Enrolling in Research and Internship Courses

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SRP 99 - Student Research Program

SRP “99” are NOT processed through the Office of Academic and Student Affairs (OASA). These research experiences are processed by the Student Research Program – SRP http://www.ugresearchsci.ucla.edu/srpintro.htm. Please work directly with the SRP office as these contract courses do NOT require OASA approval. 

Research

Internship

Overview

The University has designated that undergraduates who are working with certain UCLA faculty must complete the Lab Safety Fundamentals (LSF) training prior to beginning research. We recommend that all students review UCLA Policy 906 (Undergraduate Researcher Laboratory Safety) prior to beginning research and that you consult with your PI/Faculty about what safety training (s) will be required in order to participate.

Lab Safety Training

Lab Safety Fundamentals (LSF) training may be required prior to enrollment in a research course, depending on the UCLA faculty member you’re working with. This should be completed before research begins and well in advance of actual enrollment. LSF is a free, online course administer by the office of Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S). Please see EH&S’ course schedule for class dates and enrollment instructions.

Completing LSF

  1. Visit WorkSafe and log on with your MyUCLA credentials
  2. Select “Course Search” on the top menu bar
  3. Type in and select “LAB-LSF” (Laboratory Safety Fundamentals)
  4. Launch the Course

Fire Safety Training

Given the importance of fire safety, all new students, volunteers, and staff members should receive fire safety training. Please take some time to review EH&S’ resources on fire extinguisher training and use:

Effective Fall 2020:

During the process of creating a contract, MyUCLA will electronically verify the status of your Lab Safety Fundamentals training status. Students who have satisfied the training requirement will be allowed to create their contracts normally and their safety training status will be displayed on the contract. Students who have not satisfied the training requirement will be given a link to the safety training website and will not be allowed to create a contract until their safety training requirement has been verified. In most cases, verification can be done in real-time, but students will be warned that it may take 24 hours to verify their status after they have completed the safety training class.

Students will receive a notification prior to their certification expiring and will be required to complete a refresher course to maintain their certification.

  • The Lab Safety Fundamentals Refresher (LAB-LABOR) course can only be taken after completing the Lab Safety Fundamentals course.

Enrollment Policies and Contract Terms:

  • A student who has an outstanding “incomplete” grade in an Upper-Division Tutorial (195-199) may not enroll in another Upper-Division Tutorial until the grade of “incomplete” has been removed.
  • In order to enroll in an Upper-Division Tutorial (195-199), a student must have the following:
    • Junior standing and at least a 3.0 in your major field GPA
    • Senior standing
  • The total number of units allowed for a letter grade in Upper-Division Tutorials (195-199) is 32-units.
  • Credit for Upper-Division Tutorials in a single term is limited to a maximum of 8-units.
  • Tangible evidence of the work accomplished for an Upper-Division Tutorial must be submitted to the supervising faculty member and the department offering the course before a grade will be assigned.

Creating your Contract

To create a contract:

  • Login to MyUCLA
  • Click on CLASSES – Plan and Enroll – Contract Courses
  • Review the instructions and click “Create a new contract”
  • Select the course you wish to enroll in (e.g., Directed Research 199)
  • The “Subject Area” you select should align with the department your faculty mentor is affiliated with
  • Choose your faculty mentor and the number of units you wish to enroll in.
    • The units selected should be in agreement between you and your faculty mentor and will be determined based on the the amount of hours you’re expected to contribute on a weekly basis
    • For a faculty member to be selected as an instructor for a 199 research course they must be listed within the UCLA directory.
  • In “Course Proposal” you’ll write a brief description of your project and the research you’ll be conducting during the quarter
  • Complete all other areas as requested. MyUCLA will generate a pdf once completed.
  • Click “View Contract” and save the document.

When to Submit:

All contracts (except 99s) and relevant documentation should be submitted through the portal linked above. We recommend submitting everything by Tuesday of Week 2 at the latest. This submission date will give our office enough time to process your request in advance of Week 3’s add deadline. The official add deadline for the quarter will be Friday of Week 3. After this date we might not be able to enroll you in the course without a fee associated with the enrollment transaction. The Registrar’s Office posts an undergraduate fee chart for full transparency. 

Enrollment Instructions:

Submit the completed contract through the portal linked at the top of this webpage. It will direct you to our office’s Petitions/Exceptions Message Center Queue. :

For engineering students enrolling in a non-engineering 195-199 course

    • If you are working with an outside Academic Department, you will need to notify that department once we approve your enrollment request in order to process the enrollment after it has been reviewed by OASA.
    • If you are working in other, non-academic departments that fall under the medical umbrella (e.g., MED, SURGERY, PEDS), we will need to notify UCLA’s Registrar’s Office to process enrollment after your contract is reviewed by OASA.
    • Ensure to read through your created contract in its entirety. You are responsible for completing all elements as detailed within the contract itself and any listed requirements by the department you are working with.

