Moore Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program

Mission

The mission of the Moore Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (MURAP) is to contribute in a significant way to achieving comprehensive excellence in higher education by increasing the number of students in the US who pursue doctoral degrees in the social sciences, humanities, and fine arts.

Focus

The Moore Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (MURAP) at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill is a paid summer fellowship designed to foster the entrance of a talented array of students within the humanities, social sciences, and fine arts into PhD programs and faculty positions in U.S. colleges and universities. A program of the Sonja Haynes Stone Center, MURAP seeks to increase the number of individuals holding faculty positions within the academy. The program serves the related goals of providing scholarly role models for youth and structuring campus environments. MURAP aims to achieve its mission by identifying and supporting students of great promise and helping them to become scholars of the highest distinction.

Each summer, the program brings a cohort of select undergraduates (rising juniors and seniors) from colleges and universities in the U.S. to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus for an intensive, ten-week research and graduate school professional development experience. Students work with faculty mentors who guide student participants in an original research project. Students also attend writing workshops, receive training in research communication skills, take GRE classes, and participate in other professional development activities to prepare them for success in graduate school and academic careers.

History

The Moore Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (MURAP) was sparked in 1989 when three students who were majoring in humanities disciplines applied to the Summer Pre-Graduate Research Apprentice Program (a program for STEM research) and expressed interest in a summer research experience at UNC-Chapel Hill. The three students were housed in UNC’s Institute for the Arts and Humanities while pursuing research projects with a faculty mentor. Over the next few years, the program grew to support students in social sciences and humanities each year and officially became the Minority Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program. In 1996, a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation provided substantial support for expanding and sustaining the program. In 2002, the program was moved to the Institute of African American Research (IAAR), where it is currently housed. In 2003, MURAP retained its acronym but was renamed to honor the program’s first Ph.D. recipient, Dr. Mignon Moore. After 24 years of generous support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, support for the program is now provided by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the program continues to thrive.

Become A Student Fellow

Twenty students majoring in disciplines in the social sciences, humanities, and fine arts are selected each year to participate in MURAP. Student fellows will spend 10 weeks on UNC-Chapel Hill’s campus, pursuing an original research project under the mentorship of a UNC faculty member. They will also participate in a range of required professional scholarly development activities, including a weekly seminar and an annual conference where students and faculty present their research.

We welcome applications from prospective student participants who meet our eligibility requirements. To learn about the program requirements and submit your application, click on the link below.

Application FAQs

Example Weekly Schedule

Become A Faculty Mentor

MURAP mentors are essential to our program because, without mentors’ guidance, student fellows’ research and understanding of the process to achieve research excellence would not be possible. Being a faculty mentor is an intensive and rewarding experience, as mentors work closely with students and are consequently able to be instrumental in students’ scholarly growth and learning.

Eligibility:

Faculty mentors must be tenure, tenure track, or fixed-term faculty at UNC-Chapel Hill in any social science, humanities, or arts field. They must be prepared to fulfill the requirements of the position as described below.

Each mentor directs two students in an independent research project from conception to completion and are expected to meet with two student advisees at least two times per week to 1) provide regular and detailed feedback on students’ projects, 2) discuss various aspects of the profession, and 3) share their own interests as a teacher and researcher. In addition, mentors participate in a two-hour seminar on Tuesday afternoons during each week of the MURAP program.

MURAP faculty mentors must be in residence in Chapel Hill throughout the entire period of the program. They must participate in all required program components, including the program conference.

Apply to Be A Faculty Mentor

Research

Annual Conference

MURAP hosts an annual two-day conference exploring current topics in academic research. The conference provides students with a glimpse of an important aspect of academic life: the presentation of work to an interdisciplinary and critical academic audience. MURAP students have an opportunity to share their own research with a wider audience, allowing the conference to serve as a space to showcase student talent. Additionally, as noted scholars from colleges and universities throughout the nation are conference presenters speaking to the year’s theme, students gain the opportunity to interact firsthand with professionals in their fields.

Each year the conference focuses on a different theme. Samples of past programs are below.

Previous Conferences

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Focus

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