College Programs

Illinois Scholars Undergraduate Research (ISUR) Program

The ISUR program facilitates mentored-research opportunities to expand students’ academic experience beyond the classroom walls. Through the learning-by-apprenticeship model, students will:

• Develop their research skills
• Develop technical and professional/career skills
• Gain exposure to what graduate school entails
• Gain experience needed for graduate school acceptance or jobs in industry

How to Apply
If you're interested in applying to the program, choose a research group and find a sponsoring professor willing to include you in their research group. The faculty adviser/graduate mentor is expected to review the project proposal and confirm that it is an acceptable research project. Women and underrepresented minorities are especially encouraged to apply. The recruitment period is in the spring semester.

Eligibility

• A University of Illinois student in an engineering discipline
• U.S. citizen or permanent resident
• Rising 2nd, 3rd, or 4^th year students
• Minimum cumulative University of Illinois GPA of 3.0

Funding

• Funding is available for all engineering majors working on projects in various science and engineering research areas
• Students may be assigned to specific corporate sponsors based on the nature of their research project

Apply to ISUR

Mentoring Undergraduates in Science and Engineering (MUSE) Program

Piloted in Fall 2015, the MUSE program was designed to foster mentoring relationships. The program aims to network undergraduate students with graduate students and to facilitate mentor-mentee relationships based on a common research interest. In the MUSE Program, you define your own goals and the direction of the mentoring relationship. You may decide to work on a research project with other students, set up shadowing opportunities, or get guidance in preparing for graduate school. The recruitment period is throughout the year.

Eligibility

• Must be a University of Illinois student
• Must be enrolled in The Grainger College of Engineering

Apply to MUSE

Promoting Undergraduate Research in Engineering (PURE) Program

PURE is a student organization-led, interdisciplinary research program aimed at pairing 1st and 2nd year undergraduate students with research mentors. The goal of the program is to encourage you to explore research at an early stage in your academic career. Each mentor/mentee group will decide on a project to work on throughout the semester. If you participate in the PURE program, you may register for research credit through ENG 199. The undergraduate recruitment period is during the first week of each spring and fall semester.

Eligibility

• Must be a University of Illinois student
• Must be a first or second year student

Apply to PURE