SRP 99 Faculty Resources

SRP AND BECOMING A FACULTY MENTOR

Student Research Program (SRP 99)

UCLA’s Student Research Program (SRP 99) assists undergraduates in obtaining research skills, in defining academic interests and objectives, and in becoming part of the larger university research community. SRP 99 is designed as an entry-level research or creative inquiry experience and allows undergraduates early in their academic careers to participate in research and creative inquiry or engage in scholarly efforts under the direction of a faculty mentor.

After completing an SRP 99, many undergraduates seek greater engagement in research and complete honors theses and upper-division independent study courses.

How the Program Works

SRP 99 research and creative projects may be faculty-initiated (the student helping a faculty member with a project) or student-initiated (the faculty member mentoring a student on a project the student initiated). Faculty members seeking students to assist with faculty-initiated projects are encouraged send their project descriptions and specific student researcher responsibilities to urhass@college.ucla.edu. For examples of faculty-initiated projects, see sample undergraduate projects.

Students enrolled in SRP 99 contract courses receive 1 unit of credit for 3-5 hours of work per week or 2 units of credit for 6-10 hours of work per week (pass/no pass grading). The faculty mentor and student establish the specific meeting times, project goals, and assigned hours. It is the faculty mentor’s responsibility to determine the course grading guidelines and to communicate to the student the assignments and/or hours expected to pass the course.

SRP Faculty Participation Form

All Assistant, Associate, and full Professors are automatically eligible to mentor students on SRP 99 contract courses. Non-ladder faculty such as Adjunct Professors and Lecturers are eligible to mentor students on SRP 99 contract courses with email approval from their Chair. If you are non-ladder faculty and would like to become an SRP 99 faculty mentor, please fill out the Faculty Participation Form and send it to the Undergraduate Research Center (contact information below). The form remains on file after you submit it. You do not need to submit another form to mentor in subsequent quarters.

Submit a Research Position

Each quarter students are looking for research and creative projects. Please click this link to submit your research project description and student research assistant position, including specific responsibilities. For sample faculty-initiated projects, see sample undergraduate projects.

SRP 99 Program Details

Students receive 1 unit of credit for 3-5 hours of work per week or 2 units of credit for 6-10 hours of work per week.
Students enroll in SRP 99 courses by submitting SRP contracts (available on MyUCLA) to the Undergraduate Research Center–Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences via Message Center. SRP 99 contracts must be signed by the faculty mentor. An e-mail from the faculty mentor can be accepted in lieu of a signature.
SRP 99 contracts are due by 4:30 p.m. the Friday of second week (excluding zero week) for fall, winter, and spring quarters. SRP contracts are also due the Friday of second week for all summer sessions.
Each student can only submit one SRP 99 contract per quarter.
In summer, students can enroll in Summer Session A for 6 weeks, Summer Session A for 10 weeks, or Summer Session C for 6 weeks. Students wishing to enroll in SRP 99 for the whole summer should choose the 10-week option; they cannot enroll in both summer sessions A and C for 6 weeks. SRP 99 contracts do not carry a unit fee in summer session; students only enrolling in SRP 99 units during the summer will only pay the Campus Fee and IEI fee. Click here for current rates.
Students in the College may take up to 10 units of SRP 99 credit during their undergraduate careers. Only 6 of those units will count towards graduation. After a student has completed 6 units of SRP 99 coursework, the student may enroll in an additional 4 units without credit applied toward the degree. SRP 99 units do not count towards the maximum units allowed.
All undergraduates in good academic standing and enrolled as full-time students (prior to enrolling in SRP 99 units) are eligible to enroll in an SRP 99. If a student in the College is enrolling in more than 19 units, he or she must petition the appropriate College advising unit (College Academic Counseling, AAP, or Honors) for additional units prior to submitting the SRP 99 contract.
Faculty members can mentor a maximum of 10 SRP 99 students each quarter.

Submit SRP 99 Grades

Grades must be submitted one week after the end of finals week through the Gradebook Express system on MyUCLA.

If a grade is not submitted prior to the close of the grading period, the student will receive a grade of “NR,” or Not Reported. This grade will not be changed until the faculty mentor submits a completed Missing Grade Form, available from the Undergraduate Research Center–Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences office.

Contact Us

Undergraduate Research Center –
Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
(310) 825-2935
urhass@college.ucla.edu

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SAMPLE UNDERGRADUATE PROJECTS

SRP 99 research projects may be faculty-initiated (the student helping a faculty member with a project) or student-initiated (the faculty member mentoring a student on a project the student initiated).

Undergraduates have contributed in many ways to faculty-initiated projects, including:

translating
performing archival research
creating databases
analyzing data
conducting interviews
developing surveys and questionnaires
writing literature reviews
transcribing films, interviews, and other materials
searching through online repositories
cataloging information
building websites
developing GIS applications and other digital tools
creating research-based events and programs
helping to prepare manuscripts for publication
exploring potential new areas of research

SRP 99 VS. DEPARTMENTAL 199 COURSES

We often receive questions about the differences between 99 and 199 courses. Key differences are outlined below. However, please also check with your department, as departmental 199 courses may vary.

Overview: 99 and 199

While SRP 99 courses are designed as entry-level research courses (1-2 units with pass/no pass grading), departmental 199 courses are upper-division research courses (usually up to 4 units with letter grading). Both courses allow students to work on an independent research project under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Students often take departmental 199 courses after they take SRP 99 courses (as a “next step”), but enrollment in an SRP 99 course is not a prerequisite to enrolling in a departmental 199 course.

In many departments, students pursuing honors enroll in 198 courses instead of 199 courses. In addition to 198 and 199 courses, some departments offer 190, 191, 196 and 197 upper-division research courses.

Units and Time Commitment

For SRP 99 courses, students receive 1 unit of credit for 3-5 hours of work per week or 2 units for 6-10 hours of work per week. For departmental 199 courses, students typically receive 3-4 units of credit for 12-20 hours of work per week. (Departments vary, however; check with your department for details.)

SRP 99 is a one-quarter commitment, but students often take SRP 99 courses multiple times. Students in the College may take up to 10 units of SRP credit during their undergraduate careers. Only 6 of those SRP units count towards graduation; once students have completed 6 SRP units, they may enroll in an additional 4 SRP units without credit applied toward the degree.

Many students sign up for multiple quarters of 199 or 198 courses, and many departments offer these courses as a series (e.g. 199A, 199B, 199C).

Enrollment

Students enroll in SRP 99 by submitting SRP contracts (available on MyUCLA) to the Undergraduate Research Center–Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences via Message Center by 4:30 p.m. the Friday of second week (excluding zero week). SRP contracts must be signed by the faculty mentor.

The deadlines and procedures for enrolling in 199 courses vary by department. In many departments, the deadline is also the Friday of second week.

Questions

For questions about SRP 99, please contact the Undergraduate Research Center–Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences at urhass@college.ucla.edu or (310) 825-2935.

For questions about 199 or equivalent upper-division research courses, please contact your departmental office.