Co-sponsored by UCSD Division of Global Public Health, UCSD Center for Comparative Immigration Studies, UCSD Latin American Studies Program, and SDSU Graduate School of Public Health

The MMFRP is a unique opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students who want an in-depth, hands-on research experience focused on international migration. Students involved in MMFRP consistently report that their participation in this program is a life-changing experience, as they gain an understanding of the Mexico-to-U.S. migration experience that could never have been obtained in a typical classroom environment.

What will you get out of this program?

• Hands-on, community-based field research experience in Mexico and the United States.Experience working with a multidisciplinary research team of undergrads and graduate students from both countries.
• Extensive, direct guidance and training from professors at UCSD, SDSU, and partner institutions.
• Opportunities to explore how public policies, economics, and culture on both sides of the border affect
  the health of migrants to the U.S. and of family members who are left behind.
• Learn how to gather and analyze both qualitative and quantitative data using the latest social science and biomedical methods
• The opportunity to have your work published as a professional journal article.

For undergraduates this program, with its unique research and scientific writing opportunities, is excellent preparation for graduate school as well as a career in teaching, public health, non-governmental organizations, and law.  For graduate students, the program can be used to satisfy an international field experience requirement, obtain data for a thesis project, and expand your publications record.

During Fall Quarter/Semester 2011 students will be trained in field research methods and in how to conduct fieldwork in other cultural settings.  In Winter Quarter/Semester 2012 students will study a high-migration town in rural Yucatán, México, and its satellite communities in Los Angeles and Orange County.

Click here for a list of proposed topics of study for MMFRP next year.

Who is eligible to participate?

• Graduate and advanced undergraduate students in all majors, all six UCSD colleges and the SDSU College of Public Health and Human Services/Graduate School of Public Health are eligible to apply.

What does it cost?

• Students selected to participate in the program will pay a non-refundable $200 registration fee.  Scholarships are available to cover the costs of travel, food, lodging, and other expenses during fieldwork in Mexico and in the U.S. field research sites.

What are the requirements for the program?

• Proficiency in conversational Spanish
• Commitment to take both the Fall Quarter/Semester and Winter Quarter/Semester courses (total of 2 courses).

How do I apply?

To begin your application, visit the online application page. The on-line form will guide you to the next step in the process. The deadline to apply is April 15. A personal interview is required for admission to the program. If you are selected for an interview you will be contacted during the week of April 18-22. Interviews will be conducted between April 25-29.