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Undergraduate Research

Two students discuss a poster at a poster session

CSE encourages all of its undergraduate students to get involved in research. Research experience can be challenging and rewarding in new ways, and can help you to clarify your choice of research or academic interests, to build confidence, and to prepare for graduate school or a career.

How to get involved in research

There are a variety of research opportunities for undergraduate students at the University of Michigan. See below to learn about opportunities that CSE students can take advantage of to get involved in research:

Directed study / independent research projects

Students are encouraged to contact individual EECS faculty about doing independent research in an area of mutual interest. Our Directed Study classes, EECS 399 and EECS 499, can be taken for 1-4 credits. These courses provide an opportunity for undergraduate students to work on substantial research questions in EECS. For each hour of credit, it is expected that the student will work an average of three or four hours per week and that the challenges will be comparable with other 400 level EECS classes. An oral presentation and/or written report will be due at the end of the term.

Please note:

  • If a student is approved for an EECS research project after the drop/add deadline, they can submit a late add request in Wolverine Access to get added to the appropriate section of EECS 399 or 499.
  • Students can only enroll in one section of EECS 399 or EECS 499 per term.
  • CS-LSA Honors students cannot enroll in EECS 443 and EECS 499 in the same term.
  • CSE students can do an independent study (EECS 399/499) with faculty outside of EECS if they also find an EECS (CSE or ECE) professor to be a co-director.

How to sign up for directed study / independent research

  1. Locate a research opportunity by contacting EECS faculty members to identify upcoming research openings. Please see our current list of projects here or see the bottom of this page for tips on identifying research areas and connecting with faculty.
  2. Once connected on a specific project, work with your faculty mentor to determine the following:
    • Brief description of your project
    • How will you be evaluated?
    • Will materials from other classes you have taken be used in the project?
    • How often will you meet with your faculty mentor?
    • How will the completion of your project be determined?
  3. Fill out and submit the EECS independent research form.
  4. Your faculty mentor must approve your submission before you can enroll in EECS 399 or EECS 499.
  5. Once approved by your faculty mentor, the CSE Undergraduate Advising Office will provide an override to help you get enrolled in the appropriate section of either EECS 399 or 499 for the semester.
  6. Faculty independent study section numbers

Multidisciplinary Design Program (MDP)

The Multidisciplinary Design Program provides team-based, “learn by doing” opportunities through participation on ongoing faculty research teams. With MDP, you can: apply what you learn in class to engineering research; gain the technical and professional skills necessary to thrive in engineering research or professional settings; and experience how people from multiple disciplines collaborate within a team. In addition to skilled technical roles, teams offer Apprentice Researcher positions for first and second year students to develop their skills through mentoring by experienced members of the team. A minimum of two semesters participation (2 credits per term) is required.  Students are encouraged to participate on their team throughout their degree. Experienced MDP students have presented at research and professional conferences, participated in University patents, and co-authored publications. Experienced students have also taken on leadership roles on their teams.

The MDP application opens in September and is due mid-October; projects begin in January and end in December (summer is generally not included). For more information about how to apply to an MDP research team, please visit here or contact [email protected].

Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering (SURE) Program

The Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering (SURE) offers summer research internships to outstanding undergraduate students who have completed their sophomore or junior year (preference will be given to those who have completed three years of study) by the time of their internship. Participants have the opportunity to conduct 10-12 weeks of full-time summer research with an EECS faculty member on a research project defined by the faculty. Applicants for EECS SURE projects should list on the application their top three areas of interest in preference order.

Note: CSE students may also apply for SURE projects offered through the ECE Division of EECS. To see ECE SURE projects, please visit this page.

Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP)

The Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) creates research partnerships between first and second year U-M students and faculty. All schools and colleges at the University of Michigan are active participants in UROP, which provides a wealth of interesting research topics for program participants. There are two different ways to engage in UROP research: either throughout the course of an academic year or through a 10-week summer research project. For more information about these research opportunities, contact [email protected].

Tips for getting involved in research

Research is a cornerstone of academia. The pursuit of new knowledge is one of the main factors that motivates students to attend the University of Michigan. However, stepping into the world of research can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re not sure where to begin. This guide is intended to help CSE students feel empowered to take that first step and engage in research as an undergraduate student.

  • Start with what interests you. Your interests might be centered around questions, topics, or methods, and they may be specific or broad. There is no right way to start – the identification or formulation of specific scientific research questions or ideas will come later. 
  • Spend time learning about faculty research interests from their own personal and lab web sites. Most department web sites allow for keyword searches, and you can always use Google and include “University of Michigan” and a department name in the search. Remember, there is no one right way to start. The results of your initial search will help you formulate new searches.
  • Go to professors’ office hours. Ask them about their own research projects and find out what most excites them right now in their field. Ask them how they got started in research. Prepare for your meeting by making a list of questions to ask to get the most out of your interaction.
  • Attend extracurricular lectures, symposia, and speaker sessions. Going to these types of events are good ways to see what topics academics and professionals are exploring in their fields. This may even give you ideas for projects, or even people you would like to work with in the future.
  • Check out the library.  Campus libraries have incredible resources beyond books. You can set up an appointment with a librarian to learn how to search for scholarly sources, how to develop a research question, and even how to read empirical research articles. Ever heard of JSTOR, Google Scholar or Interlibrary Loan?
  • Take research methods and/or additional statistics classes. Many of these courses will give you tools you will frequently need when working in a laboratory or collecting your own data.
  • Contact professors and potential project advisors. Reaching out to faculty members for the first time can be intimidating. You may not know exactly what your own research interests are, how formal your conversation should be, or may have never even spoken to a professor one-on-one outside of class before. You can find suggestions for interacting with faculty members here.