Programs OverviewEngineering Research Experience
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- What is the Engineering Research Experience program?
- Who can participate?
- How do I participate?
- What qualifies as a research experience?
- Tuition and enrollment
What is the engineering research experience program?
By participating in the Engineering Research Experience Program at McCormick, students who are interested in career paths in research and academia have the opportunity to engage in a formal engineering research experience, either at a university (including Northwestern University) or a government laboratory. In order for an experience to qualify for the program, students must be doing research under the supervision of a Primary Investigator (PI).
Who can participate?
- All undergraduate students who have completed CRDV301: Introduction to Career Development and who are in good academic standing according to University standards
- All master's-level graduate students
How do I participate?
Before participating in the program, undergraduate students need to complete the CRDV301: Introduction to Career Development course. Master's students should attend a graduate info session. After completing this course, you can work with your career advisor to create a strategy for your research search.
Students are responsible for securing their own research experience. Here are some resources students may use to create their research opportunity:
- How to get started on undergraduate research at McCormick
- Global and Research Opportunities at Northwestern: browse research opportunities from McCormick faculty.
- Northwestern Scholars: a searchable database of expertise across all disciplines at Northwestern University.
- UR@NU: Undergraduate Research at Northwestern University
- Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU): a National Science Foundation program
- German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD): Research Internships in Science and Engineering (RISE)
- Northwestern International Program Development (IPD) Research and Study Abroad Fellowships
Once you have secured a research experience, you should:
- Make an appointment with your career advisor.
- Bring a copy of a letter from the agency or university which states what your research activities and responsibilities will be.
- Acquire a supervisor who can evaluate your contributions to the research project.
- Agree to evaluate your experience based on your opportunity to learn and apply various engineering skills.
What qualifies as a research experience?
A research experience is:
- A single research work term that can occur during any quarter of the year.
- Directly related to the student’s academic major and/or career goals.
Research experiences must fit the following criteria:
- Must be at least 10 weeks long.
- Must be full-time (30 hours or more per week).
- Must be related to your engineering major or career goals.
- Can be paid or unpaid.
Tuition and Enrollment
Students will be enrolled as a full-time student in the appropriate CRDV course enrollment, with no tuition charges.
An administrative grade of S (satisfactory) will be given at the end of the quarter as long as you have completed two reflective evaluations. If you do not complete all necessary evaluations, you will receive a U (unsatisfactory) grade.
