Research is a particularly valuable form of experiential learning, in which students actively participate in the making of knowledge, often alongside or in collaboration with faculty doing cutting-edge research. Through these experiences, students learn valuable academic, professional, and interpersonal skills that are core to the college’s educational mission and highly valued in graduate programs and the varied careers our graduates pursue.
Below, you will find descriptions and links that will connect you with undergraduate research opportunities. There are opportunities for all stages of your career (beginner and advanced); undertaken for credit or paid; pursued independently (with faculty mentorship) or in collaboration with faculty or multi-generational teams.
Opportunities at CSSH
The Undergraduate Research Initiative (URI) supports undergraduate students in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities (CSSH) who are doing research or creative work under the supervision of, or together with, a faculty member with relevant expertise. While students need to be a CSSH major to apply (a combined major is fine, even if CSSH is not the home college), faculty mentors may come from any college at Northeastern.
While the URI has historically supported individual or group research conducted independently with a faculty mentor, this year, funded students will join the URI Research Cohort, a group of up to 10 students who meet together with Professor Rachel Meyer six times during the spring semester. These sessions will support students as they carry out their research and help them prepare to share their findings at the CSSH Undergraduate Research Forum (URF) on on Thursday, March 25, 2027, at 3:00 PM.
University-Wide Opportunities
One stop for research funding, fellowship opportunities, and mentorship support. To discover all of their resources, visit their webpage.
At Northeastern, there are many ways for graduate students to pursue research that is use-inspired, focused on discovering solutions to urgent global challenges, including health, security, and sustainability.
Opportunities at CSSH
Through co-op, Master’s students gain work and research experience, so they can apply their knowledge and skills across contexts.
All CSSH PhD students are admitted with a stipended graduate assistantship (SGA) for five years. During the course of your studies, your SGA assignments may include research assistantships with faculty mentors or multi-generational research teams. To find information about research positions for the upcoming term, visit SGA Opportunities.
For more general information about stipended graduate assistantships, visit the PhD Network‘s website or contact your program administrator.
CSSH provides PhD students with new paths to integrate the Social Sciences and Humanities into the public sphere. Learn about our Experiential PhD.
The Northeastern Humanities Center offers several opportunities each year for research funding in the form of its resident fellowship program and collaborative research cluster grants. The Humanities Center also provides grant-writing workshops, a faculty works-in-progress colloquium series, and other opportunities for faculty members and students to exchange ideas in a collegial environment.
The Sustainability Incubator research pathway is an experiential research program to support campus-based interventions that test innovative ideas and approaches to address sustainability challenges. This pathway is open to staff, faculty, PhD, and postdoc students. The goal is to use our campuses as “living labs” to implement proof-of-concept interventions.
Using the campus as a living lab means building a bridge between the innovation of faculty and the practical knowledge and experience skills of Northeastern’s professional operations staff. This pathway serves as the bridge; the Sustainability Incubator team provides support for research groups by making connections with relevant operations professionals, navigating through the relevant procedures, and helping to remove the barriers standing in the way of implementation.
External Funding
CSSH graduate students are encouraged to apply for fellowships and grants. We highlight some opportunities in the Social Sciences and Humanities here. Before submitting please be sure to complete the Intent to Submit Process.
The PhD Network provides a curated list of external funding opportunities for graduate students and postdocs.