Internship Programs

MUS Research Scholar Program – *NEW*

MUS Research Scholar Program is an initiative of CERSP (the Center for Explanatory Research and Scientific Prediction), a nonprofit research organization dedicated to improving how we explain, anticipate, and respond to social change.

The program was created to provide talented MUS alumni—current college students and recent graduates—with something that is increasingly difficult to find: the opportunity to contribute to genuine Social Science academic research under the guidance of experienced scholars.
Research is not simply learned in a classroom. It is learned by asking difficult questions, working with real data, solving unexpected problems, collaborating with others, and being involved in  a project from idea to publication. The MUS Research Scholar Program was created to give talented and ambitious young scholars that experience.

By launching this program, CERSP hopes to create something lasting for future generations of MUS students and alumni—connecting ambition with opportunity, mentorship with meaningful work, and the long-standing MUS tradition of excellence with applied research looking for solution to  the key challenges that our society is facing.

Why your Support Matters

Founding gifts make it possible to build and operate the MUS Research Scholar Program. Your support helps fund every aspect of creating a rigorous and meaningful research experience, including:

• recruiting outstanding scholars
• designing research projects
• one-on-one mentorship and supervision
• research methods training
• data, software, and computational resources
• program administration and coordination
• student-facing research activities

Rather than simply observing research, MUS Research Scholars become members of active research teams working on real projects with real-world impact. Your generosity helps transform students’ potential into genuine research experience.

About CERSP

CERSP was founded to improve the way researchers explain, predict, and understand social change. Bringing together expertise from political science, economics, sociology, psychology, statistics, and computational social science, CERSP develops innovative approaches to research while creating opportunities for the next generation of scholars.

The MUS Research Scholar Program reflects that same philosophy: excellent research is built not only through new ideas, but by investing in talented young people and giving them the opportunity to learn alongside experienced researchers. 

Why We Started this Program 

CERSP Founding Co-Director Matthew Loveless (MUS Class of 1989) developed the MUS Research Scholar Program as a way to promote several of the values that shaped his own experience at MUS: loyalty, excellence, opportunity, mentorship, and legacy.

During more than twenty years as a university professor and researcher in the United States and Europe, he has taught thousands of students, published internationally in political science and quantitative methods,[c1]  written one of the most popular textbooks in Statistics and Research Methods aimed at Social Science students, received multiple teaching awards, and co-founded CERSP to advance research on explanation and prediction in the social sciences.

One lesson has remained constant throughout Matthew’s academic career: students who have the opportunity to participate in real research projects develop confidence, independence, and professional skills that often shape the rest of their careers.

The MUS Research Scholar Program is intended to provide that opportunity for future generations of MUS students and alumni.

What Research Scholars Receive 

Every Research Scholar becomes an active participant in CERSP’s research community and receives:

• Individual mentorship from experienced researchers
• Participation in active research projects in social science
• Training in research methods, data analysis, and scientific communication
• Experience working within an international research organization
• Professional mentoring for graduate school and career development
• Participation to tangible research products, including literature reviews, data analyses, research briefs, policy memos, reports, and other project outputs suitable for professional portfolios.

This is not a traditional internship. It is an opportunity to become part of a working research team.

BUTTON: Become a Founding Supporter

As a Founding Supporter, your gift helps establish a program that we hope will serve talented MUS alumni for many years to come.

• $500 — Research Scholar Supporter: Helps fund student recruitment, onboarding, training materials, and the early infrastructure needed to launch the program.
• $1,000 — Research Scholar Sponsor: Helps support project design, mentorship, supervision, and the development of a structured Research Scholar experience.
• $2,500 — Research Scholar Partner: Provides major support for the launch cohort, including scholar training, project supervision, research resources, software, and program coordination.
• $5,000 — Founding Research Scholar Patron: Provides foundational support for building a sustainable MUS Research Scholar Program that can continue serving future generations of students.

Contributions support the full cost of developing and operating the MUS Research Scholar Program, including research supervision, mentoring, training, administration, data and software resources, and student-facing research activities.
 Our Commitment to Donors

We believe supporters should see the impact of their investment. Each year, donors will receive a program report highlighting the year’s Research Scholars, the projects completed, milestones., and the broader impact made possible through their generosity.

Founding donors will always be recognized as those who helped launch the MUS Research Scholar Program and create new opportunities for future generations of MUS alumni. 

BUTTON: Fund the MUS Research Scholar Program

CERSP is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your contribution to the MUS Research Scholar Program is tax-deductible to the fullest extent permitted by U.S. law.