2025-2026 UCLA Student Research Programs

UCLA has multiple programs that match local organizations and governments with student researchers. They serve as mutually beneficial opportunities for students to explore the questions that staff are unable to answer and practitioners are able to provide real-world experience for the next generation of climate leaders. In general, these programs select clients 6-12 months before the work is completed.

• Luskin School of Public Affairs:

  • Masters of Urban Planning: Applied Planning and Research Project
    The MURP Applied Planning and Research Project is a year-long consulting agreement that pairs an individual Master of Urban and Regional Planning student with an external client partner to tackle a planning question. Working with the client and a UCLA faculty advisor, second year masters students  define a problem, design and conduct data collection, analyze and contextualize the information, and prepare a written and/or oral report for their client organization. Students gain experience working as consultants, and clients receive professional-level analysis and recommendations to drive action.  Learn more about Applied Planning Research Projects (Example of individual project on CUGU). Please submit your 2025-26 project idea by Friday, July 18th, 2025 for the first distribution to students. Ideas submitted after Friday, August 22, 2025 will not reach students.

  • Masters of Public Policy: Applied Policy Projects
    The Master of Public Policy Program culminates in a mandatory three-quarter sequence of courses, led by faculty advisers, dedicated to the preparation and presentation of a major Applied Policy Project (APP) on behalf of a client agency, nonprofit organization, or firm working in the public interest. The objective is to challenge students to conduct a detailed investigation of a real policy problem facing the client and to develop evidence-based and actionable recommended solutions. Students are encouraged to grapple with the challenges of policy implementation in the midst of competing and often conflicting social, political, economic, and technical interests. Projects are completed in teams of 4 to 5 students. Please submit your 2025-26 project idea by Friday, July 18th, 2025 for the first distribution to students. Ideas submitted after Friday, August 22nd, 2025 will not reach students.

• UCLA Anderson School of Management’s Applied Management Research (AMR) Field Study: Call for Applications from Nonprofits and Social Enterprises.

  In this six-month $5,000-$7,500 consulting engagement, nonprofit organizations and social enterprises can receive strategic and operational guidance from a team of 5 MBA students to address challenges in fiscal management, operations, marketing, and leadership transition.

  Client Application Deadline: July 31, 2025. For more information, contact impact@anderson.ucla.edu