Undergraduate Research

Starting their first year of undergraduate studies, students are able to participate in research opportunities. With a wide variety of subjects to study and faculty-mentored research, students will be able to expand their learning no matter the subject matter. Whether you want to hone your skills in a laboratory or in the field, develop solutions to improve education, health care, or infrastructure, or investigate the roots of some of the world’s biggest questions, there are research opportunities at St. Thomas for you!

Learn As You Go

At St. Thomas, from your first year classes to your senior capstone project students get hands-on experiences learning how to do research. There are many opportunities to be involved in research outside the classroom as well, like working with faculty on a project, collaborating with local industry leaders, presenting at national conferences or even publishing an article! Our faculty are committed to working with students and will be with you every step of the way.

Think Outside the Box

Sometimes research opportunities take you where you least expect it! The Playful Learning Lab - a collaboration between faculty and students from the College of Arts and Sciences, Opus College of Business, School of Engineering, and School of Education - challenges student researchers to be leaders and innovaters. Our team of undergraduate research students, affiliated educators, and community partners work together to create engaging, hands-on experiences for PK-12 students and educators, with a focus on fun.

Undergraduate Research Programs

Our Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program offers mentoring opportunities and financial support for students who wish to dive deeper into research. Students in this program are able to work with faculty over the summer or during the school year to explore topics of their own choosing. The Excel! Research Scholars program supports students from historically underrepresented communities achieve graduate education, with a focus on mentoring and scholarship.

Faculty and student conducting field research

Faculty/Student Partnerships

Faculty at St. Thomas include undergraduate students in all elements of their research. Students work closely with professors in all phases of the research process- from developing the question, to collecting and analyzing the data, to determining its meaning and sharing the results. Undergraduate students have worked with faculty on projects that have lead to new inventions and interventions, publications, and presentations across the country and the world!

Read in the Newsroom