?

• January 28, 2022

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What is Academic Research?

Academic research is a systematic approach to increase knowledge on a particular subject matter or topic. The deep exploration and study of a specific topic found through academic research are often used to explain particular facts, misconceptions, and opinions of a relevant topic about a field of study.

A person’s academic research is most often associated with a master’s degree , doctoral program , or professional contribution to journals, conferences, or internships.

Why is Academic Research Important in Graduate School?

Academic research is essential in graduate school because it is often the culminating project or final paper submitted to support a candidate’s complete understanding of a topic within a graduate program. The actual academic research usually takes a year or more to complete in addition to a two-year to five-year time period in an in-person or online program, depending on the field of study and amount of coursework required.

Academic research often indicates or proves that a candidate is qualified to be a leader in their field of study while also representing the graduate school. Academic research is an in-depth critical analysis of statistics, observations, literature, case studies, and theories closely related to a graduate school candidate’s professional interests and career path.

More often than not, the academic research conducted in graduate school is later published in a trade publication or periodical. It can also be submitted and used as a research-based presentation at a professional trade or industry conference. Sometimes, it is even used later to write and publish a book on the subject matter. In this instance, graduate school is the driving force behind academic research.

How Do I Know if Something is Credible?

Several factors can be used to determine if academic research is credible . The first question to ask is why the study was chosen in the first place to fully examine. Then, ask a variety of inquiry-based questions to support the reason behind the research:

• What is the purpose of the research?
• Why was this research so important to conduct?
• How relevant is this research?

It is important to identify the credentials of the person conducting the research, what school is backing or supporting the academic research, and if any particular organization or institution funds the research.

The sample size of the case study and the data collected are important to review for credibility in addition to understanding the measures and said outcomes of the conducted research. Finally, peer-reviewed and trusted resources are a good indicator of credible sources.  

Academic Research Tips: How to Find Trustworthy Research

When an individual is completing the actual research, it is imperative to ensure that trustworthy research is available to help create a substantial research paper to present. One of the best ways to do this is to be skeptical about everything you read. The tips to finding trustworthy research are similar to determining if something is indeed credible. Peer-reviewed papers and highly ranked trusted institutions and organizations often produce and publish the most trustworthy research.

Reviewing the identity of the researcher conducting the academic research and their credentials of the person conducting the research is vital to locate trustworthy research. Find out if a particular school, organization, or institution is backing, supporting, or funding the academic research.

Depending on the industry, a various institutions and organizations are nationally and internationally recognized as trustworthy research sources in their field. Check the sources cited by the author of the research as well. In addition to reviews, check if the research received any awards, accolades, testimonials, or endorsements.

Visit a university library, public library, or academic research library to begin the research process. Google Scholar is an online search that is primarily focused on housing academic journals, articles, and publications on a particular subject matter. Finding trustworthy research begins by finding and selecting relevant articles, journals, and publications that address the topic a student or candidate is researching.

It is recommended that sources published within the past ten years are the most reliable and relevant materials for up-to-date and current research. An exception would be when you are looking for historical pedagogy or theories to support the present-day research.

Once you find, read, and critically analyze the research that you have found, it is time to use it effectively to share and present your research. Organize and communicate information in a manner that allows you to write and express your research efficiently. Finally, you present and defend your research to your committee within the graduate program.

The ultimate goal of academic research is to make an impact, create a solution to a problem, or better a system within your industry or organization. When academic research can be implemented for a positive outcome, the purpose of completing the academic research in the first place is validated.

Interested in looking into graduate programs? Check out our available education programs and enroll today!

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UCLA Graduate Programs

Whether you’re a new grad student, a postdoc, a visiting graduate researcher, or a prospective applicant looking to see what research we’re doing on campus, we’ve compiled some resources on this page to get you started.

As a preeminent public research university, UCLA offers the opportunity to lead research in state-of-the-art facilities while collaborating with world-renowned faculty. Scholars will learn to further shape and define their particular projects, expand their mastery in their chosen field, work in partnership with their peers and mentors and share their knowledge in the classroom and lab. This collective effort is the spark that ignites solutions to the most pressing global problems of today and tomorrow. Susan L. Ettner Dean, UCLA Division of Graduate Education Professor, Department of Medicine Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management

Visiting Graduate Researchers

Visiting Graduate Researchers are domestic or international degree-seeking graduate students at their home institution who are invited to conduct short-term doctoral research or participate in a mentored or independent research project or master’s research collaboration with a faculty member at UCLA. The initial Visiting Graduate Researcher appointment can range from 3 weeks to 12 months; the maximum stay is 24 months.

Postdoctoral Scholars

A  Postdoctoral Scholar  (Postdoc) is an individual who holds a doctoral degree, is engaged in advanced training and education, and conducts research under the guidance of a faculty member at UCLA. A postdoctoral scholar position prepares you for a career in academia, industry, government or the non-profit sector. Each year, UCLA hosts approximately 1,200 postdocs worldwide who play a critical role in furthering the University’s educational and research mission.

Research Assistantships

Graduate Student Researcher positions provide experience working on faculty-supervised research projects. Applicants should inquire within their department.

Internships

The UCLA Career Center’s  Handshake  is a good place to start looking for internships, as is the  UCLA International Education Office  if you’re looking for an experience abroad. Other places are your home program/department and other programs/departments on campus.

Summer Programs

Many UCLA summer programs are designed to give undergraduates research experience before applying to graduate school. Head to our Admissions section to learn more about Undergraduate Summer Programs . For graduate students, search our Graduate Funding Search Engine to see current research opportunities available through the summer.

• UCLA-Peking Joint Research Institute Summer Exchange

Graduate Research

Georgetown University is home to some of the oldest and most distinguished research in the nation, while also acting as a pioneer within many up-and-coming progressive fields of study.

The Office of Graduate Fellowships & Awards can help graduate students on the Main and Medical campuses with research development assistance, proposal preparation, directed funding searches, and grant workshops. Our location at the heart of American government gives you access to many of the world’s most prestigious research and non-profit organizations. Explore your passions and partner with some of the world’s leading organizations through graduate fellowships and awards.

Graduate Research News

The Science of Speech: Ph.D. Student Helen Dominic Researches Improvements in Ways We Handle Immigrant Care

For patients who are not fluent in English, language barriers can cause miscommunication between the patient and their medical team, even when a third party interpreter is present. At best, the patient may feel as though they do not have autonomy, at worst, they may not receive the best medical care. Graduate linguistics student Helen Dominic is examining the power that listening can have on healing that will improve health care for immigrants by utilizing narrative medical practices.

March 16, 2022

Postdoctoral Fellow Maëva Millan and Professor Sarah Stewart Johnson Conduct First-of-Its-Kind Research Searching for Organic Molecules on Red Planet

November 16, 2021

First-of-Its-Kind Research by Physics Professor and Graduate Student Lays Foundations for Future Studies on Sustainable Concrete

August 4, 2021

Professor, Graduate Students Named Finalists for BARDA-NIOSH Mask Innovation Challenge

July 8, 2021

Graduate Research: Resources for Planning & Preparing Theses & Dissertations: Getting Started & Planning

• Getting Started & Planning
• Research Integrity
• Literature Review
• Data & Analysis
• Writing a Thesis / Dissertation
• Academic Publishing of Your Research
• Your Scholarly Identity
• Presenting Your Work
• UW Resources
• Graduate Students' Guide to the Library (Guide) This link opens in a new window

Graduate Research = Building Advanced Information Skills

Graduate research and the process of writing a thesis or dissertation involves honing advanced skills in managing information: gathering and organizing information, analyzing information, synthesizing information, creating information, sharing information, and communicating or teaching information.  This requires many specialized skills, often discipline specific, as well as generalized work productivity skills such as time management, team building, and stress management.  This research guide is designed to lead you to general resources that may help you in your learning process as a graduate student and support your success.

