Transcript Listing and Receiving Course Credit for External Research
Students participating in research away from Georgia Tech may be eligible to have the experience listed on their official Georgia Tech transcript. Approval of the experiences, including length and time committed per week and actual work performed, will be solely at the discretion of the individual departments in which credit is being sought. All experiences must have an official Georgia Tech faculty co-mentor involved (in some cases, the undergraduate coordinator of the department with the closest expertise will serve as the co-mentor).
Students should find a faculty mentor within the discipline most closely associated with the internship and approach them regarding possible co-mentoring. The co-mentoring can vary in levels of engagement depending on the faculty mentor and project needs. Engaged mentors are strongly suggested since they can provide additional expertise, research know-how to the project, and can suggest possible future collaborations or a continuation of the project. Once a mentor is identified, students have two options for which they can participate in the external experience:
- COURSE CREDIT - Students may receive graded course credit for their work. Students should sign up for the "Undergraduate Research" course within the department of their Georgia Tech co-mentor. Freshmen and sophomores should sign up for XX 2699, and juniors and seniors should sign up XX 4699. For every three hours worked on the project per week, a student should receive one hour of course credit. The Georgia Tech mentor will assign a grade at the end of the term and will most likely suggest a final product, such as a short report or poster. Tuition will be charged for this course.
- RESEARCH ASSISTANTSHIP / AUDIT CREDIT - Students being paid for their research away from Georgia Tech (or volunteering their time) may be eligible to receive a listing on their transcript of the experience. Students should sign up for the "Undergraduate Research Assistantship" course within the department of their Georgia Tech co-mentor. This is a free, non-billable course. Freshmen and sophomores should sign up for XX 2698, and juniors and seniors should sign up for XX 4698. For every three hours worked on the project per week, a student should receive one hour of course credit.
Students must sign up for course or audit credit no later than the last date of late registration. Course sections must be created for students in the specific schools and permits issued for registration. Each school has different processes by which students sign up for the courses.
Students who are being paid for research should not obtain graded course credit, but instead enroll in the research assistantship course as outlined above. For additional information, students should contact our office at urop@gatech.edu or the undergraduate coordinator within the applicable department.