Undergraduate Research Assistant Program

Undergraduate Research Assistant Program

The Undergraduate Research Assistant Program (URAP) has been created to support DePaul faculty in their pursuit of research and the creation of knowledge. This program has a dual purpose:

  1. To provide valuable learning opportunities and financial support for undergraduates to assist and collaborate with faculty members who conduct research projects and are engaged in scientific activities, and
  2. to offer support to faculty engaged in the above activities consistent with the university's commitment to the pursuit of scientific knowledge.

This program is intended to provide students with a substantive work experience; that is, student assistants should not be used as general clerical help.

Eligibility

Full-time faculty are eligible to apply for an undergraduate assistant. Undergraduate assistants can be assigned to either individual faculty members, or two or more faculty who are collaborating on a project or activity. A faculty member may only apply for one undergraduate assistant per quarter.

All full-time undergraduate students in the Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media who have attained at least sophomore status (48 hours) are eligible to apply. Students must be in good standing and have a 3.5 GPA in major and a 3.0 GPA overall.

Independent Study/Experiential Learning

The assistant may be eligible for internship credit if the experience meets the Experiential Learning requirement. The Assistant position earns 4.0 credit hours per quarter. The faculty member will need to enroll the student in a course that has Experiential Learning credit (e.g. IT300) if the assistant wants to receive internship credit for the program.

Stipend

Student will be compensated for 75 hours of work per quarter. Students are eligible to work for two consecutive quarters, totaling 150 hours. The hourly rate amount is specified in the application instructions.

Application

There will be two application cycles for the 2024/25 academic year. The first round of applications for student research assistants who will work in the Summer and/or Fall Quarters is Tuesday, April 30th, 2024. The CDM deadline for student research assistants who will work in the Winter and/or Spring Quarters is October 15th, 2024.

For more information, please contact John Mitten, CDM Grant Manager.

To submit an application, please complete the following steps

  1. Download and read the application instructions with the attached document.
  2. The faculty member must complete the faculty application form on MyCDM. Once the application form is submitted, the student will receive an email with a link to the student application form. Both faculty and student application forms must be submitted before the deadline.

At the end of the quarter, the faculty member and the student will receive an email with instructions on how to submit the project evaluation reports. The faculty member evaluates the performance and progress made by the student and the student evaluates the URAP experience. For more information, please contact John Mitten, CDM Grant Manager.

Selection Criteria

Members of the CDM URAP selection committee will evaluate the proposal and provide recommendations for funding. The number of proposals that will be approved at each application cycle depends on the available funding.

The selection committee consists of the three School Directors. A School Director may select a tenured faculty member of the Director’s school to serve on the CDM URAP selection committee in his/her stead.

The proposals will be evaluated in light of the following:

  • Equitable distribution of available assistant among the three schools.
  • The student’s qualifications for Research Assistant work.
  • The value of the research project itself.
  • The project's potential to provide real involvement and positive learning outcomes for the Student Research Assistant.
  • Special consideration of first-time faculty applications, and applications by non-tenured faculty.

Additionally, as part of CDM commitment to enhance and strengthen diversity, equity and inclusion in CDM programs and initiatives, higher priority for a subset of undergraduate research assistantships will be given to:

  • proposals involving
    • undergraduate students in historically underrepresented groups, including, but not limited to, LGBTQ students and students of racial and ethnic minorities (African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Latinx or Hispanic, Native American/Alaskan Native), or
    • undergraduate students who have demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion; and
  • proposals that contribute to initiatives aiming to increase inclusiveness and social justice.