Undergraduate Research in the Humanities (UROC-H)

The goal of the UROC-H program is to engage promising UC Merced undergraduate students each year in faculty-mentored research during the summer and prepare them for advanced education in the humanities and humanistic social sciences.

"The term 'humanities' includes, but is not limited to, the study and interpretation of the following: language, both modern and classical; linguistics; literature; history; jurisprudence; philosophy; archaeology; comparative religion; ethics; the history, criticism and theory of the arts; those aspects of social sciences which have humanistic content and employ humanistic methods; and the study and application of the humanities to the human environment with particular attention to reflecting our diverse heritage, traditions, and history and to the relevance of the humanities to the current conditions of national life."

--National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act, 1965, as amended

Summer 2025 Application is open from November 1st through January 30th, 2025!

Undocumented students are eligible for this program

Program Eligibility and Requirements:

To be eligible for selection, each applicant must:

• Be enrolled in a UC Merced undergraduate degree program until Fall 2025
• Interested in conducting Humanities Research in the following majors or disciplines: Anthropology & Heritage Studies, Global Arts, Media & Writing Studies, History, CRES, Literature & Languages, Sociology, Public Health, or Philosophy
• Be in good academic standing with the university, 3.0 GPA preferred but not required
• Be on track to receive a bachelor’s degree
• Be able to demonstrate potential for success in a graduate program
• Priority will be given to first-generation college students and underrepresented minoritized students

The following materials are needed to complete the UROC-H application:

1. UROC-H online application form
2. Essay responses, as described in the online application
3. One letter of recommendation (from a faculty member preferred)
4. One unofficial transcript from the my.ucmerced.edu portal
5. Resume or CV

UROC-H will provide undergraduate scholars:

• Mentorship by a faculty mentor and graduate student
• Opportunities to join a UROC-H research cluster of 2+ students or work on an independent research project, both alongside a Faculty Mentor
• Opportunities to engage and integrate community partners in your research
• Participation in UROC’s 9-week summer research institute (SURI) from June 3rd - August 1st, 2025
• $5,300 Undergraduate Research Fellowship:
  • $4,000 summer research stipend
  • $1,000 for conference travel to present your research
  • $300 to support research activities or supplies
• Graduate school preparation & career coaching
• One-time opportunity to apply for Academic Year Research Funding Awards for Fall 2025 & Spring 2026

Undocumented students are eligible for this program.

Faculty Information

UROC-H Faculty Cluster Proposal NOW OPEN: November 1st - February 15th

UROC is holding an OPEN CALL to SUBMIT YOUR FACULTY PROPOSAL TO LEAD A UROC-H CLUSTER (work one-on-one with an undergraduate student or lead a research cluster of 2+ students) that may focus on team-based approaches and/or research themes in the Humanities or Humanistic Social Science. (Please note all UROC-H students in the research clusters will also have to develop individual research projects or have an individual research focus within the research theme.) The UROC-H program also aims to promote research opportunities that support undergraduate students in community engagement. Thus, The Center for the Humanities provides faculty and student teams interested in public humanities projects with opportunities to engage with local community organizations.

UROC-H will Offer Humanities Faculty:

• Opportunities to work one-on-one with an undergraduate student or lead a research cluster of 2+ students
• Opportunities to engage and integrate community partners in your research
• $500 in research funds per student mentored

How We Match UROC-H Scholars with Faculty-led Research Clusters

• All faculty research cluster proposals will be shared with admitted students as potential research projects they could join to seek a position in one of the proposed UROC-H research clusters, which includes your name and email address.
• Admitted applicants will contact you to acquire a spot on your research cluster team.
• We encourage you to meet with or interview all UROC-H scholars who contact you and express interest in your research.
• The selection of UROC-H research scholars for your research cluster project is completely your choice.
• The matching process is primarily based on the student’s research interests to increase participation in the project as well as engagement in the research and graduate school process. Thus, UROC-H does not guarantee that all proposed Faculty-led Research Clusters will be initiated.

Please forward this application link, APPLY TO UROC-H 2025 to any undergraduate students you think would be a good fit to join your proposed Research Cluster. Only students who submit a UROC application can be considered for funding or acceptance into the UROC-H Program.

Why We Encourage UROC-H Scholars to Join a Faculty-led Research Clusters

In the first three years of the UROC-H program, we allowed students to either design their own projects or join faculty-led research clusters. We have found that the faculty clusters are the most successful for both the research project and student development. Accordingly, most UROC-H scholars will now be part of faculty-led research clusters with team-based approaches and/or research themes, although exceptions can be made for student-designed individual projects if the student and faculty member develop a strong proposal.

This collaborative program led by UROC, the Graduate Division, and the School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts is made possible through a grant from the Mellon Foundation.

About the Mellon Foundation

The Mellon Foundation is the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom that can be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. Learn more at mellon.org.

Summer 2025 Application will open on November 1st and close on January 30th, 2025! *APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED FOR SUMMER 2025*

Undocumented students are eligible for this program.