TAMU Undergraduate Research Scholars (URS) Program    

To apply for the Undergraduate Research Scholars (URS) program, students must:

• Be actively involved in an independent undergraduate research project throughout both the fall and spring semesters under the mentorship of a Texas A&M faculty member
• Have completed at least 90 credit hours (senior status) of undergraduate course work (juniors are eligible to apply with a letter of recommendation from the faculty advisor)
• Have at least 12 credit hours at Texas A&M University
• Have and maintain a cumulative GPR of at least 3.0
• Be expecting to graduate May 2025 or later

By indicating support of a URS applicant, the Faculty Mentor agrees to…

• Assist the student in developing a meaningful research project
• Provide a high impact learning experience
• Provide laboratory space and/or logistical support for field work, equipment, and supplies
• Meet with the student on a regular basis to monitor project progress and provide constructive feedback in a timely manner
• Assist student in all aspects of the preparation of a poster and oral presentation (i.e., including data analysis and interpretation)
• Promote student co-authorship on resulting publication(s), as appropriate

Why should you become an Undergraduate Research Scholars Faculty Mentor? What kinds of projects are a good fit for the URS program? Please visit Directing Student Research for more information.

Undergraduates who participate in the Undergraduate Research Scholars program will ultimately:

• Experience the complete process of writing a scholarly thesis
• Learn how to make a public presentation
• Gain knowledge that didn’t come from a classroom such as teamwork, problem solving, and leadership
• Improve chances for acceptance into graduate or professional schools, fellowships, and grants
• Gain a better understanding of graduate school
• Network with students and faculty

Spring Semesters

UGST 405 Thesis Writing: This one credit seminar course is offered to students engaging in undergraduate research through one of the TAMUG/TAMU research programs (e.g., ACES, LSAMP, URS). It is not required for participation in the undergraduate research programs, but is available to any Research Scholar who need writing instruction or would like assistance with thesis and/or poster preparation.

The faculty research advisor will play a central role in this course. Students will be expected to meet with them at regular intervals to assure that they are making adequate progress on their thesis and presentation.

In this course, students will:

• Learn how to access information and search the scholarly literature
• Learn how to cite and document sources properly
• Learn how to prepare a formal research thesis
• Learn how to make scholarly presentations
• Utilize this information to complete your thesis and prepare a public research presentation