Research Opportunities

The Political Science Department strongly encourages undergraduates to engage in political science research and share that research with the community. There are a number of ways to do this outside participation in research seminars.

• Incoming freshmen may participate in the Rice Century Scholars Program.
   
• Juniors and seniors may participate in the Rice Undergraduate Scholars Program.
   
• Students can arrange to take a directed readings course (POLI 305/306) or write an honors thesis (POLI 405/406). 
   
• Some faculty hire undergraduate students to serve as research assistants, either during the summer or part time during the academic year. These may be paid or unpaid positions. Many undergraduate research assistants use these posts to fulfill their work study obligations, but positions are often available for non-work study students also. The availability and nature of undergraduate research assistantships vary depending on levels of funding at a given time. For more information about undergraduate research assistantships in the department, please contact Dr. Schwindt-Bayer, Director of Undergraduate Studies. Dr. Schwindt-Bayer can be reached in person in 107 Herzstein Hall, by phone at ext. 2699, or by email at schwindt@rice.edu.
   
• Students can present research completed in courses, with a faculty member, or through extracurricular means at the annual Rice Undergraduate Research Symposium (RURS). 
   
• Students can submit their completed research papers to undergraduate journals at Rice and beyond, such as the Pi Sigma Alpha Undergraduate Journal of Politics and the Rice Examiner, the Rice Undergraduate Social Science Journal.