Summer Research Opportunities Programs

College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS)

About the BSOS Summer Research Initiative:

The Summer Research Initiative (SRI) was created in 1999 by the Office of the Dean in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS). The program is designed to encourage and enhance the diversity of scholars working in social and behavioral science, practice, teaching, and policy fields. We are most interested in students who plan to pursue doctoral degrees in the behavioral and social sciences. A diverse science workforce enables us to improve the science, broaden its application, and facilitate novel and creative innovations and solutions by including scholars with unique backgrounds, life experiences, language skills, understandings of and access to underserved communities, diverse perspectives, etc.  Supporting diverse cohorts of students also enriches learning environments and is consistent with our university’s overall mission.  In that spirit, we are also especially interested in receiving applications from a broad spectrum of minoritized students, especially African Americans, Hispanic/Latine students, American Indian/Alaskan Natives, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, as well as from students whose research interests focus on and benefit diverse and underserved communities, or from any student who demonstrates that their particular diverse perspectives add to efforts to improve social and behavioral science.

The program provides rising juniors and seniors with an 8-week intensive experience to develop research skills, learn about doctoral training, and increase graduate training readiness. Departments involved in the SRI include African American Studies, Anthropology, Criminology & Criminal Justice, Economics, Geographical Sciences, Government & Politics, Hearing & Speech Sciences, Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, Psychology, and Sociology.

The 2025 program dates are Monday, June 2, 2025 - Friday, July 25, 2025. However, all participants are required to arrive at our College Park campus on May 31st for the required 2-day pre-program orientation. 

BSOS SRI Contacts: Please send questions to the BSOS SRI Coordinator, Brittney Robinson, brobins7@umd.edu.

IMPORTANT: BSOS SRI applicants must complete BOTH (1) the online BTAA SROP application and (2) the BSOS SRI supplemental application. For guidance on the supplemental application please use these materials as your guide:

• BSOS SRI Overview and Application Instructions
• BSOS SRI Supplemental Personal Statement Instructions
• BSOS SRI Supplemental Application Preview of Questions

All Big Ten Academic Alliance institutions share the same SROP online application, allowing you to apply to multiple programs with only one submission of your materials. To apply for an SROP program at the University of Maryland, please submit your application through the SROP Online Application, and be sure to choose the University of Maryland during that application process. The SROP Online Application will open on November 1, 2024 until February 10, 2025.

BSOS SRI Supplemental Application:

After completing the BIG Ten SROP online application, BSOS SRI applicants are required to submit a supplemental application. The supplemental application will ask a series of questions and require you to submit two documents - a current curriculum vitae (C.V.) or résumé and a personal statement. Before going online to complete your supplemental application, please review the SRI instructions.

College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR)

Summer Opportunities in Agricultural Research and the Environment (SOARE)

The Summer Opportunities in Agricultural and the Environment (SOARE) is a partnership between the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR), The Big Ten Alliance Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP), and The UMD Graduate School. SOARE is a gateway to graduate education. The program aims to increase the number of underrepresented students pursuing graduate study and research careers in agricultural, environmental, nutrition and food science, and natural resource areas of study. SOARE provides underrepresented undergraduate students with on-campus research experience to establish important relationships with faculty in their respective fields of study and to conduct graduate-level research under the supervision of a renowned AGNR faculty member.  Our new summer research program, SOARE: Strategic Work in Applied Geosciences (SWAG), is geared towards undergraduates with interest in geology (i.e., mineralogy, geomorphology, petrology), earth science (i.e., geology plus chemistry, physics computations, environmental science, geography, hydrology/marine science, atmospheric science), natural resources management and soil science.

Students participating in the SOARE and SOARE: SWAG will spend ten weeks at UMD working closely with AGNR faculty members as part of their research teams. Students are expected to spend about forty hours per week working with their research teams and to be contributing members. Participants will attend weekly seminars to learn more about the graduate school experience, the graduate school application process as well as social activities during their stay. At the end of the ten weeks, students will have produced tangible results from experimental research and will report the results in a special research forum. Participants will also become acquainted with the culture of graduate school and learn what is needed and expected of them as graduate students in their respective disciplines.

