BECOME A FACULTY MENTOR FOR SRP-99
UCLA faculty members who are interested in sponsoring student researchers through an SRP-99 course must first be registered as an SRP-99 Faculty Mentor in the MyUCLA enrollment system. Complete this online form to register as an SRP-99 Faculty Mentor. You will receive a confirmation email after we process your submission.
UCLA faculty must hold a tenure track (or similar) position in order to serve as an SRP-99 Faculty Mentor. While postdoctoral scholars, graduate students, and other research staff can supervise & work with undergraduate students, only UCLA faculty can sponsor an SRP-99 course and serve as the official instructor of record.
Students formally enroll in an SRP-99 course through the faculty’s department. For example, if you hold a faculty appointment in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, students will enroll in CHEM-99.
CREATE A MYUCLA LOGON ID
If you do not currently have a MyUCLA Logon ID, visit https://accounts.iam.ucla.edu and select the option to “CREATE A UCLA LOGON ID.”
For technical issues such as resetting your password, contact the IT Support Center at 310-267-4357 or at help@it.ucla.edu.
GRADE SUBMISSION DEADLINE
All SRP-99 Faculty Mentors must adhere to the Grade Submission Deadlines established by the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
If no grade is submitted prior to the end of the grading period, the student will receive a grade of “NR”, or Not Reported.
Once the deadline has passed, faculty should use the Late Final Grades section of the Gradebook feature on MyUCLA to report previously unsubmitted grades on a student-by-student basis. Alternatively, instructors can use standard UCLA Report of Academic Revision forms to report late grades. A separate form must be used for each student.
FACULTY GRADEBOOK EXPRESS
All faculty should refer to the Registrar’s Office Guidebook for using Gradebook Express.
LATE GRADING INSTRUCTIONS
To submit a grade after the quarterly deadline, access the new late grade page through a link on the Gradebook Choice Screen (click on the link circled in red in the image below). Please click on the link rather than choosing either the Gradebook or Gradebook Express options.
What is the Student Research Program (SRP-99)?
The SRP-99 course allows undergraduates to receive course credit for engaging in entry-level research experiences under the supervision of a UCLA faculty. SRP-99 is particularly suited for lower-division and first-quarter transfer students. Students who enroll in SRP-99 commit to work with a faculty for one quarter, however many students re-enroll for 2-3 quarters before pursuing upper division tutorial courses such as departmental 196, 198, or 199 courses.
What are upper division tutorial courses?
Many departments offer upper division tutorial courses. Upper-division tutorials (numbered 196–199) offer advanced opportunities for research through faculty-supervised apprenticeships as well as honors research, directed research, and senior projects. Similar to SRP-99, courses are structured by the instructor and student at the time they are initiated however enrollment is restricted to juniors (with a minimum 3.0 grade-point average in the major field) and seniors. These courses are considered a “next step” in undergraduate research. It is very common for juniors and seniors to enroll in these courses after completing one to three quarters of SRP-99 with their faculty mentor.
These courses are administered by academic departments, not the Undergraduate Research Centers. For more info on how to sponsor juniors and seniors through an upper division tutorial course, please contact a Student Affairs Officer or Academic Counselor in your department.
Time commitment
For SRP-99, students receive 1 unit of lower division credit for 3-5 hours of work per week and 2 units for 6-10 hours of work per week.
For upper division tutorial courses, the time commitment ranges between 12-16 hours per week for 3-4 units of credit. Unit/hour guidelines are established by each department.
The schedule of hours worked is always decided in advance between the student and faculty.
Sponsoring students
Each faculty can sponsor a maximum of 10 students for SRP-99 each quarter.
For upper division tutorial courses, the numbers vary by department.
Enrollment
Students enroll in SRP-99 by submitting a signed SRP contract to the Undergraduate Research Center. SRP-99 contracts are generated online on MyUCLA, signed by you, their faculty mentor, for approval, and submitted to the Undergraduate Research Center by 5:00 PM on Friday of Week 2 for official enrollment.
Upper division tutorial contracts are generated the same way but require both the faculty’s signature and department chair’s signature. Signed contracts are then submitted to the Registrar’s Office in Murphy Hall for enrollment.
Grading
SRP-99 is graded as Pass/No Pass. Grades are assigned on the basis of whether the student completed the tasks outlined in the SRP-99 course contract. There is no final assignment required to receive a grade. Grades are submitted online using the MyUCLA Gradebook.
Letter grades are used for upper division tutorial courses. Consult with your department chair or student affairs officer for complete grading guidelines.
Questions
For questions regarding SRP-99, contact the Undergraduate Research Center.
For upper division tutorial courses, contact a student affairs officer (SAO) in your department.
What is expected of me as a mentor?
When sponsoring a new student for SRP-99, you should give the student background reading materials for your field of study and meet with the student periodically to keep track of the their progress.
How can I become an SRP-99 Faculty Research Mentor?
To participate in the Student Research Program (SRP-99) as a Faculty Research Mentor, you must have a current Faculty appointment at UCLA. SRP Faculty Research Mentors must hold a tenure track (or similar) position. They cannot be Post-doctoral scholars, Graduate Students, or Staff Research Associates.
To enroll in the program, you must complete this online submission form on this page. You will receive a confirmation email from urcsciences@college.ucla.edu when you have been successfully added.
Do I have to renew my participation as an SRP Faculty Research Mentor?
No, your participation in SRP-99 as a Faculty Research Mentor is valid for the duration of your employment at UCLA.
If your appointment information (change or add departments) or work information (office location, phone number, etc.) changes, please email us at urcsciences@college.ucla.edu so we can update your information on file.
How many hours per week should students be working for SRP-99?
SRP-99 is designed for entry level research experiences for undergraduates conducting research 3-10 hours per week. If an undergraduate in your research lab or group is working more than 10 hours per week, you should consider sponsoring them for an upper division research course (196, 198, or 199). Consult an academic counselor or SAO in your home department for more information.
How do I submit a grade for students in my lab?
Please see the “submitting grades” tab on this page
When are grades due for SRP?
The deadline to submit grades for all courses is one week after the end of finals week. If no grade is submitted prior to the close of the grading period, the student will receive a grade of “NR”, or Not Reported.
Can someone else sign a contract on my behalf?
For a 99, the signature must belong to the faculty mentor. A graduate student, postdoctoral fellow or secretary may not sign on your behalf. The URCs will accept an email from you in lieu of a signature if you are out of town. You can email your approval to urcsciences@college.ucla.edu
UCLA POLICY 906: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHER LABORATORY SAFETY
UCLA Policy 906 : Undergraduate Researcher Laboratory Safety applies to all UCLA undergraduate researchers.
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).
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.
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 UCLA Health Sciences Volunteer Programs 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.
UCLA undergraduates working with Health Sciences faculty in the departments listed below must receive clearance from the Health Sciences Volunteer Office. This does not apply to faculty at off-campus institutions such as Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The clearance process is initiated by faculty. For more information, please 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.