Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA)
Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA)
Undergraduate Student Research Awards provide undergraduate students in Humanities an opportunity to create their own research-based employment with a faculty member (one who is in a Contractually Limited Appointment or higher) over the summer.
Successful recipients will receive $7,500 to cover 15 weeks of full-time, student-initiated research. This is an opportunity to build positive relationships with faculty members, gain academic summer employment, and develop the research skills and experience valued in graduate school and professional organizations.
Eligibility
Applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Registration in an Honours or Combined Honours program in Humanities*
- a minimum cumulative GPA of 8.0
- Eligiblity to work in Canada during the time the award is held
- Previous USRA recipients are welcome to apply, but preference will be given to first-time applicants.
- Students from all levels are welcome to apply. Preference may be given to levels II and III students.
*IMPORTANT NOTE FOR STUDENTS IN COMBINED PROGRAMS WITH SOCIAL SCIENCES:
Students in a combined program with Social Sciences must apply to the faculty to which their potential supervisor belongs (e.g. if a student is in Honours History & Political Science, and their potential supervisor is a member of Political Science, they must apply through and follow the guidelines from Social Sciences). Social Sciences may have a different deadline to apply.
How To Apply
The Humanities USRA Application is a fillable PDF and must be completed in full. Any incomplete application will not be accepted. Students may receive guidance from their potential supervisor in preparing their application, but it must be written and completed solely by the student.
IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING THE PROJECT PROPOSAL
The character count includes spaces. When filling out the application, it is recommended you first do your proposal in a word program to ensure you can easily modify and count the number of characters, then copy and paste the final piece into the document. It may require some modification once it is pasted into the application. The recommended steps are:
- Type your proposal in Word and check the character count
- Paste the text into a plain text program such as Notepad to remove all formatting
- Paste this text into the proposal and modify as needed
Or you can type directly into the document if you prefer.
Though you may feel you don’t have enough space to say all you would like to in your proposal, remember that the ability to be concise yet comprehensive is a skill needed not only for this application, but many others for professional schools, graduate schools, and employment positions. The committee will look at not only the content of the proposal, but also the quality of writing when reviewing applications. The questions for the proposal do not need to be directly answered in order. Rather, the committee wishes to see that you have addressed them somewhere in your answer.
Deadline to apply: Applications are due by Wednesday, February 22nd, 2023.
MacDrive USRA Submission
Winning the USRA has been the most rewarding event in my undergrad career thus far. I spent the summer doing academic research and have been incredibly grateful for such an opportunity. Beyond getting paid to produce research that will give me a competitive edge when searching for employment, there is also the possibility of publishing your work. This will only make you more appealing to potential employers – and undoubtedly something to be very proud of. This experience has strengthened my professional relationship with my supervisor, opened new doors for me, and has helped me justify my interest for consumer research and strategy.
— -Erica Former USRA Recipient
The USRA Poster Session
Considering applying for a USRA? Students are strongly encouraged to attend the USRA Poster Session.
When: Tuesday, November 1st, 2022 11:00 am until 2:00 pm
Where: CIBC Hall, located in the McMaster University Student Centre (3rd floor)
USRA recipients will be in attendance to discuss their summer research experience with you. No registration is required and the event is on a drop-in basis.
If you have any questions regarding Humanities USRAs, please contact Jennifer Richardson.