The Impact of an Undergraduate Research Experience on Graduate Degree Attainment across Academic Divisions

Initially promoted in the sciences, undergraduate research experiences (UREs) are now common academic offerings for students across all areas of curricula. This study extends previous research by evaluating the impact of a URE along two new dimensions: on different graduate degree attainments of students PhD or master's/professional degrees and by the academic area of the URE (in the sciences, social sciences, or humanities). These issues are investigated using a unique student record database and employing an empirical framework to address the sample selection inherent in URE evaluation. UREs are found to have a positive impact on PhD completion in the sciences and social sciences but no impact in the humanities. No evidence is found that UREs impact attainment of master's and professional degrees.