One advantage of attending the Johns Hopkins University is the opportunity to participate in research as an undergraduate student. Laboratories in biology, biophysics, chemistry, and engineering, as well as departments at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, regularly have openings for qualified undergraduates to participate in research that is sufficiently biological in nature to receive biology credit.
More important than credits, research experience complements classroom education by teaching undergraduates laboratory skills and critical thinking. Ideally, students will move beyond accruing knowledge to actually contributing to knowledge.
Students may earn up to 6 credits per academic year (June through May), with a maximum total of 24 credits applicable to the 120 needed for graduation. Up to 3 credit hours may be earned during each term (fall semester, spring semester, summer, or intersession).
Please note that it is possible to receive both credit and pay for the same work. Most research-for-credit positions are unpaid, but exceptions may exist for students with a fellowship or work study, during the summer or by other arrangements.
Biology research can only receive Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U) grades.
Requirements for Undergraduate Research
Professors make a large investment of time and resources in students doing research in their laboratories. If you are thinking about working on a research project, you should first consider several important points:
- Do you have adequate free time available? On average, it will require a minimum of 10 hours per week in the laboratory to earn 3 credits in a semester. It is most desirable that this time be available in a small number of large blocks; for example, three afternoons per week. Working on weekends may eventually be possible, but the initial phase will require you to be in the lab at the same time as those who are training you.
- The second requirement is disciplined study habits. While dedicating at least 10 hours per week to research, you must be able to keep up with your coursework.
- The third requirement is long-term commitment. Professors often expect students to work in their labs for more than one semester in order to make significant headway on a given research project. It usually takes several months of training before students are able to work with significant independence, so students must plan to work for at least a year in a specific lab.
More Information
How to Find a Research Position in a Lab
A student may perform biological research in a laboratory whose supervisor holds a faculty-level appointment at Johns Hopkins University. Researchers at other institutions may also be accepted, depending on your agreement with your research sponsor. Once you determine what sort of biological research interests you, there are several ways to find a suitable research position.
One approach involves consulting the web pages of the relevant departments where lists of the faculty members and their research interests can be found. Another approach is to ask friends or acquaintances if they know of openings in any labs. From these sources, a student can choose several faculty members whose research is of interest to them. The student should then go to the web pages of those faculty members and locate the list of the professor’s current publications. Students can obtain these publications from the library or online and read one or two to gain further insights into the type of research carried out in different labs. Once you have prepared yourself, you should contact the faculty member to express interest and inquire if a position is available. Be brief and ask for an interview. Please do not spam the faculty—write to individuals. See this page of the Research Awards website for more helpful tips on this process.
See more information from the Hopkins Office for Undergraduate Research (HOUR).
If the faculty member responds favorably, you should write a resume listing your academic qualifications, any previous lab experience, your course schedule (showing the time you have available for research), and bring this to the interview. Treat the interview like a job interview. If the professor has no room, ask if they know of any other labs with openings.
How to Register for Undergraduate Research
After finding a place in a research lab, you must register to receive academic credit.
Contact your research sponsor ahead of time about registering for their section of Independent Research in Biology (AS.020.503). Once they agree, you may register in SIS. In the Online Forms section, select Independent Academic Work. Fill out the form based on which Biology department faculty member is supervising or sponsoring your research. All research registered through the Biology department is S/U and the number of credits is proportional to the time spent in lab: 40 hours total is equivalent to 1 credit (80 hours = 2 credits, 120 hours = 3 credits). Select your best estimate of credits for the semester. The assigned work is a 3-page summary paper which will be described in more detail by the sponsoring or supervising faculty member. Enter a few sentences to describe your research project and submit the form. The request will be sent to the appropriate faculty member and they can approve the enrollment for credit.
Your sponsoring faculty member may wish to use this summary report file as part of the end-of-term paper.
No more than 6 credits of independent academic work can be earned in one academic year (summer-spring). See the e-catalogue for information on registering for Independent Academic Work.