Georgia Tech is known as one of the leading research universities in the country, with faculty from around the world conducting groundbreaking work in their fields. Through undergraduate research, many students take advantage of the opportunity to work with these experts during their time at Tech. If your student is considering engaging in research at Tech, here are a few tips to share:
Getting Started
Begin looking for opportunities the semester before they want to start research. This will give them time to find opportunities and contact faculty.
Get in touch with the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. Each college has its own undergraduate coordinator to help students find research positions and answer questions. (Find coordinators here.)
Undergraduate coordinators can help pick a research field, but there are also additional ways to narrow their options. If your student took a class they enjoyed, that could be a good indication of an area they might be passionate about. They can explore various fields within their major to see if there’s a specialized area that sounds interesting. Your student's research does not have to be related to their major, so they can explore research opportunities in other majors as well. Once they decide on a field of research, the next step is to contact a faculty member about joining his or her lab.
They can also talk with their academic advisor about how research could fit into their college timeline.
Contacting Faculty
One of the easiest ways to talk with faculty members about research opportunities is for students to reach out to their professors. Their professors will be happy to learn about your student's research interests and will know about research projects within their departments.
If your student is interested in doing research outside of their classes and major, they can find a faculty contact by exploring department websites. There students can find lists of research faculty and links to their backgrounds and published works. You can recommend that they select four to five faculty members whose research they find interesting, read some of their publications and if possible, attend an upcoming seminar or presentation.
The next step is to email the faculty they’ve identified to request a meeting. Have your student include their year at Tech, major, and relevant courses and experience in the email. Your student should communicate their interests and identify some information they have learned about the faculty member’s research. You student should come to the meeting prepared with questions regarding the research, as well.
Register Research
Once your student and a professor agree to work together on a research project, they need to decide how your student would like to receive credit for their time.
Students can register for research for either course credit or pay. There are four options:
- 2699: Research experience for course credit for freshman and sophomore students.
- 4699: Research experience for course credit for junior and senior students.
- 2698: Research experience for pay for freshman and sophomore students.
- 4698: Research experience for pay for junior and senior students.
Students who register for 2699 or 4699 will receive graded academic credit, while 2698 and 4698 are non-billable audit courses for students who will be paid for their research work or are working on a volunteer basis.
Students should talk with their research professor to decide which option is best and how much time to commit. As a general rule, three hours of research equals one credit hour, but this can be changed in OSCAR.
Research credit hours need to be registered during Phase I or Phase II, so it is important to plan ahead to receive credit for undergraduate research.
For more information about getting involved in undergraduate research, visit www.undergradresearch.gatech.edu.