Find resources to get started on this page, then navigate to additional resources using the tabs above, or click a link to a topic area below:

• Understand your responsibilities for Research Integrity and avoiding research misconduct
• Find guidance for conducting your Literature Review
• Peruse resources for managing Data & Analysis
• Explore tips and tools to help in Writing a Thesis / Dissertation
• Consider Academic Publishing of Your Research in an academic journal, university press book, or another academic format
• Establish Your Scholarly Identity with author identifiers
• Find Tips for Presenting Your Work at professional conferences
• Take advantage of other UW Resources to support your graduate studies
• Link to the Graduate Students' Guide to the Library

Research Process

• Project Planner (from Sage Research Methods) Content describing steps in the research process. Jump to any of the stages or subtopics as needed.

Exploring Research Ideas

• Where Can I Get Ideas for My Thesis or Dissertation Topic? Tips for deciding on a research topic (from ProQuest).

Dissertation (& Thesis) eLearning from ProQuest

• Module 1: Getting Started on Your Thesis or Dissertation
• Module 2: Efficient Discovery and Research Curation
• Module 3: Developing a Productive Writing Plan

Training in Science Communication

• Enago Academy (website) Articles, webinars, and more on writing and publishing research, including ethics, promoting your work, and advice for graduate students. Most content is free to access.

Individual Development Plan (IDP)

An Individual Development Plan is a good way to reflect on your interests and develop career goals.  This is best done in collaboration with your faculty advisor or mentor, but can be done by yourself.  Some research funding agencies, such as NIH and NSF, encourage use of IDPs for graduate students and post-doctoral scholars.  Here are a few resources to help you get started creating an IDP. 

• myIDP: Science Careers
• American Psychological Association's Resource for Individual Development Plans
• ImaginePhD (for Humanities & Social Sciences)

eBooks / Guides

Blog on Research & Writing

• The Thesis Whisperer Written by Professor Inger Mewburn, director of researcher development at The Australian National University. Topics especially helpful for Ph.D. students, but useful for any researcher.

Related Research Guides

• Graduate Students' Guide to the Library by Jordan Hemingway Last Updated Mar 22, 2024 515 views this year
• Grants & Funding Resources by Ask a Librarian Last Updated Feb 19, 2024 37 views this year
• Research Data, Data Management & Planning by Michaela Clark Last Updated Feb 15, 2024 163 views this year
• Videos & Tutorials from the UW Libraries by Susan Schulz Last Updated Mar 20, 2024 171 views this year

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Graduate research methods in social work

(2 reviews)

Matt DeCarlo, La Salle University

Cory Cummings, Nazareth University

Kate Agnelli, Virginia Commonwealth University

Copyright Year: 2021

ISBN 13: 9781949373219

Publisher: Open Social Work Education

Language: English

Formats Available

Conditions of use.

Learn more about reviews.

Reviewed by Laura Montero, Full-time Lecturer and Course Lead, Metropolitan State University of Denver on 12/23/23

Graduate Research Methods in Social Work by DeCarlo, et al., is a comprehensive and well-structured guide that serves as an invaluable resource for graduate students delving into the intricate world of social work research. The book is divided... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

Graduate Research Methods in Social Work by DeCarlo, et al., is a comprehensive and well-structured guide that serves as an invaluable resource for graduate students delving into the intricate world of social work research. The book is divided into five distinct parts, each carefully curated to provide a step-by-step approach to mastering research methods in the field. Topics covered include an intro to basic research concepts, conceptualization, quantitative & qualitative approaches, as well as research in practice. At 800+ pages, however, the text could be received by students as a bit overwhelming.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Content appears consistent and reliable when compared to similar textbooks in this topic.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The book's well-structured content begins with fundamental concepts, such as the scientific method and evidence-based practice, guiding readers through the initiation of research projects with attention to ethical considerations. It seamlessly transitions to detailed explorations of both quantitative and qualitative methods, covering topics like sampling, measurement, survey design, and various qualitative data collection approaches. Throughout, the authors emphasize ethical responsibilities, cultural respectfulness, and critical thinking. These are crucial concepts we cover in social work and I was pleased to see these being integrated throughout.

Clarity rating: 5

The level of the language used is appropriate for graduate-level study.

Consistency rating: 5

Book appears to be consistent in the tone and terminology used.

Modularity rating: 4

The images and videos included, help to break up large text blocks.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Topics covered are well-organized and comprehensive. I appreciate the thorough preamble the authors include to situate the role of the social worker within a research context.

Interface rating: 4

When downloaded as a pdf, the book does not begin until page 30+ so it may be a bit difficult to scroll so long for students in order to access the content for which they are searching. Also, making the Table of Contents clickable, would help in navigating this very long textbook.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not find any grammatical errors or typos in the pages reviewed.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

I appreciate the efforts made to integrate diverse perspectives, voices, and images into the text. The discussion around ethics and cultural considerations in research was nuanced and comprehensive as well.

Overall, the content of the book aligns with established principles of social work research, providing accurate and up-to-date information in a format that is accessible to graduate students and educators in the field.

Reviewed by Elisa Maroney, Professor, Western Oregon University on 1/2/22

With well over 800 pages, this text is beyond comprehensive! read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

With well over 800 pages, this text is beyond comprehensive!

I perused the entire text, but my focus was on "Part 4: Using qualitative methods." This section seems accurate.

As mentioned above, my primary focus was on the qualitative methods section. This section is relevant to the students I teach in interpreting studies (not a social sciences discipline).

This book is well-written and clear.

Navigating this text is easy, because the formatting is consistent

Modularity rating: 5

My favorite part of this text is that I can be easily customized, so that I can use the sections on qualitative methods.

The text is well-organized and easy to find and link to related sections in the book.

Interface rating: 5

There are no distracting or confusing features. The book is long; being able to customize makes it easier to navigate.

I did not notice grammatical errors.

The authors offer resources for Afrocentricity for social work practice (among others, including those related to Feminist and Queer methodologies). These are relevant to the field of interpreting studies.

I look forward to adopting this text in my qualitative methods course for graduate students in interpreting studies.

Table of Contents

• 1. Science and social work
• 2. Starting your research project
• 3. Searching the literature
• 4. Critical information literacy
• 5. Writing your literature review
• 6. Research ethics
• 7. Theory and paradigm
• 8. Reasoning and causality
• 9. Writing your research question
• 10. Quantitative sampling
• 11. Quantitative measurement
• 12. Survey design
• 13. Experimental design
• 14. Univariate analysis
• 15. Bivariate analysis
• 16. Reporting quantitative results
• 17. Qualitative data and sampling
• 18. Qualitative data collection
• 19. A survey of approaches to qualitative data analysis
• 20. Quality in qualitative studies: Rigor in research design
• 21. Qualitative research dissemination
• 22. A survey of qualitative designs
• 23. Program evaluation
• 24. Sharing and consuming research

Ancillary Material

About the book.

We designed our book to help graduate social work students through every step of the research process, from conceptualization to dissemination. Our textbook centers cultural humility, information literacy, pragmatism, and an equal emphasis on quantitative and qualitative methods. It includes extensive content on literature reviews, cultural bias and respectfulness, and qualitative methods, in contrast to traditionally used commercial textbooks in social work research.  

