Doctoral Undergraduate Opportunities for Scholarship (DUOS)

Application to the program is open to any Miami University undergraduate student in good standing - has a minimum 2.75 GPA, is not on probation, etc. - and who has agreed to abide by program requirements.

An undergraduate student can submit only one application per round of DUOS.

An undergraduate student can receive only one DUOS award during their academic career.

Graduate Student Mentor Eligibility

Application to the program is open to any Miami University full-time post-master’s doctoral student in good standing who has agreed to abide by program requirements.

A graduate student can submit only one application per round of DUOS.

Graduate student applicant must belong to one of Miami's doctoral departments: Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Educational Leadership, Geology and Environmental Earth Science, Microbiology, English (Rhetoric and Composition), Political Science, Gerontology, or Psychology. If their program does not offer a masters degree, the graduate student must be in at least their second year of graduate study.

The graduate student must be willing and able to:

• Provide appropriate supervision and mentorship of the undergraduate with whom she or he has elected to be paired. The program is not intended to support graduate student supervision of undergraduates who are doing menial tasks in service of the graduate student's research.
• Should assist the undergraduate to develop a proposed project that qualifies as research or other creative endeavor that will add to the sum of human knowledge and contribute to the growth of the scholarly or creative capability of the undergraduate scholar.

The supervising faculty member will commit to oversee the project and provide their certification by writing a one-page statement that addresses:

• The quality of the proposed project
• The undergraduate’s authorship of the project
• The capability of the graduate student to mentor the undergraduate

The signed statement (or copy of the email) MUST be included in the single page PDF file/project proposal submitted by the undergraduate student in their application.

The mentor will ensure the student(s) adhere to research compliance requirements prior to starting the project.

In the event that project goals are not being met, it is the responsibility of the faculty mentor to work with the researchers to revise the project and reset expectations and due dates.

Independent Study Credit

If deemed appropriate for the undergraduate student to receive credit, then the faculty member will serve as the instructor of record for that independent study.

• Monday, October 20 - APPLICATION Deadline.
• Mid-November - ORU emails DUOS selection notifications to all applicants.
• Wednesday, November 19 - Deadline for student to accept DUOS award.
• Mid-December - ORU transfers award amounts to faculty mentor departments.
• Spring (dates tbd) - Student researcher pairs participate in ORU-sponsored mentoring, professional development and/or training workshops.
• April 26, 2026 - DUOS recipients present research outcomes/progress at the annual Undergraduate Research Forum.

• Submit proposal final draft to the supervising faculty member at least two weeks prior to the application deadline for review and feedback.
• Either the undergraduate or graduate may initiate the application, but the undergraduate student is to have primary authorship of the project and submit the application.
• Fill out the APPLICATION form attaching a single PDF file, which consists of:
  • Three-to-five pages of DUOS proposal
  • One-page statement from supervising faculty member
• Label proposal using section headings listed below.
• Page Margins 1";  font size at least 11 point.
• PDF file naming format follows this pattern:  
  duos_26_app_undergrad unique id_grad student unique id. 
  • Example:  duos-26-app-smithab_jonesxy.pdf 

 Proposal Section Headings

Make sure to address each of these issues concisely:

• Access, Belonging, and Opportunity Statement
  
  • In the proposal, include a brief statement explaining how the project promotes access, broadens participation, or supports students and communities who have historically faced barriers in higher education or public life. This may involve addressing structural challenges, engaging with underserved populations, or exploring questions related to human rights, fairness, or opportunity. Please reference this aspect of your work in the abstract as well.
  • In keeping with university-wide efforts to foster an environment where all individuals can fully participate in research, scholarship, and creative activity, the Office of Research for Undergraduates (ORU) encourages proposals that reflect a commitment to expanding opportunity and advancing understanding across social and cultural contexts.
• Project Background and Goals
  • Clearly state your research question and discuss what you intend to accomplish, achieve, or determine by completing your project. What work have you or others already done on this problem? You should include a statement of hypothesis or of the creative question at issue.
• Creative Processes or Methodology
  • Describe the materials you will utilize, the manner in which you will approach your project and the major steps involved in completing your effort. Explain how your intended creative techniques or research methods are appropriate for accomplishing your stated goals.
• Expected Accomplishments or Results
  • Discuss how you will analyze your results and interpret them or how you will present and critique your final product. Explain the significance of the intended achievements or results to the original project goals.
• Educational Value for the Undergraduate
  • Review the list of DUOS program benefits in these guidelines and discuss. What preparation does the undergraduate bring to this project? What skills/knowledge will the undergraduate gain by conducting the project, and how does this fit into the overall educational/career goals of the student?
• Mentoring Plan
  • What experience/preparation does the graduate student mentor have for supervising this project? Preference will be given to graduate students who can document prior research collaboration with a faculty member. Describe the expected manner, form, and frequency of the interactions between the undergraduate scholar and graduate mentor for the duration of the project.
• Feasibility and Scope
  • Provide a detailed budget and explain why these items are needed for your project. Why is it realistic to complete the project, given the time frame and program funding limits?

DUOS traditionally funds up to 11 awards. Each project may receive up to $1,000. Awardees should budget 75% of funds to be used in direct support of the research project. The remaining 25% of the funds ($250) may be used for dissemination of research results (i.e., publication costs or for conference attendance).

Preference will be given to graduate students who can document prior research collaboration with a faculty member. 

The DUOS review committee considers the following criteria during proposal evaluation:

• Readability/clarity of the proposal and its conformity to the required format
• Quality of experiences proposed by applicants, including the significance of the problem to be addressed, the clarity of linkage between problem and method/creative process, the feasibility of the project in terms of the partners’ skills, time, and budget, and educational value to the undergraduate student.
• Quality and appropriateness of the mentorship supervision and interactions proposed
• Distribution of awards across disciplinary areas

Student researchers are required to attend up to four mentorship, professional development and/or training workshops offered/co-sponsored by ORU, during spring term. The award notification letter will list session times.

Award funds are required to be spent according to the budget in the submitted project proposal. Deviations must be approved by faculty department administration.

The undergraduate researcher is expected to present research outcomes at the annual Undergraduate Research Forum. 

A short summary (two slides) of research findings will be submitted to ORU (details in award letter).

Additional outcome products (paper, oral presentation, poster, artwork, portfolio, model, etc.) and due dates will be determined between the faculty mentor and student researchers. Also, research partners are strongly encouraged to aim toward regional/national/ international presentation/performance/dissemination of their work.