Guidebook Introduction

What will you need during your time at USU to get a great job or a ticket to grad school? Aside from good grades and test scores, you’ll need a great resume, an attractive transcript, a relationship with a professor who can write your letter of recommendation and some demonstration of proficiency in your field and in life. And while you’re here, you might want to have some fun!

Extra time is scarce, so it’s important to choose activities that provide the biggest bang for the proverbial buck. Undergraduate research is that magic bullet. No other activity provides as many benefits to students who want to get ahead and position themselves for outstanding careers or graduate study.

Since 1975, USU’s Undergraduate Research Program has provided opportunities for students to take control of their research interests and dive head-first into discovering their own passions and strengths. In addition to tailoring your research to your personal fit, you can create your project to best suit your research goals and hobbies; all disciplines are supported. This means you can study rock formations in Logan Canyon, examine petroglyphs along the Colorado River in Moab or research and engineer autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles.

Undergraduate research helps students build stronger resumes with real- life experiences, making them better candidates when shopping the job market. Because the Undergraduate Research Program allows students to choose projects to fit within their interests, students are more engaged in their studies, and their classrooms come to life. Student researchers at USU are paired with faculty mentors who can open additional doors for student researchers in the form of fellowships and prestigious awards.