Our author team spans across academic, public, and nonprofit social work research. We love research, and we endeavored through our book to make research more engaging, less painful, and easier to understand. Our textbook exercises direct students to apply content as they are reading the book to an original research project. By breaking it down step-by-step, writing in approachable language, as well as using stories from our life, practice, and research experience, our textbook helps professors overcome students’ research methods anxiety and antipathy.  

If you decide to adopt our resource, we ask that you complete this short  Adopter’s Survey  that helps us keep track of our community impact. You can also contact  [email protected]  for a student workbook, homework assignments, slideshows, a draft bank of quiz questions, and a course calendar. 

About the Contributors

Matt DeCarlo , PhD, MSW is an assistant professor in the Department of Social Work at La Salle University. He is the co-founder of Open Social Work (formerly Open Social Work Education), a collaborative project focusing on open education, open science, and open access in social work and higher education. His first open textbook, Scientific Inquiry in Social Work, was the first developed for social work education, and is now in use in over 60 campuses, mostly in the United States. He is a former OER Research Fellow with the OpenEd Group. Prior to his work in OER, Dr. DeCarlo received his PhD from Virginia Commonwealth University and has published on disability policy.

Cory Cummings , Ph.D., LCSW is an assistant professor in the Department of Social Work at Nazareth University. He has practice experience in community mental health, including clinical practice and administration. In addition, Dr. Cummings has volunteered at safety net mental health services agencies and provided support services for individuals and families affected by HIV. In his current position, Dr. Cummings teaches in the BSW program and MSW programs; specifically in the Clinical Practice with Children and Families concentration. Courses that he teaches include research, social work practice, and clinical field seminar. His scholarship focuses on promoting health equity for individuals experiencing symptoms of severe mental illness and improving opportunities to increase quality of life. Dr. Cummings received his PhD from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Kate Agnelli , MSW, is an adjunct professor at VCU’s School of Social Work, teaching masters-level classes on research methods, public policy, and social justice. She also works as a senior legislative analyst with the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), a policy research organization reporting to the Virginia General Assembly. Before working for JLARC, Ms. Agnelli worked for several years in government and nonprofit research and program evaluation. In addition, she has several publications in peer-reviewed journals, has presented at national social work conferences, and has served as a reviewer for Social Work Education. She received her MSW from Virginia Commonwealth University.

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NSF 101: Graduate and postdoctoral researcher funding opportunities

The U.S. National Science Foundation supports research opportunities and provides stipends for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows and scholars.

There are multiple ways to find these programs, including the funding search on NSF’s website and the NSF Education & Training Application , which is growing its list of opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.

To help begin your search, opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers are listed below. The principal investigator, or PI (a researcher who oversees a project), is often listed on these grants, along with their graduate students or postdoctoral researchers.

Graduate Student 

While funding for graduate students is often included in a PI’s research proposal, the following opportunities are also available for early career researchers. 

• Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Awards/Grants (DDRI/DDRIG) These programs help fund doctoral research in a variety of fields to help provide for items not already available at the academic institution. The funding provided cannot be used for items such as, but not limited to, tuition, stipends, textbooks or journals. The monetary amount listed in each DDRI/ DDRIG section does not include indirect cost associated with the project. The doctoral student should be listed as a co-PI on the grants with their advisor listed as the primary PI.

Archaeology Program- DDRIG : This program supports doctoral laboratory and field research on archaeologically relevant topics, with the goal of increasing anthropologically focused understanding of the past. Awards provide funding up to $25,000 per awardee.  

Arctic Science Section DDRIG : The Arctic Sciences Section offers opportunities for DDRI proposals in the following programs: Arctic Social Sciences supports research in any field of social science. Arctic System Science supports projects that address the relationships among physical, chemical, biological, geological, ecological, social, cultural and/or economic processes to advance our understanding of the Arctic system. Arctic Observing Network supports projects focused on scientific and community-based- observations; development of in situ or remote sensors and automated systems; design and optimization of coordinated and scalable observation networks; and management of Arctic Observation Network data, data accessibility and data discovery. Awards provide funding up to $40,000 for a maximum of 3 years. 

Biological Anthropology Program- DDRIG : This program supports research on human and non-human primate adaptation, variation and evolution. Awards provide funding up to $25,000 for up to two years.  

Cultural Anthropology Program- DDRIG : This program supports research that is focused on cultural anthropology research, including topics such as: Sociocultural drivers of anthropogenic processes (i.e., deforestation, urbanization); resilience and robustness of sociocultural systems; scientific principles underlying altruism, conflict, cooperation, and variations in culture and behaviors; economy, culture migration and globalization; kinship and family norms. Awards provide funding for up to $25,000 for up to two years.  

Decision, Risk and Management Science DDRIG : This program supports research on decision, risk and management sciences. This includes research in the areas of judgement and decision making; decision analysis and decision aids, risk analysis; perception and communication; societal and public-policy decision making; and management science and organizational design. Awards are for a maximum of 12 months. 

Economics DDRIG :This program provides funding for research focused on improving the understanding of the U.S. and global economy from macroscale to microscale, including all field of economics such as macroeconomics, microeconomics, econometrics, economic theory, behavioral economics and empirical economics.  

Human-Environment and Geographical Sciences Program- DDRI : This program supports basic scientific research about the nature, causes and/or consequences of the spatial distribution of human activity and/or environmental processes across a range of scales. The program welcomes proposals for empirically grounded, theoretically engaged, and methodologically sophisticated, generalizable research in all sub-fields of geographical and spatial sciences. Awards may not exceed $20,000 in direct costs. 

Linguistics Program- DDRI : This program supports research on human language, including syntax, linguistic semantics and pragmatics, morphology, phonetics, and phonology of individual languages or in general. Awards provide up to $12,000 for a maximum of two years. 

Dynamic Language Infrastructure- DDRI : This program supports research on building dynamic language infrastructure, which includes describing languages; digitizing and preserving languages; and developing standards and databases for analyzing languages. Provides funding up to $15,000 for up to two years. 

Graduate Research Fellowship Program This fellowship supports full-time master's or doctoral students earning their degree in a research-based program focused on STEM or STEM education. Students are the primary submitter for the fellowship. Fellows will be awarded a $37,000 stipend and $12,000 cost-of-education allowance for three years of the five-year fellowship. For tips on applying, see our previous NSF 101 article on the fellowship program . 

Non-Academic Research Internships for Graduate Students (INTERN) Supplemental Funding Opportunity   This supplemental funding opportunity is for graduate students funded by active NSF grants. PIs may submit for up to an additional six months of funding to allow students to participate in research internship activities and training opportunities in non-academic settings, such as the following: for-profit industry research; start-up businesses; government agencies and national laboratories; museums, science centers, and other informal learning settings; policy think tanks; and non-profit institutions. Students must have completed at least one academic year of their program. This funding request may not exceed $55,000 per student for each six-month period. A student may only receive this opportunity twice. In addition to the general INTERN opportunity, there are two topic-specific INTERN opportunities: 

Non-Academic Research Internships for Graduate Students in Geothermal Energy Supplemental Funding Opportunity : This opportunity is provided by NSF in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. It maintains the same funding levels and requirements as the general INTERN program; however, funding may only be used for gaining knowledge, skills, training and experience in geothermal energy and technology.  

• Research Internships for Graduate Students at Air Force Research Laboratory Supplemental Funding Opportunity : This funding opportunity is for students supported on an active NSF grant to intern at a Air Force Research Laboratory facility. AFRL has several potential technology directorates available for students at locations across the U.S.: Aerospace Systems (Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio), Information (Rome, New York), Materials and Manufacturing (Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio), Directed Energy (Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico), Munitions (Eglin Air Force Base, Florida), Sensors (Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio), Space Vehicles (Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico), 711th Human Performance Wing Training (Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio). 

