Online students

No. The OURS Program serves students who are enrolled in ASU Online degree programs within The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Online students have difficulty finding research opportunities that are available remotely because the majority of them do not live in the state of Arizona. 

There are many other research programs at ASU that primarily serve on-campus students. such as SOLUR, FURI, the Humanities Lab and the Luminosity Lab. On-campus students can view available research opportunities on the Office of the University Provost’s UResearch webpage. 

Available experiences are found under the Research Opportunities section of this webpage. The requirements and time commitment for each experience will vary. Please read the descriptions for each experience carefully before applying.

Some OURS research experiences are credit-bearing courses. Once accepted into the experience, you should speak with your academic advisor to discuss how these credits will apply towards your degree. 

For research experiences that are not offered as courses, you may still be eligible to get course credit, but these details must be established among you, your faculty mentor and the academic unit. 

Yes, you are able to receive Barrett Honors credits for your participation. Please check with your Barrett Honors advisor to make sure that you are receiving the proper credits.

Unless a particular research experience has a certain eligibility requirement, we recommend that students get involved in research as soon as they can in their academic career. Participating in undergraduate research not only helps you in building important skills but it also provides you with an opportunity to figure out what you like, or dislike, about a particular field.

Choose experiences that align with your personal interests and curiosities. Look at the available research opportunities, and determine one to three experiences that interest you. 

Do not apply to or pick too many opportunities just because they are available on the OURS website. Research takes time, and if you pursue too many projects at once, you will not be able to complete the required tasks to be a successful researcher. 

If you are participating in a research experience that is offered as a course, you will have to pay tuition and fees for the assigned credit hours. If you are participating in an experience that has an on-campus component, you will have to account for potential travel and lodging expenses.

Time commitments will vary widely by research experience, but undergraduate student researchers spend 5-20 hours per week on research. It is better to dedicate large blocks of time towards research rather than short periods of time throughout the week.

If you have a heavy course load in a given semester, participating in research could be stressful. Consider the time commitment as you would an extracurricular activity before applying to an experience.

The majority of OURS program research experiences are available to ASU Online students remotely. However, research is discipline specific, and some of the opportunities will require online students to come to campus for a short, concentrated period of time. 

Depending on the discipline, there are opportunities available to ASU Online students that include an on-campus component. We understand that our online students generally have other professional and family-related commitments outside of ASU. We typically schedule the in-person components where the students will be required to come to campus for a short, concentrated period of time (3-7 consecutive days). Students who wish to participate in research opportunities that include an in-person component will have to fund their own expenses for travel and lodging unless specified.

Yes, you certainly can. We always encourage students to find their own research opportunities by connecting with ASU faculty and research centers. 

We know that life happens, and sometimes things do not go as planned. Speak with your faculty or staff research mentor about the challenges you are facing. Transparent communication is key in building relationships with your research mentors. If the research experience you are participating in is related to course credits, you may need to also speak with your academic advisor.