The Moore Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program is a national 10-week, paid summer research fellowship that aims to diversify applicants who want to pursue a graduate degree or faculty position in the humanities, social sciences or fine arts. And now thanks to a $1 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, it will be able to do so better.
This is great, and this board is excited to see the great work MURAP participants go on to do.
The program’s ultimate goal is to increase minority representation in graduate level studies.
Students spend their summer paired with a mentor and are required to attend workshops and GRE review sessions. At the end of the summer, students produce a 20- to 25-page research paper edited and approved by their faculty mentor.
Currently, the program boasts an alumni base of 468 students as of July 2015 and continues to accept 22 students per cohort. According to its website, an impressive 59 percent of MURAP fellows have enrolled in or completed graduate programs. Fifty-four percent have completed or are in the process of completing a master’s degree, 33 percent have completed or are currently pursuing Ph.D. programs and 12 percent are teaching at major colleges or universities.
While programs like MURAP are rare, opportunities like these are important. Diversity of opinion leads to expanded scholarship.
Without a doubt, UNC has a long way to go before it can call itself “diverse.” However, there is such a need for minorities in graduate studies that UNC’s work can be appreciated.
