Students enrolled in SURTP will receive systematic and personal training on research. You will see how biology, physics, mechanics, and mathematics come together to solve interesting and challenging research problems that will potentially generate new knowledge to benefit medicine and health care. You will learn many essential and life-long skills along the way, including information searching, critical thinking, problem solving, and teamwork.

After graduation, if you are planning to earn an advanced degree, apply for a research and development position in industry, or work in a challenging and analytical environment, SURTP will help prepare you in pursuing your professional goals. 

As part of SURTP, you will participate in K-12 outreach activitities and a teaching assistantship with SURTP (see program schedule for details).  These opportunities will provide you with teaching and community service experience that add value to your career development. If you complete the three-semester SURTP and present your work in a professional conference and/or publish your research in a solid journal, you will be designated as an Undergraduate Research Scholar and presented with a certificate.

SURTP is open to any enrolled undergraduate students at Kennesaw State University. Students with strong interests and who are well-skilled in mathematics, physics, mechanics, and biology are especially welcome. SURTP consists of three semesters. Below are the prerequisites for advancing through the program. 

• First Semester - Physics I and Calculus II, or respective AP equivalent
• Second Semester - Successful completion of first SURTP semester with a grade of C or highter
• Third Semester - Successful completion of second SURTP semester with a grade of C or higher

Although is it strongly recommended that you take the three-semester SURTP consecutively, this is not mandatory. You can complete SURTP at your own pace before you graduate. In addition, SURTP is not a contract. You can choose to complete the first one or two semesters based on your learning objectives. You will earn the corresponding academic credits that will count towards your graduation if you successfully pass the courses.  On the other hand, you are very welcome to continue your research activities with the instructor after you have completed the three-semester SURTP. The instructor will be happy to work with you to further your research discovery and potentially publish your work in reputable journals.

Because there is an K-12 outreach component in SURTP (see program schedule for details), a background check is required, which is valid for three years. If you cannot pass the background check, you will not be able to participate in the outreach component. For this reason, please register for the courses at your earliest convenience to allow time for the necessary paperwork.

Given that SURTP is a three-semester program, you need to plan for it early in your undergraduate career at Kennesaw State University. You can join the program as a freshman as long as you meet the prerequisites. Every semester’s course is 3 credit hours. You will most likely use the SURTP courses as your elective courses to satisfy your degree requirements. If your degree program only allows 6 credits as the maximum for elective courses, you have the option to participate in the third semester without formally registering it as a course. Depending on your major, the third semester can also count as a capstone. You will still be eligible to become an Undergraduate Research Scholar and will receive a  certificate if you meet all the requirements. Some degree programs may have extra prerequisites or conditions regarding elective courses. If this is the case, you are encouraged to discuss your situation with your academic advisor and SURTP instructor at surtp@kennesaw.edu.

In case there is very limited flexibility of elective courses in your degree program, or you have already used all your elective credits, you can still participate in SURTP semester by semester without formally registering for the courses. You will need to obtain a letter from your academic advisor to certify that you cannot register for the SURTP courses. Please note that if you participate without registering, you will not earn any academic credit. You will receive the same level of training as those registered students and are expected to complete all the assignments. Unsatisfactory performance in the first or second semester will disqualify you for the second or third semester of SURTP. If you successfully complete all three semesters and meet the SURTP requirements, you will be recognized in the same way.

The workload of the SURTP courses is similar to any standard 3-credit-hour courses, i.e., you are expected to spend 3 hours per week in class and no less than 6 hours on average per week out of class on assignments. When you enter the third semester of the SURTP, you may spend less time in class but more time out of the class. When you plan for your classes and any other commitments you may have, it will be helpful if you are aware of the course expectations for which you register. 

We would like our SURTP students to be successful in their careers. All alumni of SURTP are encouraged to report their employment after graduation to the Department of Career Planning and Development (CPD) at Kennesaw State University.

If you agree, we will track your future performance once a year within three years of graduation by sending surveys to your supervisor. We will also love to hear your story of success as you move on.