$1.6 million in funding for undergraduate research per year.
Over 1000 undergraduates students engaged in faculty-mentored research and independent projects annually.
263 scholarly publications over two years (2016-2017). 30% of publications included undergraduate student co-authors.
16 to 1 student to tenure faculty ratio.
Undergraduate Research
“While researching in a graduate lab the summer after my third year, I noticed that my training at Cal Poly had prepared me better for real world research than any other undergraduate university could have.”
-Allison Hacker, Chemistry 2018
The Cal Poly College of Science and Mathematics offers students a wide range of paid opportunities for undergraduate research, both faculty-led and faculty advised. This means our students learn and work side-by-side with professors to develop near-peer relationships while producing meaningful contributions to their academic disciplines.
Often earning co-authorships on academic papers published in peer-reviewed journals, our community of undergraduate researchers operate in small groups with faculty members to get hands-on experience with state of the art equipment, laboratory spaces and methodology.
Summer undergraduate research opportunities help ensure our students are career ready on day one.
During the academic year, students can earn credit for independent research or receive a salary through a faculty member’s grant. During the summer our students and faculty have more time to focus on our signature Learn by Doing approach in our premium lab spaces and extensive field research sites.
Our undergraduates work on real-world research that contributes to solutions that make a difference in the world. Follow the links below to see some of their research projects.