Research Courses

Course 194: Research Group Seminars

194 courses are designated for undergraduate students who are part of a research group.

If a 194 is available for the academic term it will be listed under the academic department offering this course (e.g., COM SCI 194 or MECH&AE 194). You can find the course offerings avaiable during the academic term within UCLA’s Schedule of Classes.

Enrollment Instructions
Enrollment usually requires instructor consent in the form of a Petition to Enroll (PTE) number. PTEs are issued at the discretion of the listed instructor and approval is subject to their established criteria. If obtained you can enroll through MyUCLA like any other course.

Course 199: Directed Research

199 courses are supervised individual research or investigation under the guidance of a UCLA faculty mentor. In order for a faculty member to be selected as an instructor for a 199 research course they must be listed within the UCLA directory.

199’s are not available for enrollment through MyUCLA and might not be listed within in the Schedule of Classes.  You must create a contract through MyUCLA and submit the generated contract to OASA for review.

New 199 Policy (effective Fall 2024)

We’ve updated our policies and required deliverables for students who wish to enroll in an engineering department 199 Directed Research Course. These changes are only in effect for contracts created under an engineering department (e.g., BIOENGR 199). Please read through each tab to see all relevant information related to enrollment in an engineering department 199.

By enrolling in this directed research course, the participating student understands that they are required to present their research at the annual Undergraduate Research Week (URW) Showcase Day. Please refer to the Undergraduate Research Center’s website for additional information on URW’s Showcase Day. 

The URW experience provides students an excellent opportunity to share their research project with their peers, family, research lab collaborators, and the general campus community. This is also a wonderful opportunity for students to add a research publication to their professional resumes/CV.
Students within the College of Letters and Science who choose to participate in Engineering Department 199 courses will be held to this requirement as well. 

Required Deliverables

If approved for enrollment in an Engineering Department Contract Course, you will be required to submit deliverables. The specifics are explained below:

  1. Your Abstract
    • This must be at least 100, but no more than 1550 characters in length (approximately 225 words, including spaces). Follow the conventions of your field when writing your abstract or artist statement. Do not include citations or references in your abstract or artist statement. Additionally, do not use formatting such as italics or boldface in your submission. Formatting is not supported by the application system.
    • Abstracts are one paragraph summaries of a research or creative project that include:
      • Introductory or background information
      • Your argument or research question
      • A preview of your main sources, data, or evidence
      • Methodology of conceptual framework
      • Your results obtained, conclusions, or next steps
      • Significance of your research or creative project
    • This same abstract will need to be submitted for Research Week as well. Submission directions can be found at: https://urweek.ugresearch.ucla.edu/apply/apply/
  2. A 199 Report
    • The format of this deliverable will be determined by your Faculty Mentor. This is a separate submission from the abstract listed as deliverable #1.
    • This report, whether PowerPoint presentation, research paper, final presentation, etc., should contain a comprehensive overview of the research conducted throughout the quarter.
    • This deliverable will need to be accompanied by a signed note from your Faculty Mentor stating that what you submit is an accurate representation of the research conducted under their supervision. This doesn’t need to be a wet signature and their confirmation can be provided in the form of an email confirmation or e-signature.
    • There are no set parameters for deliverable #2 (e.g., no word count or specific format). This is in opposition to Deliverable #1 which has a specific format that we require that aligns with URW’s criteria.
      • As long as your 199 Report meets the criteria listed in bullet point (a) and bullet point (b) that will suffice.
  3. You must submit both deliverables to the Office of Academic and Student Affairs. The delivery date is scheduled for 5pm on the Friday of Finals Week. OASA will send you an email with the submission link well in advance of this deadline.

Course Credit Policy for 194 and 199

Engineering students who are hoping to use 194 or 199 credit to satisfy a degree requirement should carefully review their department’s course credit policy. Please refer to our Research Credit webpage to view the current policy for each engineering major and which credit, if any, they’ll accept to satisfy degree requirements.

Engineering Department 199:

If your 199 course falls under an engineering department (e.g., BIOENGR, COM SCI, etc.) it must be electronically signed by the faculty member and the current department chair or vice-chair. Faculty who are not able to electronically sign contracts may email their confirmation. This confirmation must include the student’s name, UID, and contract number. 

  • BIOINFR will be considered an Engineering Department. For these requests, you will want to reach out to either Professor Sriram Sankararaman or Professor Eleazar Eskin to sign as the Department Chair.

If the 199 contract is approved:

    • For all Engineering Department 199s
      • The 199 will be manually added to your study list.
      • Students must submit a written report to the instructor for their final grade (speak directly with the instructor for details)
      • You will also need to submit a pair of deliverables, as outlined above, to the Office of Academic and Student Affairs. Failure to submit these deliverables may result in a hold being placed on student’s records.

