Undergraduate research opportunities - FAQ

Students must connect with a potential supervisor before applying for the NSERC USRA, MURA, URF, or URA. Please refer to each award page for more detail on a supervisor’s eligibility.

To process any application, the supervisor is required to submit their portion during the application process. Please note, along with completing a portion of the applications, supervisors must also meet the specific eligibility criteria outlined by the award they are applying to with the student.

1. When should I start to look for a supervisor/start the application process?

Please visit each awards webpage for exact deadlines for their respective terms.

Due to the early co-op deadlines, the USRA and MURA are frequently awarded to students who talked to a professor at least 5 months before they begin the research, meaning that students are considering to do full-time research at least two terms ahead.

The URF will time its application process with the co-op dates each term. You may still want to apply for a Sponsored URF by getting in touch with the supervisor the term prior.

The URA is lenient and supervisors can be open to research assistants at any point in the term. URA applications open towards the end the third month/start of the last month each term. Keep in mind that the first/last months of any term may be hectic or busy for supervisors.

2. I am interested in research but don't have a supervisor or research project. How do I find a supervisor? Where should I start?

Each research award has its own resources in place to connect students with potential faculty supervisors.

• For the USRA/MURA,
  • the Math Research Office maintains a list of open projects. 
  • the Math Research Office provides a Supevisor-Student matching program where students can be recommended to suitable supervisors/projects. Please be mindful of the deadlines for the matching application as they do not always align with the award deadlines. 
• The URF webpage mantains a list of open projects seeking research assistants.
• The URA webapge, maintains a list of potential faculty supervisors and a list of URA projects descriptions.
  • This list could be used to seek supervisors for the USRA, MURA, or URF.
• Explore the research page for interesting projects and find faculty working in that field. Some research professors will list research projects on their personal websites, some specifically intended for undergraduates to make note of. 
• If you have an existing connection with a faculty member at the university, you can also reach out to them personally and see if they have an upcoming project you can participate in.

3. I have identified a potential supervisor/project that I want to work with. What's next?

Now is the opportunity for you to approach the supervisor with your enthusiasm and willingness to pursue research.

1. Send your resume and a recent transcript to the supervisor. Ask them if they would be interested in supervising you as a research assistant and request an appointment to meet with them to discuss your qualifications. 
   1. It may be beneficial to familiarize yourself with their research background (e.g. read some of their research papers on their website). This will demonstrate your eagerness for the subject. 
   2. If they do not respond or decline your offer, you may want to consider looking for other supervisors / projects. It might be that they don't have the funding for a research assistant at that time or that they have conflicting plans for the upcoming term. 
2. When meeting with the supervisor, reach an agreement about what project you will work on, what expectations they will have for you, and what your role/responsibilities will be.
3. When your research project is determined, consider applying for a suitable research awards for additional compensation.

4. Can I do research with a professor without an award?

Yes! These awards are available to provide financial support to students, but you can do always research with any faculty member if they have the resources to supervise you and you are eligible to work in Canada. 

Through this option, the compensation, length of the project, and eligibility criteria is determined by the potential supervisor themselves (e.g. they may require that you have taken a specific course, have a specific average or work experience). 

Alternatively, you may want to seek external research scholarships or bursaries to assist in funding your research expriences. 

5. Can I do research with a professor who is not in CS?

Assuming that you meet the student eligibility criteria, your supervisor does not need to be in CS for the URA only. Each term we often receive URA applications from students in CS but have supervisors in Engineering, Statistics, etc.

The USRA specifically has Interdisciplinary awards which may be allocated to students who integrate their background (presumably in CS) into a research project that also borrows concepts from another field of study. However, if you are intending to apply for the USRA with a supervisor who is not in CS, you should determine if the supervisor's home department has its own USRA application process.

The MURA exists in the departments of the Math Faculty (includes AMATH, C&O PMATH, Stats/ActSci) and you should apply through the MURA application of your supervisor's home department.

The URF will require that the supervisor is in the Computer Science program or has a cross-appointment in CS. 

Back to top

In all cases, you may double check with the award's coordinator (Daniel Huab for the USRA/MURA/URA or Alex Morrison for the URF) to confirm your eligibility or review your options. At any point that you are found to be ineligible or not suitable for an award, your application can be retracted at the discretion of the coordinator.

1. Are the awards exlusive to CS students? 

While preference may be given to students in CS major programs (includes Software Engineering), any student in the Faculty of Mathematics can apply for the USRA, MURA, URF, and URA. 

Additionally, students outside of the Math Faculty, or from other institutions, can apply for the USRA and URF, so long as they meet the eligibility criteria for each award.

2. I am not in the Faculty of Math. Which research awards can I apply for?

Unless you are in an interdisciplinary program (namely Software Engineering and Computing Financial Management), you are only eligible to apply for the USRA or the URF.

The USRA specifically has Interdisciplinary awards which may be allocated to students who pursue CS research while completing a degree in a distinctly separate field of study.

Note, if you are intending to apply for the USRA with a supervisor who is not in CS, you should determine if the supervisor's home department has its own USRA application process.

If you are in the Faculty of Engineering, you may consider applying for the Engineering URA program, which is equivalent to the CS URA program.

3. I am an international student/Permanent Resident (PR). Which research awards can I apply for?

International students must have a work permit that is valid for the duration of the research term and plan to reside in Canada to be eligible for the URF, MURA, and URA programs.

Domestic students and students with PR status are eligible for the USRA, MURA, URF, and URA given that they will be in Canda during the research term.