Mathematical Sciences Graduate Internship This summer internship is for doctoral students in mathematical sciences through a partnership between NSF and Oak Ridge Institute for Science and E ducation. It provides students who are interested in academic and non-academic careers with the opportunity to learn how advanced mathematics and statistical techniques can be applied to real-world problems. Participants in the internship will receive a stipend of $1,200 per week during the 10-week internship. In addition, there is travel reimbursement for up to $2,000 for those who live more than 50 miles away from their hosting site. 

NSF Research Traineeship Program Graduate students can apply for this traineeship through their institutions, if available. These topics can range across the scientific spectrum. Current projects can be found by state . 

Research Experiences for Graduate Students Supplemental Funding These awards provide additional funding for graduate students with mentors who have an active NSF grant. Currently funding is available through the following programs:  

Cultural Anthropology provides up to $6,000 per student for research activities. 

Human Environment and Geographical Sciences at Minority Serving Institutions and Community Colleges provides up to $7,000 per student for research activities. 

Postdoctoral Scholars 

Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship This fellowship supports research investigating a field within astronomy or astrophysics for up to three years. The stipend is $75,000, with a fellowship allowance (i.e., expenses for conducting and publishing research, fringe benefits) of $35,000. 

Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowship This fellowship supports postdoctoral fellows in atmospheric or geospace sciences. Atmospheric science includes topics such as atmospheric chemistry; climate and large-scale dynamics; paleoclimate climate; and physical and dynamic meteorology. Geospace science focuses on aeronomy, magnetospheric physics and solar terrestrial research. This fellowship provides up to 24 months of support. The stipend is $70,000 per year, with a fellowship allowance of $30,000.  

Earth Science Postdoctoral Fellowship This program supports the study of structure, composition and evolution, the life it supports and the processes that govern the formation and behavior of Earth’s materials. Researchers are supported for up to two years at the institution of their choice, including institutions abroad. The stipend is $65,000 per year, with a fellowship allowance of $25,000 per year.  

Mathematical and Physical Sciences Ascending Postdoctoral Research Fellowships

This program supports postdoctoral fellows performing impactful research while broadening the participation of members of groups that are historically excluded and currently underrepresented in mathematical and physical sciences. This fellowship can last between one and three years. The stipend is up to $70,000 per year, with a fellowship allowance of $30,000 per year. 

Mathematical Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships This fellowship has two options:  

• The Research Fellowship provides full-time support for any 18 months within a three-year academic period.  
• The Research Instructorship provides a combination of full-time and half-time support over a period of three academic years, which allows the fellow to gain teaching experience. Both options receive up to $190,000 over the fellowship period. The full-time stipend is $5,833 per month and the part-time stipend is $2,917 per month. In addition, the fellow will receive $50,000 in two lump sums ($30,000 in the first year and $20,000 in the second year) for fellowship expenses.  

Ocean Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships This fellowship supports research in topic areas such as: biological oceanography, chemical oceanography, physical oceanography, marine geology and geophysics, ocean science and technology. This two-year fellowship with a stipend of $67,800 for the first year and $70,000 for the second year, with a fellowship allowance of $15,000 per year.  

Office of Polar Programs Postdoctoral Research Fellowships This fellowship supports postdoctoral research in any field of Arctic or Antarctic science. This two-years fellowship, with a stipend of $67,800 for the first year and $70,000 for the second year, with fellowship expenses of $15,000 per year.  

Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology The Directorate of Biology offers a fellowship for postdoctoral researchers in one of three areas: 

• Broadening Participation of Groups Underrepresented in Biology. This area requires a research and training plan that is within the scope of the Directorate for Biology and that enhances diversity within the field.  
• Integrative Research Investigating the Rules of Life Governing Interaction between Genomes, Environment and Phenotypes. This area aims to understand higher-order structures and functions of biological systems. Research should use a combination of computational, observational, experimental or conceptual approaches. 
• Plant Genome Postdoctoral Research Fellowships. This area has a broad scope and supports postdoctoral training and research at the frontier of plant biology and of broad societal impact. Highly competitive proposals will describe interdisciplinary training and research on a genome wide scale. The fellowships are for 36 months and have a stipend of $60,000 per year, with a research and training allowance of $20,000 per year. 

SBE Postdoctoral Research Fellowships This fellowship supports postdoctoral research in the social, behavioral and economic sciences and/or activities that broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in these fields. Funding is up to two years and has two tracks available:  

• Fundamental Research in the SBE Sciences. This track supports research focused on human behavior, interaction, social and economic systems. 
• Broadening Participation in SBE Sciences. This track aims to increase the diversity of post-doctoral researchers in the social, behavioral and economic sciences. In addition to the research proposal, these applications should also answer the question: “How will this fellowship help broaden or inform efforts to broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in the United States?” The stipend for this program is $65,000 per year (paid in quarterly installments) and the research and training allowance is $15,000 per year. 

SBIR Innovative Postdoctoral Entrepreneurial Research Fellowship This fellowship supports postdoctoral researchers at start-up companies through the Small Business Innovation Research program. By recruiting, training, mentoring, matching and funding these early-career scientists, this fellowship addresses the need of doctoral-level expertise at small, high-tech businesses. The base stipend is $78,000 per year with optional individual health and life insurance, relocation assistance (company dependent), professional conference travel allowance, and professional development funds.  

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education Individual Postdoctoral Research Fellowship This fellowship is for postdoctoral researchers to enhance their research knowledge, skills, and practices of STEM education research. If the fellowship is granted, the fellow is expected to remain affiliated with the host organization and PI sponsoring them. The fellowship can last up to two years with an annual stipend of $70,000, with fellowship expenses of $15,000.  

Multilevel 

CyberCorps® Scholarship for Service This program is for students earning their associates, bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree in cybersecurity. A stipulation of the program is that the recipients must work after graduation in a cybersecurity mission of the federal, state, local or tribal government for an equal amount of time as the scholarship's duration. It will provide full tuition and fees plus a stipend of $27,000 per academic year for undergraduates and a stipend of $37,000 per academic year for graduate students, in addition to a professional allowance of $6,000 for all levels. 

NSF-NIST Interaction in Basic and Applied Scientific Research This supplemental funding request is for NSF-supported researchers to collaborate with researchers at a National Institute of Standards and Technology facility. It can be used for travel expenses and per diem associated with on-site work at NIST. It is available for NSF-supported PIs, co-PIs, postdoctoral scholars, graduate and undergraduate students and other personnel associated with the research. PIs should contact their NSF program director for their award before applying. 

This extensive list shows the ways in which NSF helps train the next generation of STEM researchers. If you are interested in learning more about any of these programs, reach out to contacts listed on the award webpages.  

If you are interested in awards for high school students, undergraduates and post-baccalaureate scholars, check out our previous NSF101 for more information! 

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• Graduate Education

Great minds don’t think alike. But when they think together, they’re capable of amazing discoveries. When you pursue graduate research at Clark, you’ll be part of this diversity of thought — challenging and solving our world’s most difficult problems.

Clark fosters research that crosses traditional disciplinary, intellectual, and societal boundaries. The graduate students who make up our campus community share a passion for challenging conventional wisdom and reaching out to their colleagues in other disciplines to develop solutions to critical issues. As you share ideas with your peers at Clark and in the wider world, you gain a deeper understanding of your own field and a greater appreciation for what can be achieved through research that marries theory and practice.

SPEAK FOR YOURSELF

In Their Words

I became interested in policies surrounding national security, humanitarian aid, and human mobility. Clark is an ideal place to think critically about these issues because the faculty and students provide global perspectives on these topics.

