Connecting Experiences
All BDP students are required to participate in at least one Connecting Experience as part of their certificate requirements.
A Connecting Experience is a research, internship, or independent creative project experience taken for credit, under the supervision of a faculty mentor. We call these opportunities “connecting experiences” because they offer you the chance to integrate your major field with your BDP topic, as well as the chance to apply what you’re learning in the classroom to hands-on experiences.
If you’ve never done research before, you may be thinking that research is for someone in a lab coat, or for an advanced scholar. As you’ll discover as a BDP student, though, many undergraduates participate in research at UT, and research can take a variety of forms. Here are some of the ways BDP students engage in Connecting Experiences:
- Acting as a research assistant on a faculty member’s existing research project.
- Serving as an intern with a community organization, business, or government office.
- Pursuing an independent research project.
- Creating an independent creative project with a faculty mentor.
- Conducting a research project or participating in an internship as part of a study abroad trip.
The BDPs emphasize undergraduate participation in faculty research because research allows you to explore potential careers, hone communication and critical thinking skills, and connect with faculty mentors who get to know your interests and skills.
The BDP Connecting Experience advisors support you in finding research and internship experiences that connect to your major and your career plans. The EUREKA! Web site also provides a variety of resources, including scholarship information and a database of faculty research interests.
Read about past and current BDP students' connecting experiences:
- Children and Society Connecting Experiences
- Cultural Studies Connecting Experiences
- Digital Arts and Media Connecting Experiences
- Environment Connecting Experiences
- Ethics and Leadership Connecting Experiences
- Film Studies Connecting Experiences
- International Studies Connecting Experiences
- Social Entrepreneurship and Non-profits Connecting Experiences
- Social Inequality, Health, and Policy Connecting Experiences
"The greatest benefit for me has been gaining knowledge and experience in a field that I am interested in that was not available within my major. The best part about the connecting experiences for me is seeing how the concepts taught in the classroom tie in to real world applications."
- Noah Weiss, Environment