Undergraduate Research Center

Thanks for visiting the Undergraduate Research Center (URC)! As stated in the Quest for Student Success 2025, MTSU is committed to graduating students “who are prepared to thrive professionally, committed to critical inquiry and life-long learning, and engaged as civically, globally responsible citizens.” To achieve this goal, the University seeks to provide each student with a distinctive learning experience that lays the foundation for his or her own student success, life-long learning, and civic engagement.

The Undergraduate Research Center aligns with this strategic path by providing students with opportunities to engage in mentored research during which faculty mentors lead, guide, and engage students in intellectual pursuits and recognize that commitment to an enriched faculty experience lies at the core of an enriched student experience. Our goal is to promote mentored research at the undergraduate level and provide university support for students and faculty members who engage in critical inquiry and life-long learning.

We hope you will check out our upcoming events and take advantage of our opportunities to get involved with undergraduate research.

A world filled with boundless opportunities and potential

What is
Undergraduate Research?

Undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative inquiry is fundamentally a pedagogical approach to teaching and learning. With an emphasis on process, the Council on Undergraduate Research defines undergraduate research as the following:

A mentored investigation or creative inquiry conducted by undergraduates that seeks to make a scholarly or artistic contribution to knowledge.

See what our students are doing!

Visit the Student Profiles page to discover what students have to say about their undergraduate research experiences.

Benefits of Undergraduate Research:

Enhances learning through faculty mentoring.
Boosts retention, graduation rates, and career readiness.
Prepares students for graduate education.
Develops critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
Builds research methodology expertise and innovation.
Strengthens content knowledge, research, and soft skills valued by employers and graduate programs.

The URC supports student research through URECA grants and annual events like the Fall Open House, Posters at the Capitol, and Scholars Week.

Why should the University invest in Undergraduate Research?

Through URECA grants and other center activities, MTSU invests $120,000 in undergraduate research grants each year.

Research involving undergraduates is a logical investment for MTSU because it helps the university to:

maintain strong ties with alumni
generate a workforce of accomplished and sought-after graduates
build strong graduate programs
provide the extra challenge and preparation for high-end students going to top-notch graduate schools
attract the ‘best and brightest’ to our campus

Discover URECA

The Undergraduate Research Experience and Creativity Activity (URECA) award allows students to conduct undergraduate research or creative award and get paid! Awards range from $500 to $3,000, and this goes straight into the student’s pocket for their time and dedication.

Kevin Bicker, associate chemistry professor, and his mentee Janna Abou-Rahma, undergraduate researcher and biochemistry major, appeared on a recent “Out of the Blue” episode to share about Abou-Rahma’s recent win at a highly competitive health challenge and her experience working in Bicker’s lab. To read the full story, click here.

Our Mission, Vision, and Values

As part of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, the Undergraduate Research Center’s (URC) mission is to be the central hub for communication about undergraduate research grant programs and other related opportunities on and off campus, to distribute university funds for undergraduate research and creative projects, and to promote dissemination of results through travel grants and by offering opportunities for students to present their research findings.

The URC is pursuing its vision to nurture a culture of research and creative activity at MTSU through support for undergraduate students and their faculty mentors.

We strive to implement the goals of the University’s Academic Master Plan related to the URC mission with the following values:

Excellence in research, scholarship, and creative projects
Opportunities for student-centered learning
Productive internal and external collaborations and partnerships
Success in the academic and professional careers of our undergraduate students and their faculty mentors