College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences > About > Initiatives > Urban Collaborative > Student Urban Research Corps

Student Urban Research Corps

Building real-world experience

The Student Urban Research Corps (SURC) is housed in The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and is made up of graduate and undergraduate student researchers. Corps members work as part of the multidisciplinary Urban Collaborative and participate in data collection, management, and analysis, including the creation of data visualizations, for urban and community-based studies and projects. Corps members also take part in Urban Collaborative-sponsored events, talks, and small group discussions with faculty and their peers.

The SURC provides up to 15 students project-based opportunities for hands-on experience working with community partners who have reached out to DePaul seeking research assistance. The SURC gives students a unique opportunity to use their technical and analytical skills to support these community partners while also building real-world experience and competencies with the support and guidance of faculty and staff from the Urban Collaborative.

SURC members contribute to projects brought to the Urban Collaborative by community organizations and municipalities. Such projects might include demographic and neighborhood analyses, program evaluation, mapping, and the like. As a member of the Corps, DePaul students will work on these requests, producing deliverables to share with and present to those making the request. Members of the SURC also attend 2-3 Urban Collaborative events per academic quarter.

Graduate and undergraduate students pursuing a major, minor, or graduate degree in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, with priority given to areas of study that comprise the Urban Collaborative and its affiliated units: Community Service Studies, Criminology, Geography, Nonprofit Management, Political Science, Public Administration, Public Health, Public Policy, Public Service, Refugee and Forced Migration Studies, Social Work, Sociology, and Sustainable Urban Development.

Corps members should be dependable, comfortable working with and listening to community partners, detail-oriented, critical thinkers, and skilled in analysis of data.

The best candidates will be graduate or undergraduate students with experience in data analysis and data visualizations. To join the Corps, applicants should have some proficiency in one or more of the following:

  • Geographic Information Systems (GIS) – preferably ESRI’s ArcGIS platform (StoryMap, ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, etc.) although other GIS software can be utilized
  • Statistical Analysis – software skills in Stata, SPSS, SASS, Excel, and/or R-Studio
  • Program Evaluation

Members are expected to work up to 5 hours per week on projects from community partners, attending events held by the Urban Collaborative, or other related activities. Employment is not continuous but is project-based with flexible hours.

Corps members are appointed for one quarter at a time, with the possibility of reappointment for subsequent quarters.

Yes, please visit the Office of Student Employment and the Campus Job Board for current openings and hourly pay rates.

Students will be informed of the application window for SURC through the Office of Student Employment’s Campus Job Board and through general announcement.

Corps members have the opportunity to connect with our wide network of faculty, peers, alumni, and community partners who are dedicated to understanding urban issues and advancing solutions. In addition, Corps members are asked to join the faculty and staff of the Urban Collaborative at 2-3 events per quarter.

No course credit is offered for this opportunity.

Email urbanresearchcorps@depaul.edu.