Independent Study Project: Research Practicum in Business

Course Description

This Research Practicum in Business provides an individualized method of learning and an in-depth treatment of a topic of interest, with input from a faculty expert. It will give you hands-on practical experience working with a Fox School research faculty on an ongoing research project. Such research experiences can not only open many doors in the industry for you, but they are helpful for getting distinguished fellowships or admission into doctoral programs. This research practicum will not only enhance your resume for future educational and work opportunities, but it will also help develop professional relationships with professors and researchers who can offer valuable knowledge, guidance and help in getting references and letters of recommendations for your future career positions.

This is a highly selective program, which provides twenty undergraduate students an opportunity to work with Fox School faculty on a research project in accounting, finance, marketing, organizational behavior, supply chain, strategic managements, statistics and risk. This is a multi-disciplinary course and candidates from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Prerequisite

Interested students should demonstrate an enthusiasm for research and intellectual curiosity. The internship program is designed for undergraduate students in their sophomore or junior year. Exceptional students from other classes are considered on a case-by-case basis.

In order to apply, following criteria needs to be met.

1. You should be a registered Fox School of Business or STHM student.
2. You should have earned 100 FLPD research points. If you don’t have FLDP points before starting the course, you could finish this requirement while taking the course. FLDP research points could be earned by attending research workshops. In some cases, FLDP research points could also be earned by attending department seminars. Learn more about prerequisites and view the workshop schedule.

Contact Professor Monica Wadhwa with questions.

Learning Goals

• Develop critical thinking skills, required to identify appropriate business questions.
• Get hands-on research experience, formulating and solving business problems.
• Develop practical skills in developing instruments for researching the research question.
• Develop critical thinking and business communication skills.

Faculty Mentors

Whether or not the faculty mentor consents to mentor you on the independent study is at the discretion of the faculty member and is not guaranteed. Please make sure to check the faculty profiles on our website before expressing interest to work with a faculty member.

Course Materials

There is no required text for the course. However, you will be asked to read certain research papers, relevant to the topic you are researching.

Nature of the Class

Depending on the project you are involved in, it could involve any combination of the following activities.

• Creating or using databases
• Engaging in statistical analysis
• Summarizing scholarly literature
• Writing up research results

You will meet with your faculty or one of the lead research every week. In these meetings, you will get an opportunity to discuss your progress and get guidance.

Additionally, those enrolled into the study will get an opportunity to work in the department research seminar series with faculty, allowing students to be exposed to the variety of research performed in the business school.  The experience culminates with each student showcasing their work to the Fox School of Business Research community.

This course will require, on an average, 10 hours per week of work commitment.

Attendance Requirements

There are no attendance requirements for the course. However, you are expected to show up at scheduled one on one meeting with the faculty or any other arranged meeting with other researchers.

Assignments

Research Paper

You will be required to submit a 20 (double-spaced) page research paper based on your work with the faculty member. 

Presentation

You will have to present your research paper at

1. Fox research event at the end of the semester.
2. The university wide undergraduate research event that happens each spring.

Grading

Grades will be allocated based on how regular you are with meeting, performance on the tasks allocated to you by the professor, performance on the research papers and in presentations.

You could also opt for Credit/No Credit for this course.

This course could be taken for 2 or 3 credits. If you are taking it for the first time, you can only take it for 2 credits. If you are repeating the course to continue working on the project, you could take it for 2 or 3 credits.

Citizenship Behavior

As alluded to earlier, this is a highly selective program. Faculty are mentoring students interested in research so our undergraduate students have better opportunities on graduation. Please make sure that you show up for the scheduled meetings and are up to date with your work.

Accommodation for Disabilities

Temple University is committed to the inclusion of students with disabilities and provides accessible instruction, including accessible technology and instructional materials. The process for requesting access and accommodations for this course is:

1. Advise the professor of the need for access or accommodations.
2. Contact Disability Resources and Services (DRS) to request accommodations.
3. DRS will consult with the professor as needed about essential components of the program.
4. Present professor with DRS accommodation letter. You can reach Disability Resources and Services at 215-204-1280. DRS is located at 100 Ritter Annex, 1301 Cecil B. Moore Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19122 (Temple’s main campus). In addition: Fax: 215-204-6794; Email: [click-for-email].