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Accelerated Research

Accelerated Research

What is the Accelerated Research Program?

The Accelerated Research Program is one of the Special Opportunities offered to students as part of the Admissions process. As with all Special Opportunities, applicants do not need to apply for the program, but are instead assigned to the program as part of their admission. Accelerated Research is administered by the Office for Undergraduate Research and is primarily designed to enhance participants’ first-year experience at Carolina by accelerating their entry into research here, though some participants wait until their second year to take advantage of some of its benefits.

Accelerated Research brings together students from a variety of disciplines such as arts, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, who are interested in research and inquiry-driven learning. The program offers participants the following during their first year at Carolina:

  • Early outreach and resources from the Office for Undergraduate Research.
  • An OUR Ambassador assigned to you as a peer mentor who can help you navigate the UNC-Chapel Hill research community and network.
  • One-on-one guidance on how to pursue your research interests and seek funding – please feel free to email Bob Pleasants with any questions you have about Accelerated Research.
  • An opportunity to meet with your peer cohort and ambassadors, and your peer mentor at a fall welcome event.
  • The option for early enrollment in IDST 198: Research Beyond Academia or IDST 199: Modes of Inquiry – first year students in Accelerated Research are given priority access to these courses.
  • An early introduction to the Carolina Research Scholars Program.
  • A smaller subset of Accelerated Research participants are granted a $5,000 summer research award as part of their admissions letter.

FAQs about Accelerated Research

How did I get into this program?

When you applied to Carolina, you had the opportunity to specify interest in some of the many Special Opportunities across our campus. Admissions reviewers thought you would be a good fit for the Accelerated Research Program because of your ability to tackle intellectual challenges and problem-solve across a variety of contexts.

What are the requirements of the program?

There are no requirements for the program – it’s all voluntary, but we hope you’ll take advantage of all it has to offer you. We get great feedback from the students who enroll in IDST 184 or 194, which you can take this coming spring if you aren’t enrolled this fall. We also hope if you do research at Carolina that you’ll also apply to become a Carolina Research Scholar.

What is the Carolina Research Scholars Program?

The Carolina Research Scholars Program (CRSP) is set of requirements that, if fulfilled, leads to a transcript designation. In other words, students who successfully meet the requirements for the program are recognized for their contributions to UNC’s intellectual and cultural climate with the “Carolina Research Scholar” transcript designation, which is something nice to have for graduate school and job applications. You are not required to take part in the CRSP, but the requirements aren’t too hard to reach for students who do research and plan ahead, so we encourage you to consider working toward it.

What if I haven’t heard from my mentor?

You should have gotten an email from your mentor this summer. If you are not sure who your mentor is, please feel free to email Bob Pleasants to let him know. Also, please know that you can reach out to any of the Ambassadors via email or via office hours.