WHAT IS SRP-99?
The Student Research Program (SRP) assists undergraduates in formalizing their research experience and joining the university research community through SRP-99 courses. Enrolling in an SRP-99 course allows students to receive credit for engaging in faculty-supervised research experiences. SRP-99 courses are particularly suited for lower-division and first-quarter transfer students. Students do not need to be participating in projects that are 100% independent or self-initiated. It is very common for undergraduates to contribute to an ongoing project led by a graduate student or postdoctoral scholar.
COURSE STRUCTURE
- SRP-99 encompasses all courses numbered “99” (e.g. CHEM 99, PHYSICS 99, MCDB 99, etc.).
- Grading is Pass/No Pass.
- Students can receive 1 unit of credit for working 3-5 hours per week or 2 units of credit for working 6-10 hours per week throughout the quarter.
- Students may enroll in a cumulative total of 10 units of SRP-99 throughout their undergraduate career, but only a maximum of 6 units will apply to the graduation unit requirement. Units 7-10 will still appear on students’ transcripts but these units will not apply to their total unit count.
- Students may enroll in one SRP-99 course each quarter.
- Students cannot enroll in an SRP-99 course and an upper division tutorial course (numbered 196-199) with the same faculty in the same quarter.
- Students formally enroll receive SRP-99 course credit through the faculty’s department. For example, students will enroll in CHEM 99 if they are working with a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
STUDENT ELIGIBILITY
- Must have full time status (enrolled in a minimum of 12 units) prior to enrolling in SRP-99. This eligibility requirement is waived during Summer Sessions.
- Must have a research project arranged with a UCLA faculty.
- **Students working with a UCLA Health Sciences faculty (David Geffen School of Medicine, School of Dentistry, and School of Nursing) must receive clearance from the UCLA Health Sciences Volunteer Office prior to beginning their research activities.
ENROLLMENT PROCESS
Students enroll in SRP-99 courses using course contracts, which are created on MyUCLA. Students will select the term (e.g. Fall 2023), the faculty mentor/instructor of record, and the number of units. They will submit a short course proposal outlining their project and responsibilities for the quarter. These details should be discussed between the faculty mentor and student prior to the contract being created. After the contract is generated, the student must procure their faculty mentor’s signature and submit the signed contract to the Undergraduate Research Centers for approval and enrollment. Electronic signatures are acceptable. The quarterly enrollment deadline is 5 PM on Friday of Week 2. Enrollment is quarterly; students must submit a new SRP-99 contract each quarter.
EXPECTATIONS & GRADING
SRP-99 students must be active participants in the research process. It is discouraged from assigning exclusively clerical work, custodial work, or work that does not contribute to the project described in the SRP-99 course proposal. Students should have an intellectual stake in the work being conducted. Faculty mentors and their students should also mutually agree on a work schedule. While students may be directly supervised by another lab member, faculty mentors should meet with them periodically to track their progress.
It is the faculty mentor’s responsibility to communicate the terms of what constitutes a PASS grade for the course (completion of a specific component of the research, completion of scheduled hours, etc.). For SRP-99, no written assignments are due to the department for a grade to be issued.
Grades must be submitted by the regular quarterly deadline using MyUCLA Gradebook. For assistance, faculty mentors should refer to the Registrar’s Office Guidebook for using Gradebook Express. If no grade is submitted prior to the end of the grading period, the student will receive a grade of “NR”, or Not Reported.
BECOME AN SRP-99 FACULTY MENTOR
UCLA faculty must register to be an SRP-99 Faculty Mentor before undergraduates can enroll in an SRP-99 course with them. The registration form is available below. Faculty will receive a confirmation email from urcsciences@college.ucla.edu after their registration has been successfully processed.
SRP-99 Faculty Mentor registration is valid for the duration of a faculty’s employment at UCLA and does not need to be renewed each quarter. If a faculty’s appointment information (an addition/change of departments) or work information (office location, phone number, etc.) changes, they should email us at urcsciences@college.ucla.edu so we can update their information in the enrollment system.
Faculty must hold a tenure track (or similar) appointment in order to serve as an SRP-99 Faculty Mentor. Postdoctoral scholars, graduate students, and other professional research staff can supervise & work with undergraduate students but only UCLA faculty can serve as the official instructor of record for an SRP-99 course.
NOTE: This link is only for faculty in the Division of Life Sciences, Division of Physical Sciences, Samueli School of Engineering, or Fielding School of Public Health and UCLA Health. Faculty in the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences must register as an SRP-99 Faculty Mentor using instructions detailed on the URC-HASS website.
MENTORSHIP TRAINING
Effective mentoring is critical to the retention of students in STEM fields and is linked to greater productivity, research independence, and career satisfaction. UCLA Graduate Programs in Bioscience (GPB) offers a variety of Mentorship Training Programs. They follow curricula developed by the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) and National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN), an evidence-based, interactive approach that engages mentors in collective problem solving and connects them with resources to optimize their mentoring practices.
SAFETY TRAINING — UCLA POLICY 906
UCLA Policy 906: Undergraduate Researcher Laboratory Safety applies to all UCLA undergraduate researchers.
