What is ARIA?

The purpose of the Arts Undergraduate Research Internship Awards (ARIA) is to support undergraduate students who undertake research during the summer under the direct supervision of a faculty member.

The Faculty of Arts will provide Undergraduate Research Internship Awards, each with a value $2,500. These awards are matched by individual faculty members (in the amount of $2,500) to provide a total award of $5,000 to the student.

Benefits for the Student

• The opportunity to engage in a high level of scholarship, valuable in preparation for graduate studies.
• The opportunity to gain skills related to methods of inquiry in their discipline.
• The opportunity to receive academic mentorship from a faculty member.

Benefits for the Faculty Member

• Increased participation of keen undergraduate students in faculty research.
• An opportunity to provide mentorship.

How it Works

Professors

• Professors seek out a student to assist with their research by soliciting for applications in class or, through their departments. 
• Professors and their selected student apply jointly for the ARIA, using the ARIA application form. These applications are to be submitted to the Arts Internship Office (AIO) for processing and are redistributed to the departments for selection.
• The internship term lasts eleven weeks over the summer. Students will be expected to dedicate 25-30 hours per week to the internship. It is important to set clear expectations about the student's weekly schedule.

Students

• Students must find a supervising professor or apply to a professor. 
• Students and their supervisors apply jointly for the ARIA, using the one application form.
• The internship term lasts eleven weeks over the summer. Students will be expected to dedicate a maximum of 25-30 hours per week to the internship.

Finding a Professor

• Students may approach professors directly for an opportunity to work with them over the summer. It is recommended to learn more about professors' current research by visiting their pages under their departmental website.
• Professors may solicit applications from students in class, on MyCourses, or through their department.
• Only one application per faculty supervisor may be submitted.

Eligibility & Selection Criteria

Professors:

• Be full-time faculty members;
• Be able/willing to contribute $2,500 (from a grant) towards the research internship award. The research award must be processed using Banner Student Aid (BSA).
• Only one application per faculty supervisor may be submitted.

Students:

• Be enrolled in an undergraduate program B.A., B.A. & Sc., B.S.W., B.Th.;
• Have a minimum CGPA of 3.0;
• Have completed a cumulative total of 60 credits by the time of application, including Advanced Standing and Transfer Credits;
• Be returning to undergraduate studies in the Faculty of Arts in the fall;
  • Awards are only released if all eligibility criteria are met: Undergraduate Student Eligibility for Award Disbursement.
• Students are required to be present on campus for the month of May to attend the events and  workshops (unless for a university-related activity).
• Students may not receive an ARIA if they also receive an NSERC USRA, a Faculty of Science SURA, or similar research award.

Please note: For ARIA Projects that require travel, please carefully review travel requirements.

Selection Criteria

• Preference will be given to students who have not received an ARIA award in a previous year;
• In-person on campus projects are encouraged;
• Relevance of the research project to the student’s academic program;

• Mentorship provided to the student;
• The learning goals and outcomes for the student;

• Research plan and feasibility of the project with 11-week timeline;
• Student’s academic record.

Role of the Student

The student’s role is to support the research of their supervising professor by undertaking a specific research internship project. Internship projects differ quantitatively and qualitatively from research assistantships. Students are given long term, in-depth tasks requiring thoroughness, self-discipline, personal initiative that will provide critical input into the professor’s research. At the start of the project term, students should meet with their supervisor to outline expectations and responsibilities, including:

• A student internship plan and project timeline.
• A meeting schedule between student and professor.
• A weekly schedule, including expected days and hours per day.
• The student should maintain a time log.

Responsibilities

ARIA recipients must complete the requirements, as listed on the ARIA Responsibilities page. 

Role of the Faculty Member

Faculty members are asked to identify potential applicants for this program, to discuss opportunities related to their own research with interested students and to prepare a brief statement of the specific work that the student they choose to mentor will undertake, and the benefits that s/he will gain in engaging the research. By co-signing the application, faculty members agree to supervise the internship work. At the end of the summer, participating faculty members will be requested to provide feedback concerning their experience with the student and with the program as a whole.

The faculty member agrees to pay $2,500 toward the $5,000 award. By signing the application form, the Department Chair confirms the funds are available. The research award should be processed using Banner Student Aid (BSA).

Academic Credit

Students may have the opportunity to gain academic credit related to their ARIA project by enrolling in and meeting the requirements of one of the following courses in the Fall term, as applicable in their program of study:

• Applying their research toward an Undergraduate Honours Thesis supervised by the same professor
• Towards an internship course credit (XXXX 499, 599, etc.) supervised by the same professor
• Towards an independent study/reading course supervised by the same professor

Note: This is subject to the professor's availability to supervise an individual course for credit during the Fall term. Students should discuss options for credit with their supervising professor prior to beginning the summer research internship. Academic work completed for credit would be separate from work done during the ARIA summer term.