Undergraduate Research
ERP
ERP: Economics Research Program
The Economics Research Program (ERP) provides undergraduate students the opportunity to engage in a two-semester independent research project under the guidance of Dr. Chelsea Strickland and a faculty mentor. By participating in the program, students will gain skills necessary for academic and non-academic research: idea generation, literature reviews, data acquisition and cleaning, data analysis, and written and oral presentations. At the end of the second semester, students will produce a completed research paper. Students will also be expected to present at TAMU’s Student Research Week (SRW). Students considering a PhD in Economics will find this program especially beneficial.
ERP participants will earn a total of 6 hours of upper-level ECON course credit (ECON 491) over the fall and spring semesters.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Completed ECON 463 with a “C” or higher OR completed ECON 461 with a “C” or higher and currently enrolled in ECON 463
- Overall GPA over 2.5
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
Applications are open for the 2023-2024 academic year. To apply, please email a complete packet of application materials to Dr. Chelsea Strickland (cstrickland@tamu.edu) with the following subject line: “ERP Application – Your Name“. Each document must be saved as the following: “LastName_FirstName_DocumentType“. Your application must include:
- Resume
- Unofficial transcript
- A copy of your final paper from ECON 463 OR a copy of your final paper from ECON 461 if you are currently taking 463
- 1 page statement answering the following questions:
- Why do you want to participate in this research program?
- What topic(s) are you interested in researching?
- If someone recommended you apply for the program, please make that known in your statement.
Applications must be submitted by Friday, March 24 at 5pm to be considered. Acceptance will be announced in April.
In this program, undergraduate economics majors are paired up with students in the Masters of Financial Economics/Financial Econometrics program in the Department of Economics. The pairs will collaborate on a Capstone Project required of MS students in the Fall semester. The project includes data acquisition, data analysis, and both written and oral presentations. Students will be guided through the research process by both undergraduate and graduate faculty members as they work toward completion of the project. This is an excellent opportunity to learn research from the ground up!
Research Assistants will also earn 3 hours of upper-level ECON course credit (ECON 491).
Minimum Qualifications:
- Junior or Senior Classification
- Overall GPA over 2.5
- Completed ECON 323 with a “C” or higher
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Must be available for at least two 2-hour blocks of time during the week (Monday–Friday, 8-5) for potential meetings with your Master’s Partner in the Fall
- Must be enrolled in ECON 491. The time will remain as TBA because meetings will be scheduled depending on your schedule/compatibility with your assigned Master’s student’s schedule
Benefits:
- Practical experience with research
- Work with peers in the field
- Networking
- 3 hours of upper-level Econ Elective Credit
If you are interested in this opportunity, email any ECON advisor
To apply:
- 1-page essay answering the following questions:
- Why do you want to be a research assistant?
- What part of Financial Economics/Econometrics interests you most?
- A unofficial transcript
- If you have a preference on the type of ECON you would be interested in researching, feel free to list it.
- One letter of recommendation (optional)
E-Mail a COMPLETE packet of application materials to Mr. Kurt Felpel
