The University of Central Florida offers numerous opportunities for undergraduates to pursue research in various disciplines under the direction of a faculty member. This intensive research opportunity enhances the academic experience and challenges students to strengthen their critical, analytical, and writing skills. You can find out more at the UCF Office of Undergraduate Research.

Undergraduate Research Journal
Website: www.ejournal.ucf.edu
This multidisciplinary, faculty-mentored journal, collects and distributes student research online. UCF’s journal follows a tradition of undergraduate scholarship found in many other schools, including Berkley, Clemson, and Harvard. Successful undergraduate journals, at universities such as these, were analyzed to shape the direction of UCF’s journal.

Psychology Fieldwork Opportunities
Undergraduate Fieldwork provides an opportunity for advanced undergraduate Psychology majors to become involved, under supervision of a trained professional, in the application of psychology. The role of the student in the placement is not limited to passive observation, but rather to provide as complete involvement as appropriate for the student's level of training. These experiences can have several purposes: 1. The student has an opportunity to test the principles obtained in the classroom against the realities of delivering human services or counseling with agencies; 2. The student can explore vocational alternatives in light of further professional training that would be needed in the setting, or the student can utilize certain settings as a type of apprenticeship/internship looking towards immediate employment upon graduation; 3. The student earns upper level psychology credits.

Common Requirements for Fieldwork:

• Students must have senior standing with the majority of coursework completed.
• Students must have completed courses appropriate to the applied setting.
• Students must apply and be accepted for fieldwork by the Undergraduate Coordinator in their area of interest.

Faculty Fieldwork Coordinators:
Students must contact the appropriate coordinator well in advance of the semester in which they would like to do the fieldwork in order to apply and arrange for a placement.

Faculty Fieldwork Coordinator Contacts:

• Orlando and Sanford/Lake Mary Students:
  Dr. Sandra Simpson
  ssimpson@mail.ucf.edu
• Volusia County
  Dr. Margaret Kennerley
  mkennerl@mail.ucf.edu
• Western Region
  Dr. Paula Reynoso
  preynoso@mail.ucf.edu

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Research Opportunities within the Psychology Department
Joining a faculty member's research team provides students with the valuable opportunity to gain practical experience in conducting research. In psychology, research experience is stressed for graduate school applicants and is frequently valued by employers. Students also earn upper level psychology credit for their work (INP 3141C Advanced Applied Psychology, PSY 4912 Directed Research). Students typically join a faculty member's research team by taking the initiative to contact the faculty member. Usually, students have completed the basic statistics course as well as PSY 3214C Research Methods prior to joining a research team.

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Research and Mentoring Program (RAMP)
Website: www.our.ucf.edu/opportunities/ramp.php
Initiated in 2002, the RAMP program is designed to provide a research experience working closely with a faculty mentor for students who may be interested in pursuing graduate education. In addition, the students participate in a variety of workshops designed to increase their awareness and knowledge of graduate school education. The aim of this program is to encourage more students from those populations that are traditionally under-represented in graduate education to attend graduate school. Undergraduate students participating in this program receive financial support.

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The Office of Research at UCF
Website: www.research.ucf.edu
The Office of Research budgets $100,000 annually to match contract and grant dollars for principle investigators who hire undergraduates to assist in sponsored research.

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The Burnett Honors College Student-Mentor Academic Research Teams
Website: /www.honors.ucf.edu/SMART.asp
The SMART Program is designed to help students identify and work with faculty mentors in a research area of shared interest. Students do not have to be Honors students to take advantage of the SMART program; it is available to all qualified UCF students. SMART students are typically sophomores or first-semester juniors who assist faculty on lab projects. Frequently, SMART students work as lab assistants on ongoing faculty projects; however some students develop their own independent research projects under the supervision of their faculty mentor. The Burnett Honors College has an online directory of faculty and their undergraduate research program. This faculty list is updated frequently and each of the faculty listed have indicated a willingness to take a SMART student during the current academic year. The Burnett Honors College partners with UCF's Office of Research in sponsoring up to ten SMART Awards. These are distributed on a competitive basis and each carries a $1,000 award given to the student as well as $1,000 given to the faculty mentor. The deadline for SMART Awards is mid-October of each academic year.

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Honors in the Major (HIM)
Website: www.honors.ucf.edu/HIM.asp
Honors in the Major is UCF's most advanced undergraduate research program. It is designed to assist juniors and seniors who are intent on developing their own independent research project. Students do not have to be Honors students to take advantage of the HIM program; it is available to all qualified UCF students. After a two semester sequence (i.e., readings and thesis hours), this project culminates in a successful oral defense and binding of the HIM thesis which is then catalogued and archived in UCF's library. HIM students work closely with a thesis advisor and a faculty thesis committee. In addition to the main campus, the regional campuses at Palm Bay, Daytona, and Cocoa also offer Honor’s in the Major.