Who We Are & What We're About

Our Mission

The Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (URCA) Office at Michigan State University (MSU) seeks to foster a culture of engagement by:

• Advising students on how to find research and creative opportunities, prepare them to work effectively with mentors, and provide opportunities to present their scholarship
• Increasing faculty’s awareness of URCA’s resources for their undergraduate research assistants and increasing faculty’s mentoring capacity
• Stewarding the Provost Undergraduate Research Funds to support undergraduate research to the campus community
• Communicating the impact of undergraduate research and creative activity within and beyond the MSU community

Our Vision

The vision of the MSU Undergraduate Research Office is to provide all undergraduate students opportunities to engage in research or creative activity throughout their education, regardless of their academic discipline or academic abilities. We aim to remove barriers that prohibit students from engaging in research and creative opportunities. We support students and mentors at various stages of the research experience to help them maximize the resources and opportunities available to them.

Undergraduate Education

The Undergraduate Research Office at Michigan State University is nested within the Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education. We strive to support the work of faculty and students across the campus by collaborating to develop, promote, enhance, and assess undergraduate research and creative activities at MSU.

Research at Michigan State

Michigan State's mission statement commits the University to "conducting research of the highest caliber that seeks to answer questions and create solutions in order to expand human understanding and make a positive difference, both locally and globally." In keeping with its Land Grant heritage, research at MSU is often connected to broader issues facing Michigan, the nation, and the world, and is intended to make a contribution to society.

Michigan State is renowned nationally for its support for undergraduate researchers, with programs, funding, and support services available to assist students across the colleges.