Non-Engineering 199:

If your 199 course falls under a department not within the School of Engineering (e.g., MED, ASTR, MGMT, etc.) we will not enforce the signature requirement, and will instead leave that up to the discretion of the department you are doing the contract with.

  • For engineering students completing 199s in departments outside of the School of Engineering
    • If you are working with an Academic Department, you will need to notify that department once we approve your 199 request. Once given OASA approval, they should be able to process and finalize enrollment in the course.
    • If you are working in other, non-academic departments such as those that fall under the medical umbrella (e.g. MED, SURGERY, PEDS) we will notify UCLA’s Registrar’s Office to finalize enrollment if given approval by OASA.
    • You are required to complete all elements as detailed in your contract per the department you are working with.

Internship Courses

*New Changes to ENGR 95/195 Enrollment (effective Fall 2025):

We will not be offering ENGR 95 or 195 opportunities to students in majors outside of the Samueli School of Engineering, unless:

  • You have reached out to the Center for Community Engagement (CEC) first. If CEC is not able to accommodate you, you’ll need to provide a written note from their office stating that they aren’t able to enroll you. An email confirmation is fine.
  • If you aren’t eligible to enroll in CEC’s internship course, you can submit our paperwork to enroll in an ENGR 95 or 195 internship course. We will only consider these requests for internships that are engineering-related.

For students within the College of Letters and Science:

If you’re looking to enroll in an internship course the proper procedure will be to reach out to the Center for Community Engagement to explore their available options. These will include courses across campus. If CEC can not assist you, please follow up with your primary College Counseling Unit (e.g., CAC).

  • CEC should be your first point of contact if you’re a student within the College of Letters and Science.

 

For students within the Samueli School of Engineering:

Please follow the submission procedure as listed below.

ENGR 95: Internship Studies in Engineering

  • If you’re a lower-division student you should utilize our ENGR 95 option, not the 195. 

The ENGR 95 is intended for lower-division students who are participating in internships that deal with introductory engineering experiences.

Enrollment Instructions:

  • Complete the contract via MyUCLA
  • Submit the contract through the portal linked at the top of this page, along with:
    1. A filled out and signed University of California liability waiver.
    2. A letter from your internship employer (on company letterhead) which includes:
        • The number of weekly internship hours
        • The date range of your internship (should include start and end dates)
        • An outline of your internship responsibilities
        • The name, title, and contact information for your supervisor
        • This letter must be signed by your supervisor or human resources

Normally your offer letter will work for item #2.

If approved please note that:

  • The course will be manually added to your study list
  • The grading for ENGR 95/195 is P/NP only
  • It’s a variable unit course where you’re allowed to select between 1-4 units. However, most students will generate a 1-unit ENGR 95/195.
  • This course will not satisfy major degree requirements
  • Normally only one internship course will allowed per quarter
  • You’ll be expected to complete an End of Course Report which documents your internship experience and duties performed
    • This report must be signed by your supervisor
    • The End of Course Report must be submitted by Friday of finals week. Students will be notified during Week 8 about where to submit reports

ENGR 195: Internship Studies in Engineering

  • If you’re an upper-division student you should utilize our ENGR 195 option, not the 95. 

Enrollment Instructions:

  • Complete the contract via MyUCLA
  • Submit the contract through the portal linked at the top of this page, along with:
    1. A filled out and signed University of California liability waiver.
    2. A letter from your internship employer (on company letterhead) which includes:
      • The number of weekly internship hours
      • The date range of your internship (should include start and end dates)
      • An outline of your internship responsibilities
      • The name, title, and contact information for your supervisor
      • This letter must be signed by your supervisor or human resources

Normally your offer letter will work for item #2.

If approved please note that:

  • The course will be manually added to your study list
  • The grading for ENGR 95/195 is P/NP only
  • It’s a variable unit course where you’re allowed to select between 1-4 units. However, most students will generate a 1-unit ENGR 95/195
  • This course will not satisfy major degree requirements
  • Normally only one internship course will be allowed per quarter
  • You will be expected to complete an End of Course Report which documents your internship experience and duties performed
    • This report must be signed by your supervisor
    • The End of Course Report must be submitted by Friday of finals week. Students will be notified during Week 8 about where to submit your reports

End of Course Report

If you’re approved to enroll in either an ENGR 95 or 195 internship course, you will be required to do the following in order to receive course credit (i.e., this is what will establish the course as either a “pass” or “no pass”).

  1. This report will detail your internship experience and the duties performed. It will need to be signed by your supervisor and submitted through BruinLearn.
  2. Your report must be uploaded to the assignments tab located on the BruinLearn website. The due date is (no later than) the Friday of Finals Week. 
  3. If you are not able to access the course through BruinLearn, please email uip@seas.ucla.edu with the subject line of, “ENGR 95 Help” or “ENGR 195 Help”.