Research
As a student in the College of Liberal Arts, you can participate in a fascinating and impactful range of research, contributing to positive change in our world while also gaining hands-on skills.
Computational linguistics for voice-enabled technologies. The study of perception and cognition in animals to aid endangered species. Research aimed at improving the energy efficiency of video game consoles. These are just a few examples of intriguing research undertaken by students and faculty at the RIT College of Liberal Arts.
With initiatives in areas that integrate traditional research in the social sciences and humanities with new interdisciplinary fields in health, computing, science, and engineering, you can easily find something that suits your interests. Interdisciplinary research and an emphasis on community engagement and global perspectives represent defining characteristics of the college’s research portfolio.
How Students Can Participate in Research
While building a network of connections with professors at RIT, find people who are performing research in an area of your interest. Additionally, you may have the opportunity to:
- Become an RIT research assistant to get experience, earn a paycheck, and potentially fulfill your program’s co-op/experiential learning requirement.
- Co-author research that is published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at professional conferences.
- Completed a senior thesis or capstone project where you’ll dive into a topic of personal interest.
- Join one of the College of Liberal Art’s Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) to do hands-on research in interdisciplinary teams. Many of our COLA VIPs integrate liberal arts and technological innovation for a uniquely RIT experience.
For Undergraduate Students: Summer Research Fellow (SURF)
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) are summer immersion experiences that supplements research activities that occur during the academic year.
Typically, these highly competitive undergraduate programs are overseen by a member of a college's faculty who provides general guidance to the undergraduate's research work.
Areas of research vary widely and can come from a wide range of liberal arts, humanities, social science, or science disciplines. Other opportunities can be found by doing a Google search in your field of interest, asking your faculty advisor for suggestions, and searching government agencies, including National Institute of Standards and Technology."
Find an Expert
College of Liberal Arts faculty are experts in a variety of topics within their academic fields. Whether you’re looking for a professor whose research interests align with your own, or you need an authority explanation on a point of curiosity, you’ll be sure to find someone who can help you dig deeper in your search for answers.
Faculty Scholarship
An ever-growing body of research is produced by the College of Liberal Arts faculty at RIT, in a wide range of fields and formats. Their professional accomplishments include books, and articles, national and international presentations, exhibitions and original works, and more. Through these diverse types of media, we demonstrate our commitment to academic excellence and contribute to RIT's reputation as a scholarship leader.
Latest News
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July 16, 2026
Undergrads from colleges across the U.S. come to RIT for summer research
RIT is hosting four Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) program sites this summer, which are designed for students to develop a passion for research and receive guidance for pursuing graduate careers. The university has a longstanding history hosting REU sites, which are funded by grants from the National Science Foundation.
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June 26, 2026
RIT historians elevate local LGBTQ+ history in a new exhibit
Using never-before-shared archival documents, photographs, videos, and oral history interviews, the exhibition at George Eastman Museum explores how Kodak's Lambda members changed corporate culture and benefit policies to be more inclusive.
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May 29, 2026
Research, art history, and imaging science came together at RIT this week
The Cultural Heritage Imaging Lab — a joint effort between the Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science in the College of Science and Museum Studies in the College of Liberal Arts — hosted a team of researchers from the National Gallery of Art for work connected to The CIIIPRESES Project.
Share News about Your Research
Share news about your research and shine a light on the innovative and impactful work RIT College of Liberal Arts students, alumni, faculty, and staff are doing.
- Collaborate to create a Featured Work, Featured Profiles, and News content blocks on a College of Liberal Arts Web page: Contact Kim Walters, College of Liberal Arts marketing and communications director, to collaborate on publishing a content block. These profile intake templates can help give you a head start:
Student self-reported spotlight template
Alumni self-reported spotlight template
Faculty researcher spotlight template
- Add content to your RIT faculty or staff directory profile. Here's a "How to" doc that explains the process.
- Submit a Newsmaker. Newsmakers are a quick and easy way to acknowledge the professional and academic accomplishments of RIT students, faculty, and staff, such as publishing an article in a scholarly journal, presenting research at a conference, serving on a panel discussion, earning a scholarship, or winning an award. Newsmakers appear in News and Events as well as the "In the News" section on faculty/staff directory profile pages.
- Submit to Faculty Scholarship.
- Publish your work at RIT Scholar Works. For example, works by students who received the 2023 College of Liberal Arts Undergraduate Writing Awards are published here.