All undergraduate students engaging in faculty-guided research should receive academic credit, pay or both, as allowable and appropriate. Faculty-guided research includes contributing to a faculty member's research project or completing a faculty-mentored independent project.
Academic credit and paid employment for research serve different purposes. Academic credit recognizes research as a structured learning experience while paid employment compensates students for specific work performed. The sections below outline the expectations and considerations associated with research for credit. Information regarding paid employment for research can be found on the Funding & Programs page.
Research for Academic Credit
Course credit recognizes undergraduate research as an academic learning experience. Research courses and requirements vary across departments and disciplines; however, credit-bearing research should generally include:
- Defined learning goals and expectations for the experience
- Faculty guidance and feedback
- A means of assessing student learning
What to know about how research credit works
Academic credit for undergraduate research is administered by individual departments and programs, based on the WashU faculty research mentor’s affiliation. The Office of Undergraduate Research does not grant credit for research. The Pathways into Research page on our website provides information about who to contact and how to obtain academic credit in many departments and programs. If yours is not listed, we recommend contacting your major advisor and/or the Director of Undergraduate Studies in your area to learn more.
Time commitments for undergraduate research vary by discipline, faculty mentor, and project. However, independent study and other research-for-credit courses typically require 8–10 hours of research per week for 3 units of credit. Opportunities earning fewer credit units will require less time. Students should consider degree requirements when planning for research credits (e.g., see Arts & Sciences regulations for independent study credit maximums), noting what grading options are available for their intended course (i.e., Quality Graded, Pass/No Pass) and how that may influence degree progress. Completion of a thesis or other independent research project may be required for attainment of Latin Honors and/or departmental Honors. Students interested in writing a thesis and pursuing Honors should consult their major’s degree requirements to understand the process for declaring their intent and initiating their research.
Timeline for registering, onboarding and beginning research for credit
Enrollment in a research-for-credit course can require multiple steps, depending on the academic department or program. The process may include an application form, submission of a project proposal, administrative override of prerequisites or eligibility requirements in Workday, or manual enrollment by the Office of the Registrar. As a result, it is ideal for students to complete the research-for-credit registration process prior to the start of the relevant semester.
Undergraduate researchers should proactively communicate with their faculty mentor to understand what training or onboarding is required for their research environment, e.g., Environmental Health & Safety trainings, human subjects education from the Human Research Protection Office, or HIPAA training. All students conducting research on the Medical campus must complete the visiting learner process via the myClinicalExchange platform, which can take up to four weeks to complete. These requirements can affect when a student is permitted to begin research; therefore students should plan ahead to complete them in time to begin at the start of the semester.