4. I am in 1B, can I still apply for the USRA/MURA? (I am ineligible at the time I am applying, but I will be eligible when the research term begins)

Yes. 

So long as you can meet the academic requirement before starting your research term (i.e. you pass all your exams and this is verified by the department USRA/MURA coordinator), you can still be considered to apply for the USRA/MURA. 

This would apply similarly for students who do not meet the academic level requirements of the URF / URA. Note that both of these programs have exceptions for students who do not meet the term requirement.

5. I currently do not meet the grade/average requirement but anticipate that I will after exams. Can I be considered for the USRA/MURA/URF/URA? 

Yes.

The URF/URA have their deadlines after your grades for the previous term are released so your eligibility to receive the URF/URA will be verifiable before the application deadline.

For the USRA/MURA, the award coordinators may ask for you to provide recent transcripts as your nomination will be considered with the most up to date grade information.The USRA/MURA nomination processes can be competitive and so having an average close to the minimum requirement may impact your chances of receiving the award, but your application should be considered nonetheless. 

6. I will be completing my degree this term but want to do research next term. Am I allowed to apply for the USRA/MURA/URA? (I am eligible at the time I am applying, but I will be ineligible when the research term begins)

No for the URF, but yes for the USRA/MURA/URA, given that you meet all other eligibility with conditions.

The USRA/MURA require that you have not completed your degree requirements at the time that you apply / before the application deadline. This means that you can hold a USRA or MURA the term directly after you complete your degree, but cannot hold either award two or more terms after.

The URA can be held the term after completing your degree requirements if determined to be a suitable for your research experience.

Back to top

In all cases, you may double check with the award's coordinator (Daniel Huab for the USRA/MURA/URA or Alex Morrison for the URF) to confirm your eligibility or review your options.

1. Can I use the USRA/MURA/URF for co-op?

Yes for the USRA, MURA and URF specifically. Students can, and frequently do, use the research opportunities to fulfill a co-op credit.

The URF is the only award that applicants have the option to apply through WaterlooWorks.

2. Can I do a URA term as part of a co-op term? 

No. Students must be on a study term (full-time or part-time) or off-term to receive URA funding.

Students who are interested in part-time research on a scheduled work-term may choose to opt into a part-time study term to be considered eligible for the URA (i.e. you must complete a sequence change and forfeit your co-op credit to continue with the URA).

Students who are interested in part-time research while employed on a co-op term may pursue research experience as per Section B, Question 4 but should inform their potential supervisors of their full-time commitments. These students need not apply for the URA program. 

3. Do I need to be on a co-op term for a research experience?

No. To receive the the full-time award (USRA, MURA, and URF) you do not need to be a co-op student. It may be considered during the application process but it is not a requirement. You can hold this award over an off-term as an example.

Contrarily, the full-time award awards cannot be held while the student is on a full-time study term due to the time-commitment required. This applies to students who have completed all work term requirements for their degree as well.

The URA is specifically for students who are not on co-op terms so it would not apply here either.

Back to top

You may contact Alex Morrison if you have inquiries related to the URF application process.

1. Do I need to have a recommendation letter when I apply?

The recommendation letter is optional but encouraged, as it provides us with more information about your background and experiences.

2. What should I include in my personal statement?

Tell us about you! We want to hear what you are passionate about and why you want to pursue a work term in research.

3. How will candidates be selected for this role?

Your application will be reviewed by a committee consisting of faculty members and graduate students. Students will be selected for an 30 minute online interview. Some students may be asked to attend a second interview with a faculty supervisor. After the interviews, the committee members will independently rate each student’s application, then meet to discuss the aggregated results. The decision is based on the calibre of the student, faculty recommendation/endorsement, as well as factors such as EDI (equity, inclusion, diversity), broad coverage of and equal representation from different research areas/topics, previous history of the faculty/student being awarded an URF, etc.

Back to top

You may contact Daniel Huab if you have inquiries related to the USRA or MURA application processes.

1. What are the main differences between the USRA and MURA?

As shown in the table above, the USRA and MURA are identical in financial contributions and for the most part identical in their application timelines. The main differences are the student eligibility of the awards.

• The USRA is limited to Canadian citizens and Permanent Residents. Non UW students or non-Math students can apply to do CS research with the USRA.
• The MURA is available for all citizenships (including International students), however students must be in the Faculty of Mathematics in order to be considered.

The USRA is also issued by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (or NSERC), whereas the MURA is funded by the Faculty of Math at the University of Waterloo. The NSERC USRA would be more well known to researchers. 

The USRA also has more opportunities for interdisciplinary research and awards for Black and Indigenous students. You can read more about these on the USRA webpage.

2. Can I apply for the USRA and MURA in the same term?

Yes, assuming that you are eligible for both the USRA and MURA. This can increase your chances of receiving research funding.

Note that you cannot hold both awards at the same time. If your application is chosen for one award you will not be considered for the other. However, both the NSERC USRA or the MURA can be supplemented with/held at the same time as the URF.

3. Why are there two deadlines in a term for the USRA and the MURA? What are the differences?

The first deadline (also known as the co-op deadline) allows for students to apply and receive awards before the co-op recruiting cycle begins. Students who apply before the co-op deadline typically considered doing full-time research at least two terms ahead as they would have applied 5 months before starting their research term.

The secondary deadline is the last possible day students and their supervisors can submit their application before the term. A second deadline is not guaranteed depending on how many remaining awards are remaining for the department and may differ from the Math Research Office deadlines. 

Back to top