Christopher Owens

M.A. ’17, International Development and Social Change

You really have to be there to fathom the grandeur of this global forum. The sessions we were part of, coupled with opportunities to network with industry pioneers, made for an unparalleled experience.

Shibbir Khan

M.S. ’18, Business Analytics

Karen [Frey] is an amazing scientist. It has been great to rely on my adviser for more than just purely scientific and dissertation guidance — but also for real-life advice, particularly around being a female in the geosciences.

Ashley York

Ph.D. student, Geography

Clark University has outstanding partnerships that have allowed me to stretch the limits of my work. My collaboration with UMass Medical School has provided me with training for mass spectrometry and transition electron microscopy.

Valerie Ivancic

Ph.D. student, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Mark Turnbull is an exceptional professor. The way I think critically about problems, the questions I ask my fellow researchers, and my approach to being a teaching assistant are all very much modeled after his example.

Michael Reardon

Ph.D. student, Chemistry

Research Connections

Across the Academy

From biology to history, Clark graduate students pursue fundamental research across the arts and sciences.

Across Disciplines

Our research culture reflects the belief that the most innovative solutions and discoveries occur when disciplines collide.

Across the World

Our investigators frequently bring theory to practice by solving real-world problems, monitoring implementation, and measuring impact.

Share Your Research

The annual Graduate Multidisciplinary Conference highlights scholarship produced by our talented graduate community.

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Clark graduate students contribute articles to prestigious journals like Developmental Biology and The Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society .

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Our graduate researchers share their findings at numerous academic conferences each year, spreading Clark’s influence across the globe.

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Fate of droplets is focus of presentation at Fall 2020 Physics Colloquium

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In order to better understand the pressures many graduate students face, we conduct occasional research in partnership with other organizations.  The two most foundational studies were conducted in 1990 by George Barna and in 2011 by Dr. Bob Woodberry in conjunction with Barna Research Group.  If you would like to request a PDF copy of the results of our studies please fill out the form below.

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Regions & Countries

10 facts about today’s college graduates.

Having a bachelor’s degree remains an important advantage in many sectors of the U.S. labor market. College graduates generally out-earn those who have not attended college, and they are more likely to be employed in the first place. At the same time, many Americans say they cannot afford to get a four-year degree – or that they just don’t want to.

Here are key facts about American college graduates.

This Pew Research Center analysis about U.S. college graduates relies on data from sources including the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the National Center for Education Statistics, the National Student Clearinghouse and the Federal Reserve Bank, as well as surveys conducted by the Center.

Everyone who took the Pew Research Center surveys cited is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about  the ATP’s methodology .

Nearly four-in-ten Americans ages 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree, a share that has grown over the last decade. As of 2021, 37.9% of adults in this age group held a bachelor’s degree, including 14.3% who also obtained a graduate or professional degree, according to data from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey. That share is up 7.5 percentage points from 30.4% in 2011.

An additional 10.5% had an associate degree in 2021. About four-in-ten Americans ages 25 and older had a high school diploma with no further education (25.3%) or completed some college but didn’t have a degree (14.9%).

In a reversal, women are now more likely than men to graduate from college, according to the Current Population Survey . In 2021, 39% of women ages 25 and older had a bachelor’s degree or more education, compared with 37% of men in the same age range. The gap in college completion is even wider among adults ages 25 to 34: 46% of women in this age group have at least a bachelor’s degree, compared with 36% of men.

In an October 2021 Pew Research Center survey of Americans without a degree, 34% of men said a major reason why they have not received a four-year college degree is that they just didn’t want to. Only one-in-four women said the same. Men were also more likely to say a major reason they didn’t have a four-year degree is that they didn’t need more education for the job or career they wanted (26% of men said this vs. 20% of women).

Women (44%) were more likely than men (39%) to say not being able to afford college was a major reason they don’t have a bachelor’s degree. Men and women were about equally likely to say a major impediment was needing to work to help support their family.

There are racial and ethnic differences in college graduation patterns, as well as in the reasons for not completing a degree. Among adults ages 25 and older, 61% of Asian Americans have a bachelor’s degree or more education, along with 42% of White adults, 28% of Black adults and 21% of Hispanic adults, according to 2021 Current Population Survey data. The share of bachelor’s degree holders in each group has increased since 2010. That year, 52% of Asian Americans had a four-year degree or more, compared with a third of White adults, 20% of Black adults and 14% of Hispanic adults.

The October 2021 Center survey found that among adults without a bachelor’s degree, Hispanic adults (52%) were more likely than those who are White (39%) or Black (41%) to say a major reason they didn’t graduate from a four-year college is that they couldn’t afford it. Hispanic and Black adults were more likely than their White counterparts to say needing to work to support their family was a major reason.

While a third of White adults said not wanting to go to school was a major reason they didn’t complete a four-year degree, smaller shares of Black (22%) and Hispanic (23%) adults said the same. White adults were also more likely to cite not needing more education for the job or career they wanted. (There weren’t enough Asian adults without a bachelor’s degree in the sample to analyze separately.)

Only 62% of students who start a degree or certificate program finish their program within six years, according to the most recent data from the  National Student Clearinghouse , a nonprofit verification and research organization that tracked first-time college students who enrolled in fall 2015 with the intent of pursuing a degree or certificate. The degree completion rate for this group was highest among students who started at four-year, private, nonprofit schools (78.3%), and lowest among those who started at two-year public institutions (42.2%).

Business is the most commonly held bachelor’s degree, followed by health professions.  According to the  National Center for Education Statistics , about a fifth (19%) of the roughly 2 million bachelor’s degrees conferred in 2019-20 were in business. Health professions and related programs were the second most-popular field, making up 12.6% of degrees conferred that year. Business has been the single most common major since 1980-81; before that, education led the way.

The  least  common bachelor’s degrees in 2019-20 were in military technologies and applied sciences (1,156 degrees conferred in 2019-20), library science (118), and precision production (39).

There is a growing earnings gap between young college graduates and their counterparts without degrees. In 2021, full-time workers ages 22 to 27 who held a bachelor’s degree, but no further education, made a median annual wage of $52,000, compared with $30,000 for full-time workers of the same age with a high school diploma and no degree, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This gap has widened over time. Young bachelor’s degree holders earned a median annual wage of $48,481 in 1990, compared with $35,257 for full-time workers ages 22 to 27 with a high school diploma.

The unemployment rate is lower for college graduates than for workers without a bachelor’s degree, and that gap widened as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. In February 2020, just before the COVID-19 outbreak began in the U.S., only 1.9% of college graduates ages 25 and older were unemployed, compared with 3.1% of workers who completed some college but not a four-year degree, and 3.7% of workers with only a high school diploma. By June 2020, after the pandemic hit, 6.8% of college grads, 10.8% of workers with some college, and 12.2% of high school grads were unemployed.

By March 2022, the unemployment rate had nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels for college graduates (2%) while dropping to 3% among those with some college education but no four-year degree, and 4% among those with only a high school diploma.

Recent college graduates are more likely than graduates overall to be underemployed – that is, working in jobs that typically do not require a college degree, according to an analysis of Census Bureau and BLS data by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York . As of December 2021, 41% of college graduates ages 22 to 27 were underemployed, compared with 34% among all college graduates. The underemployment rates for recent college grads rose in 2020 as the COVID-19 outbreak strained the job market, but have since returned to pre-pandemic levels.

As of the end of 2021, only 34% of underemployed graduates ages 22 to 27 worked what the Fed defines as “good non-college jobs” – those paying at least $45,000 a year – down from around half in the 1990s. The share of underemployed graduates ages 22 to 27 in low-wage jobs – those earning less than $25,000 annually – rose from about 9% in 1990 to 11% last year.

