This three-quarter class is designed to introduce sophomores (or juniors transferring from another college or university) to topics in higher education and provide an opportunity for students to conduct a research project.
Students can earn from one to four credits while learning about:
- Graduate and professional degree options
- Applying to graduate school
- Careers in academia
- Networking strategies
- Research methods
During autumn quarter, students meet faculty and graduate students from around the UW as well as representatives from various undergraduate student service programs. Visits will be from the following offices:
- Undergraduate Research Program
- UW Honors Program
- Undergraduate Scholarship Office
- Health Sciences Center for Minority Students Program
- GO-MAP
- Carlson Center
- UW Law School
- Odegaard Undergraduate Library
Students also develop a research question or idea and identify a professor to guide their research.
During winter and spring quarters, students conduct research based on the question they have identified during autumn quarter. In May, students present their completed project as a poster at our EIP/McNair Annual Spring Research Conference.
You do not need to have a major or know what you want to research, or even know anything about research, to enroll in the class. This class is designed to be a chance for you to think more deeply about your interests, passions, and motivations. We expect that you will not have conducted research yet, and we will cover what you need to know during the period of the course.