The creation of MIT's Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) in 1969 encouraged an explosion in popularity.
Undergraduate research has proliferated in higher education since the mid-twentieth century, although it has roots in early nineteenth and twentieth-century practice, particularly in Germany.
[4][5] In 1810, Wilhelm von Humboldt founded the University of Berlin, which created the model for undergraduate research.
Many Americans began to call for a transition towards the German education systems, with specialized disciplines and majors.
The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) was established in the United States in 1978 as a faculty development initiative; its headquarters are in Washington, DC.
Since the 1990s, many universities and colleges have instituted programs and offices[6] meant to foster research at the undergraduate level.
[4] Undergraduate research is widespread globally and many international examples are presented in recent books edited by Hensel and Blessinger (2019),[3] and Mieg, Ambos, Brew, Galli, and Lehmann (2022).
In Africa and the Middle East, undergraduate research has robust development in Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates.
An undergraduate research project might result in a musical composition, a work of art, an agricultural field experiment, or an analysis of historical documents.
"[10] In addition, institutions find value in promoting undergraduate research to recruit and retain students and to prepare them for graduate studies.
Undergraduate research continues to broaden and diversify from its historic core in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields.
Undergraduate research is a tool for students to gain knowledge about their field using their own methods and not relying on a professor or supervisor to walk them through the study.
Independent research helps students feel confident and competent when performing tasks in their future career.
Student responses from this study included an enhancement of professional or academic credentials, as well as the clarification of a career path.
The author of this study stated that the "benefits [students] value result from a good relationship with and expert guidance from a mentor."
In institutions that focus on their professors' role as teachers, administrators reward faculty members' involvement in undergraduate research.
Some observers report fear that undergraduate research may exploit students in order to promote the faculty member's career.