Volunteering on a faculty research project is a great way to make the most of your political science degree. Participation in research is especially recommended for students interested in pursuing research-focused graduate education in political science, international affairs, or criminal justice.  

Finding a Research Project

Most of our faculty and many of our advanced graduate students hire undergraduates to assist with their research each semester. Members of the hiring research team typically interview several students before choosing who they will invite to join the project. There are often more interested undergraduate students than there are available research positions, so treat the process as you would any job interview.  Do background research on projects of interest. Put your best (most professional) foot forward throughout the process and keep trying if you don’t get a research assistant opportunity right away. 

Here are our best tips for finding research opportunities:

• Get to know your professors! Many of our faculty and graduate students offer research placements to students that do well in their classrooms. Go to office hours often and form strong relationships with your instructors! 
• Do your research! Browse our department’s faculty profiles to learn more about ongoing research. Use the information you learn to identify and connect with specific faculty whose research interests you.  
• Reach out to inquire about current openings for a research assistant. As with any job search, be sure to personalize the emails you send, including information about why you are interested in this lab and highlighting experiences you’ve already had at UT that will make you a good fit for the position. If a researcher does not respond right away, don’t get discouraged.  Remember, there are many students seeking placement.  You will need to be patient and flexible.
• Respond to recruitment announcements through the Political Science Majors’ listservs. However, opportunities advertised via email only represent a small portion of the research taking place across UTK Political Science.  Don’t wait for someone to advertise.  Be proactive and reach out to the research programs that most interest you.   
• Visit the university’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships to get more tips for getting started and to learn about campus-wide research opportunities.

Requesting Course Credit

Students may volunteer on a research project without seeking course credit or they may enroll for 1-3 credits of POLS 496: Undergraduate Research Practicum for the experience. If POLS 496 credit is desired, students and researchers work together to submit a POLS 496 contract.  

POLS 496 is a repeatable for up to 6 hours credit.  Political Science students can apply up to 6 credits toward their political science major electives.