Abstract: Organizations such as the American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and the American Psychological Association (APA) have developed outcomes that describe the competencies expected of students completing their post-secondary education. While online and face-to-face education may go head-to-head on the quality of teaching and curriculum, traditional brick and mortal institutions are often at an advantage when it comes to applied research experiences. The purpose of this presentation is to describe how an online undergraduate program in psychology provides authentic research experiences for non-traditional students in a virtual educational space to help students demonstrate the competencies of critical thinking, professional development, qualitative and quantitative reasoning, research skills, and communication. The research programs will be described, along with faculty and student recruiting measures, best practices, and logistical challenges.