Frequently Asked Questions
by
EButler
—
last modified
2008-04-08 1510
Up one level
Commonly asked questions about application criteria & guidelines, program requirements, research requirements, and more.
FAQ overview
You may still be accepted into the UGR Scholars program if your research mentor can write you a strong letter of recommendation for your project.
Also, the GPR requirement is meant to be the GPR at the start of the program (in the Fall).
This program is very similar to the University Research Fellows Program, which is run through the Honors Program; the main difference is that the Undergraduate Research Scholars program is open to ALL students, not just those in the Honors Program. We are trying to make this kind of research experience available to a broader cross section of the undergraduate population.
Students with junior or senior standing who are currently participating in independent research may be eligible to become Undergraduate Research Scholars. Interested students should visit http://ugr.tamu.edu/scholars/requirements0607/ to learn about the benefits and the full requirements of this program.
If you are planning to graduate this coming December and have not yet been involved in a research program, then it will not be possible for you to participate. Typically, students involved in this program will spend 2 semesters working on a project and writing it up.
Your current hours can be applied toward the total of 6 needed.
You may still apply for the program and note your appeal for relaxing the number of credit hours required on your application. Also, it is possible to take another 2 hours of 485 in the spring while completing the written part of this program.
There is $300 available in funding for posters, research, equipment, conference fees, travel, etc. This is to help defray some of the cost of carrying out your research projects. If funding is an important element of your research plan, you should make that explicit in your proposal narrative.
Click here for information on Reimbursement
Can my research project be in conjunction with other students or in a group with a faculty member with funding in which I am working on certain aspects?
There is no problem for your research to be performed in collaboration with a group of researchers. They could either be fellow students or research and professional staff working in a lab on campus. The important element of the program is that you must have responsibility for some aspect of that research program and write it up as your thesis. If there are several students working together, each must have their own individual thesis topic and document. So it is okay to work in a group as long as each of you has a separate question to write up in the end.
It is possible for students in the College of Engineering or other research-based majors to participate in this program; however, participating will require some work with your advisor and your research mentor. You will either have to arrange to have this research activity replace your capstone design course requirements or you will have to take the extra hours outside of your degree requirements. You should talk to you advisor about your interest in doing research and see what they recommend.
Do we have to take 6 research credit hours this year? I've already completed a 485 from last spring and now working on a 485 this semester.
You will be able to mix and match credits toward this requirement provided they are supporting work on the same project. The idea of this program is to have a student work for 2 long semesters or a 10 week summer session and a long semester to allow them the opportunity to work on a problem in depth. It is important to spend this time concentrating on a single problem.
The issue of publication for the program is to establish the level of research expected. We are wishing for students to be involved with research questions that are appropriate for journal publication. However, in order to complete the program, you are NOT required to have published anything, but this experience should put you in a position to do so if you wish.
Is the undergraduate research limited to the sciences or could there be an opportunity for research at Texas A&M for my field?
It is our intention to offer this opportunity to students in as many colleges as possible, since nearly all undergraduate programs require some level of independent inquiry to graduate. If you are unsure about the level of participation in your department for the program, contact Dr. Webb at ugr@tamu.edu. In principle, your capstone/design projects are the types of things that would likely qualify, but how the program will operate in your program will be up to the dean of your college.
Regarding the credit hour issue, if your course of study has a limit on the number of hours that can be taken, we are prepared to accept a request (a letter from the research advisor) for waiving this requirement, provided that the student and advisor agree on the time commitment that will be expected during the project.
In order to participate in both programs you would need to be doing two different projects, since both programs require a written "original" thesis.
At this time the benefit to the students beyond doing the research will primarily be ceremonial in nature. We will have an awards ceremony at the end of the spring term to honor the participants with diploma-like certificates and to present an award to the best thesis submitted. In addition, we will be encouraging students to present their work at conferences, and there will be some travel monies that we can make available as needed to help with this travel.
You can find the details on the requirements for the program on the following page:
http://ugr.tamu.edu/scholars
The application process just requires that you fill out the proposal cover page and get it signed by your advisor and submit that along with your proposal for review to the Office of Undergraduate Research in the Jack K. Williams Administration Building, Room 318B.
Check out the calendar on our website to note the deadlines applicable.
The matter of a student working outside their major is not a problem. Many students' research interests lie between disciplines. We have no problem with a student working outside their major department, again providing that their faculty mentor is willing to provide the necessary supervision and oversight during their participation in this program.
It is not required that you be a senior to participate in this program. As long as you have at least 60 credit hours at the start of the program, the necessary background, and a willing faculty mentor, you can participate.
What is important is that you have enough research hours to be able to carry out the research that you are proposing and that you are engaged in a project. Being enrolled in 491 is not essential, but you must spend 10+ hours per week working on your research over the course of the semester. Having you sign up for the 3 hours is a way of bringing it to your attention that you will need to be making this kind of time commitment if you are to be successful.
