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Undergraduate Fellows

The benefits of close working relationships between faculty and students are widely recognized at the University of Washington. Students expand their educational experience when they have opportunities to conduct research side by side with their professors. Many professors are also interested in working with highly motivated undergraduates. Unfortunately, opportunities for mutually beneficial interactions are often missed because students are not aware that such opportunities exist, and because faculty perceive that the costs of preparing undergraduates to conduct research are high relative to the benefits.

The purpose of the Undergraduate Fellowship Program at the Center for American Politics and Public Policy is to facilitate close working relationships between undergraduates and faculty by:

• encouraging motivated undergraduate political science majors to pursue such opportunities
• by implementing a minimal set of course requirements designed to familiarize and prepare students to conduct research
• by requiring participating students to complete a minimum number of credit hours of independent research under the supervision of a faculty member

As an Undergraduate Fellow, you will have the opportunity to:

• Conduct research side-by-side with professors
• Assist in the development of a major research program
• Design and complete your own independent research project
• Participate in the UW Undergraduate Research Symposium

Certificate and Letter of Recommendation

A student who has completed the requirements of the Fellowship will receive, upon graduation, a Center for American Politics and Policy Undergraduate Fellows certificate, and a letter of recommendation describing the nature of the research project. The contributions of Fellows to published research are recognized via co-authorship or acknowledgements. Roughly a third of our former Fellows decide to pursue graduate studies and are now enrolled in programs at Berkeley, Cornell, MIT, Princeton, Rochester and the University of Washington.

Requirements

Fellows must be Political Science majors or minors. To receive the certificate, students must complete 15 credit hours (5 of which count towards the Political Science major) of Independent Research (POLS 499D) under the supervision of a faculty member, and POLS 205 (Research Methods for Political Scientists or an equivalent course). The student's role in the faculty member's research project and the criteria for grading are negotiated in advance between the student and faculty member, and are specified in writing on the Independent Study Application form.

Applications

The number of Fellowships is limited. For more information please contact the Political Science Advising Office (215A Smith Hall; 543-1824), or visit the Center (221 Smith Hall). For tips and application details, click here.