Contribute to exciting research and gain real-world skills as a Fusion Undergrad Scholar or UROP.
If you’re interested in pursuing graduate-level education in plasma physics or fusion science, these classes offer a solid academic foundation on which to continue your education.
Find answers to common questions about undergraduate opportunities at the PSFC.
Currently, all our opportunities are only for current MIT or Wellesley students. Please check out the SULI program at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory or look into summer internships that are offered at the national labs run by the Department of Energy, for example Oakridge or Sandia.
At this time there are no dedicated fusion undergraduate majors at MIT (or elsewhere, as far as we know); fusion is a field for Master’s and PhD studies. If you want to explore fusion more as an undergrad or know you want a career in fusion, your best bet is to participate in a UROP or become a FUSar and load up on courses that will best prepare you for graduate studies.
Both UROPs and FUSars are research opportunities for MIT undergraduates. UROPs are offered through MIT’s UROP office while FUSars is administered entirely through the PSFC. There is a dedicated application process to become a FUSsar, and a limited number of spots are available each year. FUSars commit to two semesters with at least 10 hours in the lab, and they take an additional pass/fail class; they are also paid at twice the rate of a UROP (if the FUSar is in good standing) and receive an additional stipend for professional development. UROPs are more flexible in terms of time commitment, both hours and duration, and there are typically more UROP opportunities available.
Unfortunately we do not have internships for high schoolers at this time. We recommend you check the Department of Energy and NASA internship pages for high school internships focusing on a similar subject matter.