When it comes to income and wealth accumulation, first-generation college graduates lag substantially behind those with college-educated parents, according to a May 2021 Pew Research Center analysis . Households headed by a first-generation college graduate – that is, someone who has completed at least a bachelor’s degree but does not have a parent with a college degree – had a median annual income of $99,600 in 2019, compared with $135,800 for households headed by those with at least one parent who graduated from college. The median wealth of households headed by first-generation college graduates ($152,000) also trailed that of households headed by someone with a parent who graduated from college ($244,500). The higher household income of the latter facilitates saving and wealth accumulation.

The gap also reflects differences in how individuals finance their education. Second-generation college graduates tend to come from  more affluent families , while first-generation college graduates are more likely to incur education debt than those with a college-educated parent.

Most Americans with college degrees see value in their experience. In the Center’s October 2021 survey , majorities of graduates said their college education was extremely or very useful when it came to helping them grow personally and intellectually (79%), opening doors to job opportunities (70%) and developing specific skills and knowledge that could be used in the workplace (65%).

Younger college graduates were less likely than older ones to see value in their college education. For example, only a third of college graduates younger than 50 said their college experience was extremely useful in helping them develop skills and knowledge that could be used in the workplace. Among college graduates ages 50 and older, 45% said this.

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College faculty have become more racially and ethnically diverse, but remain far less so than students

A majority of u.s. colleges admit most students who apply, most americans say colleges should not consider race or ethnicity in admissions, most americans say higher ed is heading in wrong direction, but partisans disagree on why, paa journal: parents of better-educated kids live longer, most popular.

About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts .

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• How to Apply
• Supervisors

Welcome to GROW

Graduate research on worldwide challenges.

We are a network of internationally collaborating universities from the Netherlands with longstanding collaborations with our partners at the African continent.

We will launch an international PhD programme that offers tomorrow’s leaders a unique opportunity to do high quality and novel research, related to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals on the African continent .

Supervision for the PhD students will be provided by globally renowned professors, supported by societal actors and academics from our African partners. With the projects we aim to make a real contribution to understanding and addressing the urgent worldwide challenges.

Interdisciplinary

International and, intersectoral research.

Research and innovation that is interdisciplinary, international and intersectoral (Triple-I) stands a better chance of understanding wicked challenges and producing creative and effective solutions. Thus, they can play a vital role in meeting the  2030 Sustainable Development Goals . Currently the African continent has few R&D staff compared to other regions. With GROW we invest in training scholars with an understanding of the continent, while strengthening existing Africa – Netherlands partnerships. Because academic and non-academic stakeholders are involved from the start – collective learning and co-creation makes for deeper understanding of the challenges, opportunites and their trade-offs, more detailed specs, earlier prototype testing, more opportunities for validation and transforming academic research results into real-world solutions . As the science is complex and original, it can also be captured in  high quality scientific papers.

PARTNERSHIP

For GROW, six high ranking Dutch universities  have joined up with  22 African academic and 17 non-academic partners to raise funds for 51 four year PhD positions with candidates from anywhere in the world to pursue scientifically challenging research that in some way links Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs) in Africa with Europe. Funding from Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions COFUND programme of the European Union has been granted. The possibilities are manifold, as fellowships are available in the Natural Sciences, Social Sciences & Humanities, and Engineering. The Triple-I design of the GROW programme offers the PhD students the chance to equip themselves with an advanced, future-proof set of scientific and complementary skills that they will take with them as they pursue high-flying careers in a world that is becoming ever more complex and interconnected.

The Dutch University (Hosting) Partners

Science plays a vital role in understanding and addressing urgent worldwide challenges. To this end, the six leading Dutch universities in the GROW consortium collaborated since 2016 on research for global development, closely connected to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and have included African counterparts and many non-academic stakeholders in their efforts. Supervision for the 51 PhD students will available from 100 supervisors within 40 research departments, all with experience in Africa-related research, at 5 outstanding host institutions in the Netherlands: Delft University of Technology (coordinator), University of Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Leiden University, Erasmus University Rotterdam and Wageningen University & Research.

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Funded by the European Union. Views and Opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or REA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

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A student’s guide to undergraduate research

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Originally written by Shiwei Wang for Nature journal in March 2019.

Participating in original research during your undergraduate studies can greatly expand your learning experience. However, finding the project can be a challenging task, so here’s a short but comprehensive guide that can help you get the most out of an undergraduate research opportunity.

Choose the right lab

Learn to think like a scientist. A lot of people start their undergraduate research by glancing at the faculty list and e-mailing multiple professors whose work seems interesting. Although this might get you a position somewhere, it is not the most effective approach. Before looking at labs, dive into the science to find out which areas fascinate you. Read a lot, go to talks, and talk to your professors not just about their classes, but about science in general as well.

Subscribe to e-mail newsletters from journals such as Nature and Science. Try to read research highlights and science news regularly. Podcasts and articles by, for example, Nature, Science, Scientific American or Quanta can also be interesting sources of information. Follow academics, journals and universities on Twitter. Start your undergraduate research by learning more about science, thinking like a scientist and working out what you love.

Look for questions, not subjects. You might have chosen a major to study, but don’t let this limit your search for research labs. Modern labs are interdisciplinary and very different from what you do in undergrad labs. Instead of limiting your search to your department, try to look at labs in all related departments. Choose labs on the basis of the questions they’re trying to answer.

Mentoring is as important as research. Contact group members to learn about your prospective laboratory’s environment. Are the group members close? Is the lab friendly or competitive and condescending? Is the lab head hands-off or hands-on? The size of the group is also important. If you join a small group, you’ll have a higher chance of being mentored directly by your principal investigator, whereas in a big group, you are more likely to be mentored by a postdoctoral researcher or graduate student.

Reach out with confidence. Once you’ve determined that the research programme interests you and the group dynamic is healthy, send the principal investigator an e-mail. Make sure to explain why you’re interested in working in the lab and that you have spoken to other lab members. Be patient if they don’t reply. If you don’t receive a response after a week or so, send a second e-mail or reach out in other ways, such as by asking group members to enquire for you.

Get the most out of the experience

Start your research with reading, and keep on reading. Usually, the principal investigator will assign you a mentor and a project. Ask for literature to read: learning about the state of the field and why the work is important will help you to push the project forward. Read about your field as well as other, totally unrelated fields. As an undergraduate, you have the freedom to change your major and your future plans. Make sure to strike a balance between reading and conducting experiments. It’s hard to do both at the same time, but it will make you a better scientist.

Set specific goals for yourself and let your mentors know. Think about what you want from your research and how much time you are willing to put in. Besides learning the techniques, do you want to learn how to analyse results and design experiments? Do you want to learn how to write proposals by applying for undergraduate research grants? Do you want to improve your presentation skills by going to conferences? Do you want to potentially finish a project for publication? Working out what you want to achieve will help you to direct your time effectively.

Research takes time. Don’t blame yourself if experiments don’t work or the project is not moving forward as fast as you expected. Science is about failing and trying again. Getting used to and coping with frustration is part of the learning curve of research.

Find a healthy balance. University is already a lot of work, and research will only take up more time. When planning your schedule, try to allocate large blocks of time (whole afternoons or individual days) to research. Rushing through a procedure could be unsafe and will often produce useless results. Always plan extra time for experiments. Consider working less in the lab during exam weeks so you don’t get overwhelmed. Talk to your mentor about your schedule and feelings regularly, so that you can arrange experiments at times that suit you, and you can keep on top of your mental health.

