Credit is not given for research done off-campus, unless it is done with a Cornell professor who is working off-campus.

Contact your college undergraduate research advisor for more information about credit in your area of study. There are limits to the amount of research credit that you can earn.

Courses

A number of colleges and majors have courses designated for students conducting research. Expect that there will be conditions for how credit is earned. For example, the course may be S/U only and it may carry 2-3 credits. Research course requirements vary across disciplines, but expectations are likely to be similar to standard lecture courses: you will be expected to read scholarship relevant to the project and learn relevant research techniques, skills or approaches.

Research Supervisors

Your research supervisor will help you set goals and plan your work. The amount of credit you receive, how many hours you work per week for that credit, and how you report your progress will be determined by the faculty member supervising your research. There is a general rule of understanding at Cornell that each credit hour is worth 3 hours of work per week, but many faculty will want you to work 4 or even 5 hours per week for each credit. In advance, discuss your faculty supervisor’s expectations for a “satisfactory” versus an “unsatisfactory” grade.