Undergraduate Research Opportunity

A UROP is an opportunity for an undergraduate student to take part in an existing research project. The student does not propose a project but joins one, works on it, and reflects on it. The student works with a supervisor and sometimes as a member of a larger team. The student can expect to undertake some of the following:

  • discussion of research proposals
  • research team / international collaborator meetings
  • discussion of research directions and contributions / problems / challenges
  • data collection
  • data analysis
  • writing of research findings
  • bibliographical search
  • attendance and/or presentation at local and/or international seminars and conferences

A student can only work on one UROP per declared major during his/her candidature in NUS.

Workload, credit, grades?

Students are expected to clock 130 hours, accumulated during a singular period working on the research project (10 hours weekly over 13 weeks). UROP’s are to be undertaken over one semester or during the vacation break (special term fees will apply).

A UROP is worth 4 Units.

A UROP is graded like a course in the student’s major and cannot be taken on an S/U basis. The grading is done by the research leader/supervisor.

Assessment

Students should view a UROP holistically, comprising their participation in the research project, continuing discussions with the research leader/supervisor and a summation of the lessons learnt from their experience. Assessment for a UROP comprises three components:

Contribution to the project – 20%. This encompasses the student’s overall participation, including the efficiency with which tasks are completed, involvement in ongoing discussions, and inputs to the project.

A journal  - 30%. This is a document detailing a student’s learning journey. The journal should offer a thoughtful reflection of the project, recording the research undertaken and the student's involvement in it, read by and discussed with the supervisor.

An essay of 3000-4000 words – 50%. This should be a research paper that synthesizes and critically assesses the research to which the student has contributed. It should evaluate the success of the research using the norms and expectations of the discipline, and look ahead to possible future developments.

How are students recruited?

Students can be recruited either by invitation from a research leader or by application for an advertised UROP. In the first case, the research leader takes the initiative. In the second, the student needs to check the list below.

Students who are choosing the topics offered by Asia Research Institute are to obtain endorsement from their major departments to ensure that it can be used to fulfil their major requirements.

Please submit the completed form FASS 115-10: FASS Undergraduate Research Opportunity to the department offering the UROP before CourseReg round 1 starts.

How are students selected?

Final selection is at the discretion of the research leader.

However, the student must have declared a Major, completed a minimum of 24 Units in that Major, have a GPA of at least 3.2 and be able to benefit from the experience of the UROP.

How are UROPs Vetted?

Each UROP is vetted by the department offering it. The research leader provides the department’s UROP representative with a description of the research project, the student's role in it and an overview of the assessment criteria.

 

**For current FASS students**

Please visit the Student Portal for the list of Undergraduate Research Opportunity (UROP) offered by the respective Departments or Institutes.

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