The UROP program encourages undergraduate research by funding students who work as Undergraduate Research Assistants (URAs) on research projects sponsored by CS faculty members. Students appointed with UROP funding are expected to contribute under supervision to a program of departmental or interdepartmental research. Some UROP students work closely with their faculty advisors, often as part of a larger research team. Advanced research assistants may also carry out independent research on projects they have defined, under the guidance of a faculty member.

Requirements

To hold a UROP position:

• You must be enrolled for 12 hours to have a UROP appointment for a Fall or Spring semester. You must be registered and your tuition must be paid for your appointment to be processed.
• You must have been enrolled for 12 hours during the Spring semester or be enrolled for 3 hours in the Summer semester to have a UROP appointment during the Summer term.  For the latter, you must be registered and your tuition must be paid for your appointment to be processed.
• Your combined UT employment and semester-hour course load may not exceed 40 hours a week in any semester or Summer term.
• You must successfully pass a background check and you will be required to complete forms and submit documentation establishing your eligibility to work in the United States.

Pay

URAs can be assigned to work 10 or 20 hours per week at a pay rate based on their class rank as set by UT Human Resource Services. URAs appointed to a 20-hour position are eligible for an out-of-state tuition waiver (PDF) for the semester in which they receive UROP funding.

Application Process

Proposals in any CS research area are welcome. Appointment as a URA is distinct from registration for an individual instruction course (either CS 370 or CS 379H, or similar), and you do not need to be enrolled in such a course to apply.

Before you can apply, you must have a CS faculty member with whom to work. Then, with advice from the faculty member, you will be able to create your application, which includes a short description of your proposed research.

To complete the UROP Application, you need a CS faculty sponsor, and you must provide the following information:

1. Your name and UT EID
2. The name of the CS faculty member with whom you will be working
3. The number of hours you'd like to work on your research each week (either 10 or 20 hours weekly)
4. A current resume, including previous work experience
5. A list of the upper-division CS courses you have completed or in which you are enrolled, including the grade earned for each course completed
6. A short description of your proposed research (no more than three pages), including:
   • The role that research plays in your academic program and career goals
   • The impact of your particular work on other departmental research or, if it is part of a larger research effort, its impact on the field
   • Your qualifications to do the research
   • If you are enrolled in CS 370 or CS 379H (not required) or engaged in a research project through another course or a program such as FRI (Freshman Research Initiative), a description of your work in that course or program and how it relates to or is separate from your proposed UROP research

Most undergraduate research projects can be completed in one semester, but some take two semesters.  Because of this, UROP funding is limited to two semesters for each student, unless there are unusual circumstances related to the student's research project.

Proposals are due in July for the Fall semester, in December for the Spring semester, and in April for the Summer terms; specific dates are announced on this page. Please deliver your complete application on or before the deadline below for the semester for which you are requesting UROP funding to lmcnabb [at] cs [dot] utexas [dot] edu (Lori McNabb) in GDC 2.702.  (Emailed applications will not be considered.)

Next Application Deadline:  Applications for Summer 2013 UROPs are due by Monday, April 22 at 5:00 p.m.

Additional Information

If you have questions about UROP assignments, please contact lmcnabb [at] cs [dot] utexas [dot] edu (Lori McNabb).