At Iowa State, we aim to give students a personalized learning experience. Undergraduate research lets you to tap into your passions by pursuing cutting-edge questions about law and politics or investigating topics important to you, such as clean energy policy or foreign relations. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) undergraduate research page has more information and additional resources on how to get started.
Following are some financial awards available to undergraduate researchers:
Undergraduate research assistantships
You could be compensated to collaborate with a political science faculty member by exploring how politics and policy work. The assistantships program is operated by the university’s financial aid office, but other opportunities will be announced as they arise.
LAS undergraduate research awards
Through a competitive application process, LAS may pay you to work alongside a faculty mentor on a research project, up to 10 hours per week during the academic year and up to 40 hours per week during the summer. Find out more about the program.
Conference travel funds
To help you advance your research projects and make professional connections around the world, you can apply for funding to help defray your expenses to attend conferences. These funds are possible thanks to the Department of Student Affairs’ Undergraduate Conference Travel Fund and the Danny O’Neil High Impact Student Experience Fund for students in political science.
Manatt-Phelps Lecture in Political Science
We recommend that our undergraduate researchers attend the annual Manatt-Phelps Lecture in Political Science established in 2002 by Charles T. and Kathleen Manatt and Thomas and Elizabeth Phelps. This prestigious lecture, usually held in the fall, brings prominent practitioners and scholars to campus who address the Iowa State community on significant issues related to Iowa, the United States, and the international political economy. Former speakers have included U.S. ambassadors, state governors, U.S. senators, FBI personnel, and chief executive officers.