Benefits for Students
UBorrow: Access to Millions of Research Materials
Using the Big Ten Academic Alliance-wide UBorrow platform, UMD students can quickly access over 114 million volumes of research material of 15 university libraries and the Center for Research Libraries. Books requested through UBorrow will typically arrive on campus within one week and can be checked out for 12 weeks, with an option for a four-week renewal. The relative proximity of Big Ten Academic Alliance partners, as well as the commitments made by each institution, allows books to be delivered through UBorrow far more rapidly than they usually are through traditional interlibrary loan programs.
Big Ten Academic Alliance-Smithsonian Institution Fellowship
This Big Ten Academic Alliance-Smithsonian Institution Fellowship provides opportunities for graduate students at member universities to conduct research with the Smithsonian’s research staff and to utilize the resources of the institution. These prestigious one-year fellowships carry a $30,000 stipend, tuition remission, and health benefits. UMD students have been highly successful in winning these fellowships since the university's entrance into the Big Ten Academic Alliance in 2014.
Traveling Scholar Program
The Traveling Scholar Program allows Big Ten Academic Alliance doctoral students to spend up to a full academic year pursuing specialized courses of study and working in advanced laboratories and facilities at other member institutions —with no change in registration procedures from their home university or additional tuition.
Big Ten Academic Alliance Doctoral Directory
The Big Ten Academic Alliance Doctoral Directory is a free, online database of doctoral degree recipients who are members of groups that are underrepresented in higher education and who are alumni of member universities. The Directory is designed to increase the visibility of doctoral alumni who bring diverse perspectives and experiences to higher education.
Summer Research Opportunities Program
The Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) provides a gateway to graduate education via intensive summer research programs at participating member institutions. SROP helps prepare undergraduates to produce competitive applications to graduate schools and to succeed in their graduate studies. It aims especially to increase the number of students from underrepresented minority populations who pursue graduate study and research careers.
Undergraduate students conduct research in their field of choice, working one-on-one with a faculty mentor, and participating in academic enrichment workshops and conferences. This full-time summer research opportunity carries a stipend and living expenses. At the University of Maryland, the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS) and the School of Public Health (SPHL) offer exciting summer research opportunities consistent with the Big Ten Academic Alliance SROP’s goal of increasing the number of those underrepresented in the sciences.
Visit the Big Ten Academic Alliance website for a listing of all student opportunities.