Undergraduate Student Apprentice Program

About the Program

Each semester (including summers), 15 student-faculty pairs - drawn broadly from the sciences, arts, management, social sciences, engineering, and humanities - are selected from applicants for the Apprenticeship.

Designed to introduce undergraduates to “scholarship-in-action” in their major, the Faculty-Student Apprenticeship intends to complement and enrich required course material, while also providing students with the unique opportunity to work closely with faculty.

The student experience includes collaborative work on a specified scholarly project (about 10 hours per week), under close supervision of the sponsoring faculty member, informed by guided reading and discussion of relevant primary literature. Students will produce scholarly written work, and project posters, as well as present their work at the University’s Celebration of Research.

Why become and apprentice?

  • Scholarly experience
  • Publication and presentation opportunities
  • One-on-one work with faculty mentors
  • Add unique credentials to your CV and resume
  • Prepare for fellowships and post-graduate work
  • $1000 stipend
  • Engage with likeminded students
  • Gain the freedom to pursue specific interests and projects
  • Showcase your work at University Research celebrations
  • Represent GMU at undergraduate research conferences

Elligibility

Any motivated GMU student, usually in their junior or senior years, with:

  • At least 12 credit hours completed at GMU in the past 12 months.
  • A 3.0 GPA or higher (recommended).
  • Legal eligibility to work in the U.S.( in order to receive the $1000 stipend).

How Do I Apply?

Together, faculty-student pairs should prepare a brief (1 page) proposal detailing the planned collaborative work.

Proposals will be evaluated by a review committee composed of representatives from various university disciplines. Application forms can be requested from Dr. Chuck (echuck@gmu.edu). Generally, applications are due at least one week before the start of the semester for which the student is applying.

Information

Inaugurated in 2001 by Provost Peter Stearns, the program has assisted over 200 students in their pursuit of faculty-mentored creative or scholarly research. Over a third of these students present their work at national meetings

For more information about the program:

Website: http://www.gmu.edu/cte/apprentice.htm

Contact:

Emil Chuck
 echuck@gmu.edu

Student Academic Affairs & Advising
Johnson Center, Room 245

Examples of Previous Apprentice Work

Shakespeare’s sonnets: Before they became the world’s most famous love poetry
Geneveive Keith, Summer 2006

Geochemical Study of the Sierra Madre, Southeast Cuba
Tiffany Rivera, Spring 2005

Ideological Voting on the U.S. Supreme Court
Sean Sullivan, Fall 2004

Bullying Behavior in a Jail Population
Kathryn Egbert, Summer 2005

Role of metals in the brain of transgenic and wild-type mice”
James Thompson, Summer 2004

Children’s Emotional Confidence: Pathway to Mental Health
Dan Kyung Chang, Spring 2003