Visiting Scholars

VRSs are faculty members from outside of UCCS with a Ph.D. or its equivalent degrees or working experience whose primary purpose for residence at our Department is to conduct independent research. The length of stay for a VRS is at least three months and appointments are granted at most one year at a time, with a maximum cumulative appointment time of two years. VSR positions are not compensated.

Minimum screening criteria

Visiting Research Scholars need to meet the following minimum criteria for us to further consider your application:

1. You must currently be working as a faculty member of a university or college;
2. You must currently hold a Ph.D. or its equivalent degrees or working experience;
3. You must have an ongoing research project that fits the specialties of at least one faculty member;
4. You must have an English proficiency that is suitable to complete the proposed research project at our Department.

A VSR is a graduate student who is currently enrolled in a master or doctorate degree program of another university. The primary purpose for residence at our Department is to accumulate hands-on research experience on the topic of his/her master thesis or doctoral dissertation under the guidance of one designated faculty member and by using our resources. Generally, VSRs must hold a bachelor’s degree. The minimum length of stay for a VSR is one semester and the maximum length is one year. VSR will not be compensated.

Minimum screening criteria

Visiting Student Researchers need to meet the following minimum criteria for us to further consider your application:

1. You must currently be enrolled in a master or doctoral degree program;
2. You must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher;
3. You must be working on a master thesis or doctoral dissertation which topically aligns with specialties of at least one faculty member;
4. You must have an English proficiency that is suitable to complete the thesis or dissertation at our Department.

Application materials and screening procedure

Applicants should find a UCCS Sociology faculty member whose research areas are consistent with and can support the research that the applicant plans to conduct while in residence. The applicant should then contact the UCCS Sociology faculty member by email to indicate their interest in the Visiting Scholars Program and determine if that faculty member can sponsor their visit.

1a. Required materials for VRSs

• Most recent CV in English (containing at least educational background, publications, and teaching experience);
• Research proposal (no longer than 10 pages, carefully describe research goals that you want to achieve at our Department, the resources you need from our Department and/or from UCCS, and the choice of hosting faculty member);
• English proficiency test report (which should be verifiable online).

1b. Optional materials for VRSs

• Personal statement;
• Writing sample (in English, no longer than 35 pages).

2a. Required materials for VSRs

• Official transcript in English showing cumulative GPA;
• Thesis/Dissertation outline (no longer than 10 pages, carefully describe progress towards the completion of your thesis/dissertation that you want to achieve at our Department, the resources you need from our Department and/or from UCCS, and the choice of hosting faculty member);
• English proficiency test report (which should be verifiable online).

2b. Optional materials for VSRs

• Personal statement;
• Writing sample (in English, no longer than 35 pages).

After carefully considering your application, we may invite applicants to remote interviews, which will lead to our final decision. The remote interview will be organized after we receive your application and all required materials.

All visiting scholars will have access to the following resources:

• An office space (may be shared) in our Department;
• Internet connection (including Wi-Fi in the range of UCCS campus);
• Computer lab; Collections of Kraemer Family Library, including e-journals;

We believe that scholars will reach higher academic achievements in our VSP via actively participation in various academic activities. Therefore, we expect visiting scholars to meet the following expectations during their residence at our Department :

• Deliver one formal presentation on his/her work-in-progress;
• Participate regularly in departmental or interdisciplinary program seminars;
• Engage in formal or informal discussions with our graduate students;
• Undertake collaborative research with designated faculty member;
• Give at least one guest lecture (90 minutes) in class.

The U.S. Department of State has promulgated new regulations for participants in programs that require a J-1 visa, which require our department to receive a verifiable assessment of an applicant’s English language proficiency. Applicants to the VSP must provide performance report from standardized English language tests, including TOEFL, IELTS, or PET.

Click the button below for more information about the application and screening procedure.

Click the button below to see previous visiting scholars.