Undergraduate Research

Collaborative Learning

Learning is about exploring, examining and investigating… and you’ll do all of that here at Oglethorpe. What makes this place special is that you’ll also learn by creating, inventing and innovating.

Here, experimental thinking is championed. Collaborative truth-seeking is supported. And diving deeper into knowledge is always encouraged. Our students aren’t passive pupils. Instead, they’re the type to take learning into their own hands — and research opportunities galore make that a lot easier to do.

Real-World Research

At Oglethorpe, intellectual inquiry has real-world implications. Just ask our Environmental Studies students, who’ve researched potential park locations in DeKalb County and helped the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area brainstorm ways to manage invasive plants.

You could also ask…

• The psychology students who travel to the Southeastern Psychological Association Conference every year to present their original research, complete with poster sessions.
• Or Andi Kezh ’23 who conducted her Honors research in Mexico City to assess sociocultural beliefs about the causes of cleft palates.
• Or the biology majors invited to present their research on genetic mutation to Georgia lawmakers at the State Capitol.

Honors Program

All students at Oglethorpe University are encouraged to attain academic and personal excellence through active engagement with and initiative in their education. The University offers an honors program for those students who demonstrate the potential and desire to further challenge themselves intellectually, both within and beyond the classroom setting. The honors program allows students the opportunity to forge closer relations with peers and faculty from various disciplines who have different interests, but share a common enthusiasm for learning, while developing their own interests and initiative.

Urban Ecology Program

Oglethorpe’s Environmental Studies/Urban Ecology program takes an interdisciplinary, experience-based approach to investigate the way people in urban areas interact with their environment. This inquiry draws from numerous disciplines, including: biology, economics, geography, psychology, politics, and sociology.

Rich Foundation Urban Leadership Program

Oglethorpe is a traditional liberal arts college in the dynamic international city of Atlanta. Its challenging liberal arts curriculum is the ideal framework for the Rich Foundation Urban Leadership Program because it teaches the timeless knowledge and skills essential to leadership in every kind of setting. This certificate program provides structured opportunities to address actual community problems by applying principles learned in curricular and co-curricular experiences.

Liberal Arts and Sciences Symposium (LASS)

All great ideas deserve their day in the sun. Enter: the Liberal Arts and Sciences Symposium (LASS), Oglethorpe’s annual celebration of invention and research produced by Oglethorpe students themselves. The symposium features student speakers who present papers, readings, art, and scientific posters. Check out this LASS playlist on YouTube for some of our student-scholars’ greatest hits.