Find financial support. If you wish to do research at your own institution over the summer, your institution might offer funding to cover your expenses. If you want to go to another university, you can apply for funding from that institution’s undergraduate research programme, or from foundations, companies or academic societies. For example, the US National Science Foundation offers a Research Experiences for Undergraduates programme. Universities, foundations and academic societies might also offer grants to cover your travel expense to various conferences. Don’t let money limit what you want to do. Talk to senior students or professors, or search online to find all the opportunities!

Always think about the big picture. Your undergraduate research doesn’t define what you’re going to do after your degree. Keep reading and taking classes outside your comfort zone. Explore and learn as much as possible. Working out what you love is the best preparation you can get for the rest of your career.

Read the full article on the Nature website.

To find a research opportunity at Johns Hopkins University, visit the Hopkins Office of Undergraduate Research website .

GROW (Graduate Research on Worldwide Challenges) PhD Program 2024 for international Students

Ifeoma Chuks

December 5, 2023

GROW (Graduate Research on Worldwide Challenges) PhD Program 2024 for international Students. Apply below.

When is Application Deadline:

31st January 2024 at 23.59.59 CET .

Tell Me About Award:

We are a network of  internationally collaborating universities  from the Netherlands with longstanding collaborations with our  partners  at the African continent.

Get Up to $100,000 Student Loan for Your Master in US or Canada - See if you are eligible

We will launch an international PhD programme that offers tomorrow’s leaders a unique opportunity to do high quality and novel research,  related to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals  on the  African  continent.

Supervision  for the PhD students will be provided by globally renowned professors, supported by  societal actors and academics  from our African partners. With the projects we aim to make a real contribution to  understanding  and  addressing  the urgent worldwide challenges.

For GROW,  five high ranking Dutch universities  have joined up with  22 African academic and 17 non-academic partners  to raise funds for 51 four year PhD positions with candidates from anywhere in the world to pursue scientifically challenging research that in some way links Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs) in Africa with Europe. Funding from Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions  COFUND programme  of the European Union has been granted. The possibilities are manifold, as fellowships are available in the Natural Sciences, Social Sciences & Humanities, and Engineering. The Triple-I design of the GROW programme offers the PhD students the chance to equip themselves with an advanced, future-proof set of scientific and complementary skills that they will take with them as they pursue high-flying careers in a world that is becoming ever more complex and interconnected.

Who can Apply?

• No doctoral degree: Eligible candidates must not have a doctoral degree at the date of their recruitment. Researchers who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but who have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree will not be considered eligible.
• Nationality : Candidates of all nationalities and countries of origin are eligible, unless national, international, or European legislation or embargos prohibit specific (combinations of (sub) disciplines and) countries of origin. The appointed PhD students must comply with the following mobility rule: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in The Netherlands for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the deadline of the co-funded programme’s call. Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays and time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention113 are not taken into account.
• Entry Requirements : Applicants must have completed a university degree that entitles them to embark in a doctoral programme in the Netherlands (Master of Arts (MA), Master of Science (MSc), or Master of Laws (LLM)). The degree must be dated less than 10 years prior to the call deadline. The eligibility window can be extended by 6 months per child for the mother, (additional) maternity or paternity leave (actual time up to 6 months per child), training for medical specialists (3 years), compulsory and reserve military service (actual time), or for refugees/ researchers at risk (up to 3 years). Documentation providing evidence must be included with the application.
• Enrollment : The Candidate must be available to enroll full-time in the PhD program at the Host institution in The Netherlands; eventual suspensions for family or personal reasons shall be discussed with the granting authority.
• English Certificate : Doctoral Candidates are required to have high level in the English language (if not native speakers). English level of short-listed applicants can be assessed during the selection interview and a mandatory passed test could become part of the Go-No Go decision after year 1 of the project.
• Affinity with Africa : Doctoral Candidates will need to demonstrate a strong connection with the African contintent and / or an understanding of the context of Low and Middle Income settings.
• Network : After selection, we expect the PhD students to actively participate in the events organized by the programme, such as training/network events, and outreach activities targeting different audiences. The candidates are aware of and adhere to the principles set out in the Commission Recommendation on the European Charter for Researchers.

Which Countries are Eligible?

• Candidates of all nationalities and countries of origin are eligible, unless national, international, or European legislation or embargos prohibit specific (combinations of (sub) disciplines and) countries of origin.
• Doctoral Candidates will need to demonstrate a strong connection with the African contintent and / or an understanding of the context of Low and Middle Income settings.

How Many Awards?

What is the benefit of award.

The GROW programme is a four year international PhD programme that offers tomorrow’s leaders a unique opportunity to do high quality and novel research with supervision from globally renowned professors on pressing issues affecting the people of Africa, and make a real contribution to understanding and addressing worldwide problems, notably the UN – Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

How Long will Award Last?

How to apply:.

Application Portal is open. Click here

Learn more about the GROW Programme and how to apply in the webinar 5 Dec 2023 10-12 AM CET.  Click here to register .

Visit Award Webpage for Details

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 find chatting an easy way to get in touch with us, we are waiting for your message., what scholars say about research graduate, frequently asked questions.

You should complete a Master’s with good percentage and UGC NET exam after that an interview by the university

Usually it will take 4-6 years. Again it depends on the individual ability and university guidelines

No, we do not help in admissions. We only help with research work

You need to finalize your domain of interest first and start studying more about the selected domain, recent trends and Identify the research problem based on that you can select a topic and develop the synopsis. Our team can help in the selecting the topic and developing the synopsis

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Yes, we help you with the research paper writing and the publication

We do not have any such package. The pricing of each service is quoted by our consulting team upon discussion with the scholars. The price depends on area of research, word count, complexity of work, and many other such factors.

Usually a scholar should publish 3-4 papers in reputed journals. Again it depends on the university guidelines and guide suggestion

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Delta’s Research Mentor Learning Communities  are designed for graduate students and postdocs who are mentoring an undergraduate researcher or for whom mentoring may be an important part of their future career. They give you space to reflect and reinvigorate, as you receive concrete tools to support a successful mentor/mentee relationship.

This discussion-based seminar can be taken for one credit or no credit (for-credit option requires that you have a mentee).

If your section of interest is waitlisted, please register anyway. We monitor the waitlist regularly to determine whether to open additional capacity.

Section 1, In-person: postdoctoral scholars only

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Register for Section 7, graduate students and postdocs, on-line.

What do past participants say?

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“Now I have better strategies regarding how to approach difficult conversations or use appropriate questions for the mentees.”

Contact [email protected]

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Go to the Zotero Downloads page. It should detect your operating system and browser, and present you with the proper version of Zotero to download, as well as the Connector for the browser you are currently in. Simply click the the appropriate buttons to download the standalone application and browser Connector.

Also browse Zotero plugins for additional tools, including plugins for Microsoft Word and LibreOffice .

Using Zotero on a GC computer? Consult our guide to adding the Z otero Connector to your browser on GC computers.

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Undergraduate Research: Importance, Benefits, and Challenges

Developing and maintaining undergraduate research programs benefits students, faculty mentors, and the university. Incorporating a research component along with a sound academic foundation enables students to develop independent critical thinking skills along with oral and written communication skills. The research process impacts valuable learning objectives that have lasting influence as undergraduates prepare for professional service. Faculty members at teaching intensive institutions can enhance learning experiences for students while benefiting from a productive research agenda. The university in turn benefits from presentations and publications that serve to increase visibility in the scientific community. Whether projects are derived through student-generated or mentor-generated means, students benefit from completion of exposure to the hypothesis-driven scientific method.

