Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship
Develop Your Potential Through Undergraduate Research
Gain hands-on experience and expand your horizons by connecting with a faculty research mentor. Learn research methods, make original contributions to knowledge, and circulate your ideas to broad audiences.
Start Your Project
Participating in undergraduate research and creative scholarship not only helps you develop critical thinking, artistic, experimental design and presentation skills, it can open a world of possibilities. You can take classes with a research focus, apply for research grants, share your research at campus symposia and earn recognition for your work.
What is Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship?
- Faculty and undergraduate researchers, artists and scholars are engaged in mentoring relationships, rather than traditional teacher-student relationships.
- Undergraduates use research, artistic and scholarly methods that are widely accepted in their fields of study.
- Undergraduate researchers, artists and scholars make contributions, however modest, to knowledge.
- Undergraduates disseminate the results of their research and creative activity beyond the classroom.
- Understanding and applying research methods and ethics while creating new knowledge.
Plan Your Undergraduate Research Experience
Connect with a Faculty Mentor
Find a faculty mentor in your academic discipline or sign up for one of the many research and creative activities at UMKC, including paid research and creative scholarship positions available to students who have a federal work-study award.
Apply for Funding
Read about the grants available to undergraduate students in either the academic year or Summer session.
Present Your Research
Showcase your scholarly, creative and research work by presenting posters, putting on a performance, reading your paper or other type of presentation.
Pursue Transcript Designation
UMKC recognizes the important work accomplished by the undergraduate researchers, scholars and artists with the Undergraduate Research Fellow Transcript Designation.
Upcoming Events
Research News
Can AI Predict Who Will Be Rearrested?
6 Oct 2026 | New research suggests large language models can rival specialized statistical models, but their reasoning raises questions about transparency Read full story Can AI Predict Who Will Be Rearrested?
Big Leaps from UMKC State of the University 2026
24 Sep 2026 | Chancellor shares major university milestones and ambitions Read full story Big Leaps from UMKC State of the University 2026
UMKC Leads Bistate Push to Build America’s Critical Materials Future
21 Aug 2026 | Missouri and Kansas leaders rally behind regional initiative to strengthen U.S. supply chains Read full story UMKC Leads Bistate Push to Build America’s Critical Materials Future