Course Sequence
The FRI course sequence is comprised of three semesters of courses
| Year | Semester | Course | Credit |
| Freshman |
Fall |
Research Methods | UGS 303 or equivalent (3 hours) |
| Spring | Research Experience | Lower-division lab credit ( usually 3 hours) | |
| Summer | Optional Research (Volunteer or fellowship) | ||
| Sophomore | Fall | Research Experience | Upper-division lab credit (3 hours) |
First Semester (Fall)
It begins in the first semester of your freshman year, when you take the Research Methods course to get a head start on inquiry-based learning. During this semester, you will also go through the "stream sort" process to choose a research stream for your remaining two semesters.
Second Semester (Spring)
After taking Research Methods, students take the first semester of their two semester Research Experience course, which combines classwork in a chosen subject area with cutting-edge mentored research. Each Research Experience course is tailored to one of the research streams and is taught in a set of newly renovated laboratories designed specifically for the FRI.
Summer (between Freshman and Sophomore years)
Many students stay over the summer on fellowships or as volunteers. During this time, students expand their projects and are granted a higher degree of independence and responsibility, often working in lab without supervision. By working 20 or 40 hours a week it is possible for students to get a head start on their projects and experience the life of a research scientist.
Third Semester (Fall)
The independence of the summer is retained, with more time to work on expanded projects. Class lectures resume, but they now resemble lab meetings in which research progress is explored and communicated.
Further Research Opportunities
Students who complete the three semesters of our program are ready to be placed in either a research internship at a government lab, an industrial research lab, a traditional summer research program, or with a university faculty member for their second summer.
Junior and Senior Year
In the first semester of junior year, interested students will be placed in faculty research laboratories for their remaining two years.
Select students can also continue doing research with their research stream, either as a peer mentor TA for the next class of students entering the research stream, or on a volunteer or fellowship basis.
For more ideas and details, see Beyond The Freshman Lab.