UCLA recognizes that undergraduate students participating in research projects may not have the scientific background, technical knowledge, or practical experience to engage safely in all research activities. As a result, some research activities require additional safety requirements. Some activities that involve highly hazardous materials are prohibited.
The University has designated that undergraduates who are working with certain faculty as part of SRP-99 must complete Lab Safety Fundamentals (LSF) training prior to enrollment. LSF is a free, online course administered by the Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) office and can be completed on WorkSafe.
This Policy applies to all Principal Investigators and lab staff working with Undergraduate Researchers in UCLA research laboratories. The safety requirements outlined in this Policy pertain to all research and teaching laboratories. This policy does not apply to students enrolled in regular laboratory courses for credit (e.g., Life Sciences 23L). We recommend that faculty review UCLA Policy 906 with all new undergraduate researchers to their labs/research projects.
CLEARANCE FOR HEALTH SCIENCES STUDENT RESEARCHERS
The following information applies to all faculty in the David Geffen School of Medicine, School of Dentistry, and School of Nursing:
The UCLA Health Sciences (UHS) Volunteer Program provides the on-boarding and clearances for UCLA students participating in laboratory-based assignments, clinical research/quality improvement projects, administrative projects, and/or educational endeavored volunteer programs. The UHS Volunteer Program is distinct and separate from the hospital-based volunteer program.
UCLA undergraduates working with Health Sciences faculty in the departments listed below must receive clearance from the UHS Volunteer Office, regardless of whether their research is clinical or non-clinical. This does not apply to faculty at off-campus institutions such as Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The clearance process is initiated by faculty, who must register with the UCLA Health Sciences Volunteer Program before beginning their research activities.
For more information, both faculty and students should contact the Health Sciences Volunteer Office.
Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine (ANES 99)
Biological Chemistry (BIOL CH 99)
Department of Medicine (MED 99)
Computational Medicine (BIOMATH 99)
Emergency Medicine**
Family Medicine (FAM MED 99)
Head and Neck Surgery**
Human Genetics (HUM GEN 99)
Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics (MIMG 99)
Molecular and Medical Pharmacology (M PHARM 99)
Neurobiology (NEUROBIO 99)
Neurology (NEURLGY 99)
Neurosurgery (NEURSGY 99)
Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN 99)
Ophthalmology (OPTH 99)
Orthopaedic Surgery (ORTHPDC 99)
Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PATH 99)
Pediatrics (PEDS 99)
Physiology (PHYSIOL 99)
Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (PSYCTRY 99)
Radiation Oncology (RAD ONC 99)
Radiology (PB MED 99)
Surgery (SURGERY 99)
Urology (UROLOGY 99)
**This department does not offer an SRP-99 course. Students may conduct research as a volunteer with a faculty member in this department but cannot earn course credit through an SRP-99 course.
What is the difference between SRP-99 and Upper Division Tutorial Courses (196-199)?
SRP-99 is well-suited for lower-division and first-quarter transfer students. Many students enroll for 2-3 quarters before pursuing upper division tutorial courses.
Upper-division tutorials (196–199) offer advanced opportunities for research through faculty-supervised apprenticeships as well as honors research, directed research, and senior projects.
View the chart below for a comparison between the 2 types of courses.
| Student Research Program (SRP) | Upper Division Tutorials | |
| Course number | 99 | 196-199 |
| Eligibility requirements | Students of any year; enrolled full time (12 units minimum) prior to enrolling in SRP-99 | Juniors and Seniors w/ a minimum GPA of 3.0 in their major field* |
| Who supervises the research? | UCLA faculty only | UCLA faculty only
|
| Lower or upper division | Lower Division credit | Upper Division credit |
| Number of units | 1 unit for 3-5 hours per week
2 units for 6-10 hours per week |
3-4 units for 12-16 hours per week* |
| Type of grading | Pass/No Pass | Letter Grading |
| Is a final project required? | No | Students are often required to submit a written paper* |
| Who administers the course? | Undergraduate Research Centers | Academic Departments |
*Check with the department for more specific information.
How many SRP-99 students can each faculty mentor supervise?
Faculty mentors can sponsor a maximum of 10 SRP-99 students each quarter. They may supervise additional students in a volunteer capacity at their discretion.
Can someone else sign a contract on behalf of an SRP faculty mentor?
For an SRP-99 course, the signature must belong to the faculty mentor. A graduate student, postdoctoral fellow or secretary may not sign on the faculty’s behalf. If the faculty mentor is out of town, the URCs will accept an email to urcsciences@college.ucla.edu from the faculty mentor expressing their approval in lieu of a signature.
How can faculty mentors recruit undergraduate researchers for their labs?
The Undergraduate Research Portal is an online platform where faculty can advertise research opportunities for academic credit. Faculty can learn more on our website.
What other opportunities can faculty mentors recommend to their students?
Faculty Mentors should encourage their students to apply to the other research programs and scholarships managed for the Undergraduate Research Center. Refer to the “Programs and Scholarships” tab of our website for a complete list of opportunities.