Does research have an appropriate place in the undergraduate curriculum of an exercise science-based department? Published findings, as well as personal experience, suggest that developing and maintaining undergraduate research benefits the students, the faculty mentors, the university or institution, and eventually society at large. Additionally, the scientific community places increasing importance on research performed at primarily undergraduate institutions. Since 1978, the Council on Undergraduate Research has promoted research opportunities for faculty and students at predominantly undergraduate institutions. This national organization of individual and institutional members currently represents over 900 colleges and universities with 3,000 members ( 1 ). The National Conferences for Undergraduate Research provides a venue for undergraduates to present findings at an annual meeting which featured 2,800 presenters in 2008 ( 4 ).

Our belief is that an exercise science curriculum provides students the opportunity to become responsible professionals of competence and integrity in the area of health and human performance. The components necessary for professional competency in exercise-related fields include an understanding of the basic concepts and literature in the health-related specialty that is being studied and knowledge of the terminology or technical language used professionally. Incorporation of research methodology and the hypothesis-driven scientific process can build on this foundation through the development of independent critical thinking skills as well as oral and written communication skills. Independent thinking can instill in the undergraduate student the confidence to form one’s own conclusion based on available evidence. Undergraduate students who took classes in the same department where the research projects occurred reported having increased independence of thought, a more intrinsic motivation to learn, and a more active role in learning ( 3 ). Thus, the research process has a very favorable impact on valuable learning objectives as undergraduates prepare for their respective professions.

Further benefits to the student have been reported and disseminated from the SURE study (Survey of Undergraduate Research Experiences) ( 3 ). Undergraduate students who completed a mentored research program identified multiple areas from which they benefited. Of interest to us as advisors of an undergraduate research curriculum were the following items, which were reported as being positively impacted by the research experience (for a complete list, see Figure 1 of Ref. 3 ):

• Understanding the research process
• Understanding how scientists work on problems
• Learning lab techniques
• Developing skills in the interpretation of results
• The ability to analyze data
• The ability to integrate theory and practice

However, participation in an undergraduate research experience also benefited students in areas that can reach beyond academia ( 3 ).

• Having tolerance for obstacles
• Learning to work independently
• Understanding how knowledge is constructed
• Self confidence
• Understanding that assertions require supporting evidence
• Clarification of a career path

These benefits persisted after a 9-month follow-up survey, suggesting some lasting changes in undergraduates’ perceptions of the value of research. The fact that participation in undergraduate research helps students clarify a career path is valuable not only for the student, but for society at large. Students who complete an undergraduate research opportunity report increased interest in careers in the areas of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics ( 7 ). After an undergraduate research experience, 68% of students stated they had some increased interest in pursuing a STEM career (i.e. Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics) ( 7 ). Additionally, 29% developed a new expectation of obtaining a PhD due to the experience of undergraduate research ( 7 ). This increased interest in careers in STEM benefits society at large as students develop interest in highly skilled professions that promote independence, collaboration, and innovation.

One of our own students, in response to a departmental exit survey stated, “research methodology is an important portion of the curriculum because graduate schools and supervisors are impressed when they see this on your resume, plus it’s a great experience.” We certainly believe undergraduate research to be an advantage when seeking post-graduate training; however, experience in research methodology is beneficial to all students not just those seeking further training after graduation. Ethical study and application of the scientific process develops critical thinking and independence necessary for achieving the highest standards of quality in scholarship, service and leadership. Developing skills in critical thinking and communication will allow students to emerge as leaders in multiple professions after graduation.

Faculty mentors also benefit from the undergraduate research process. The faculty mentor can initiate or continue a productive research agenda while at a teaching intensive institution. Interactions with students in the research process can enhance teaching ( 1 ) through the use of the scientific process as a class objective and by incorporating lab skills into the research process. This again facilitates the students moving from classroom theory to practical experience to solidify learning. Further, the university or institution will benefit from the publications, abstracts, and local, regional, national, or international presentations that increase visibility in the scientific community.

The scientific community also recognizes the importance of undergraduate research. Several national agencies have directly identified undergraduate research for funding initiatives. Funding for undergraduate research has been specifically identified by National Science Foundation which recently allocated $33 million for the Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program (REU) ( 6 ). This competitive mechanism typically funds an undergraduate student for a 10 week mentored project with a $3,000 – 4,000 stipend. The National Institute of Health has also announced the R15 mechanism or AREA grant which can provide an institution with up to $150,000 over 1 to 3 years for faculty mentored research at traditionally teaching institutions ( 5 ). An additional national funding opportunity for undergraduate students is the Howard Hughes Undergraduate Research Fellows Program providing a $2,600 stipend and possible tuition waiver ( 2 ).

Fifteen years ago, the faculty in our department had the foresight to require each senior to complete an individual research project. The implementation of a research project was quite a progressive idea for 1993, particularly in an undergraduate department housed within a liberal arts university whose mission was almost exclusively teaching focused. At the time, students in our department designed their projects, collected data, and presented their results in a single 15 week semester. The process of completing the research project has endured numerous transformations throughout the years and has morphed into its current state, a year-long faculty mentored research endeavor. The students learn research methodology and develop their research projects in one semester, while data is collected, analyzed, and presented during the second semester. The capstone assignments for the research projects include a journal-style manuscript, a poster presentation, and an oral presentation given to the faculty and staff of the department. Additionally, all students are required to present their research at local or state conferences and many have gone on to present at regional, national, and even international conferences.

Two schools of thought predominate when determining the research topics: a student-generated research topic versus a mentor-generated research topic. The former requires the student to perform a thorough literature review prior to the development of the project to ensure the project is novel. The student must then develop his or her own faculty-mentored methodology in order to appropriately answer the research question. This method provides a well-rounded research experience; however, the projects tend to be less sophisticated when compared to the mentor-generated projects. The more classic, mentor-generated projects often provide students with the opportunity for greater exposure to advanced laboratory techniques. However, as these projects are ongoing the student has less input into research design and methodology. Each method has its unique benefits and limitations, yet both result in excellent research experiences for the students. The decision to choose one method over the other often is dictated by the interests and future goals of the individual student. Those students who are interested in graduate or professional school tend to migrate towards mentor-generated projects in order to gain additional laboratory experience, though students can and often do chose a student-generated projects.

As we look to the future of our undergraduate research program, we continue to pursue opportunities to improve the quality of instruction and mentoring provided to our students with the hope that this will enrich the research experience for our students. We believe the greatest limitation to an established undergraduate research curriculum is monetary support. Many universities have an Undergraduate Research Office that provides small stipends for the students to travel and present research. We have found that our students are willing to present at regional or national conferences, but many do not have the funds for travel, registration, and professional membership dues, and therefore, often choose not to present their research. Thus, if we desire our students to gain the valuable experience of presenting at larger conferences (other than state or local), the financial burden lies with the student and/or the department. However, the precedent has been set within our university and other universities to seek external donations from community members who are committed to the development of future scientists. Such donations could provide the stimulus for increased research activity by making available stipends for students as well as for faculty mentors. The additional financial support would not only increase the quality of the research projects, but could also provide the much-needed support for students to present their data at larger conferences.

As faculty, we believe the research experience is extremely valuable for our students. It provides multiple benefits to students and faculty, as described above. However, those that have mentored research projects know it can be a trying or frustrating experience at times. Therefore, it is particularly gratifying to hear our students speak positively about the research process. One student reported last year, “I am really glad that I had the opportunity to complete a research project. It is an excellent tool for learning how to perform research, but also it has taught me skills I can use to complete any task.” For our purposes, this may be the primary goal of undergraduate research: students learn how to perform research, but they also learn problem-solving skills that translate to arenas beyond the classroom or laboratory.