Pregraduate Advising Office Pregraduate Advising Office Arts & Sciences and Trinity College Duek University

Experience Needed

Because the purpose of a Ph.D. degree is to train students to be scholars, the best predictors for success in graduate study are a record of research engagement and success, good writing and analytical skills and readiness for advanced course work. This does not imply that you must be a published scholar to apply successfully — but your recommendations must include at least one evaluation of your potential for original scholarship, based on direct experience and observation.  Thus, to be a good candidate for graduate school in your senior year, you must engage in research in your discipline, beginning no later than your junior year.

Opportunities for undergraduates to become involved in the university’s research endeavors are plentiful. They include employment with faculty with research funding, enrollment in research independent study courses, summer mentorship programs and fellowship support for individual research projects. The Undergraduate Research Support (URS) Office maintains a list of current programs and funding for students in all disciplines as well as those offered by any departmental unit in the University. Also listed are programs at other universities and research institutions, primarily in the natural sciences, that select participants from a national applicant pool.

Students expecting to attend graduate school should plan to write a thesis by engaging in their major department’s senior honors program leading to Graduation with Distinction. These departmental level honors represent the highest achievement in one’s discipline, as opposed to Latin graduation honors which simply reflect an overall GPA calculation. Since some departments use a selection process to choose students for the honors program, students should investigate the requirements for the honors program in the junior year. Note that a student’s candidacy for Graduation With Distinction is noted on the transcript during the senior year.

Students engaged in research through research independent study courses or summer fellowships receive a double benefit–they acquire research experience and their research requires that they spend time with our University’s research faculty, thereby building rapport through discourse and debate framed around intellectual experiences. Your professors’ recommendations to you about good graduate programs and their recommendations about you to their colleagues at other institutions are crucial to your being matched with the program best suited for you.