The 2024 program dates are May 20, 2024 - July 26, 2024.

AGNR SOARE Contact: Email questions to Dr. Evelyn Cooper and Dr. Candice Duncan, Director, and Co-Director, at umdsoare@umd.edu

IMPORTANT: UMD AGNR SOARE and SOARE: SWAG applicants must complete the online application at https://forms.gle/9Va4et7MvbvUvEKo6

School of Public Health (SPH)

SPH Summer Training and Research (UM STAR)

The School of Public Health’s Summer Training and Research (SPH UM STAR) Program was launched in 2008 with funding from the National Institute of Health's National Health Lung and Blood Institute.

UM STAR is designed to provide traditionally underrepresented undergraduate students with two consecutive summers of a 10-week research training and career development program to enhance their potential to apply for and complete graduate degrees in biomedical and behavioral science relevant to preventing and treating cardiovascular disease. 

The 2024 program dates are: Monday, June 3, 2024 - Friday, August 9, 2024.

SPH UM STAR Contacts: Email questions to: umstar@umd.edu / 301-405-2487 (Dr. James Hagberg, Director) 

Advantages and Benefits of Participating

• Increase your knowledge of doctoral-level training.
• Mentoring, networking, and enrichment opportunities through a faculty mentor, graduate students, fellow program participants, and professionals working on campus and throughout the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.   
• Lectures and workshops to enhance your knowledge of the graduate application process, assist you with negotiating the academic rigors of graduate school, and help develop your career path.
• For SRI Program only, provides: round-trip travel, room and board in University on-campus housing, and $3,150 (before taxes).
• For UM STAR program only, provides: round-trip travel, room and board in University on-campus housing, and $4800 (before taxes).
• Graduate application fee waivers available for all participants.
• Take advantage of our close proximity to Baltimore and Washington, DC - our nation’s capital.
• The area supports a vibrant science and policy environment given the local network of universities and professional and scientific organizations.
• A very large and diverse group of college students converge on the DC metropolitan area for summer internships.
• Convenient and easy to use local transportation via an extensive subway and bus system.
• Visit historic, social, and cultural offerings in Washington, DC; Baltimore; Annapolis; and beyond. Great diversity of people and events held throughout the summer. It’s exciting here in the summer.
• Our campus is just a 2-hour drive from the beach or the mountains, and a short train ride away from Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City.

Who Should Apply

Applicants interested in BSOS SRI, AGNR SOARE, and SPH UM-STAR should meet ALL of the following requirements:

• Be U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the United States
• Be enrolled full-time at an accredited four-year higher education institution and obtain junior or senior status by the Fall 2024 academic year
• Possess an excellent academic record including a 3.0 or better cumulative GPA
• Be interested in pursuing graduate study in one of the offered SROP programs at UMD
• Completion of the SRI or SOARE supplemental application which will require applicants to submit a current résumé or curriculum vitae
• Please note: Priority is given to summer applicants who intend to pursue a research doctorate

Please see department websites for specific faculty research interests, additional eligibility information, and important program information: BSOS SRI, AGNR SOARE, and SPH UM-STAR

How to Apply: 

All Big Ten Academic Alliance institutions share the same SROP online application, allowing you to apply to multiple programs with only one submission of your materials. To apply for an SROP program at the University of Maryland, please submit your application through the SROP Online Application, and be sure to choose the University of Maryland during that application process. The SROP Online Application is open from November 1, 2023, through February 10, 2024. 

Supplemental SROP Applications for UMD programs

After completing the BIG Ten SROP online application, BSOS SRI and AGNR SOARE applicants are required to submit a supplemental application. The supplemental application will ask a series of questions and require you to submit two documents - a current curriculum vitae (C.V.) or résumé and a 500-1500 word personal statement. Both of these documents must be prepared in a PDF file format. The supplemental application information can be found on the individual SROP program pages. Before going online to complete your supplemental application, please review the instructions SRI and SOARE. 

AGNR SOARE Personal Statement AND Essay Instructions