Research (ARIA)

What is ARIA?

The purpose of the Arts 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.

• Please note only one application per faculty supervisor may be submitted

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. Please note only one application per faculty supervisor may be submitted
• 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
• Please note only one application per faculty supervisor may be submitted

Eligibility & Selection Criteria

We encourage in-person on campus projects for summer 2023. All students need to be on campus for the month of May so they can attend in-person workshops.

Please note For ARIA Projects that require travel please carefully review requirements https://www.mcgill.ca/arts-internships/travel. 

Professors:

• Be full-time faculty members;
• Be able/willing to contribute $2,500 (from a grant) towards the research internship award. The research award should be processed using Banner Student Aid (BSA).
• Please note 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 60 credits by the start of the internship;
• Be returning to undergraduate studies in the Faculty of Arts in the fall;
• Preference will be given to students who have not received an ARIA award in a previous year.

Please note that students may not receive an ARIA if they also receive an NSERC USRA, a Faculty of Science SURA, or similar research award.

Selection Criteria

• 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.
• Please note only one application per faculty supervisor may be submitted

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.

Annual Arts Undergraduate Research Event

ARIA participants are asked to participate in the Annual Arts Undergraduate Research Event during the year following their ARIA work.

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).

Please note only one application per faculty supervisor may be submitted

Award Payment

The award will be disbursed in four installments between May and August. The Arts Internship Office will be responsible for issuing the first two installments; the supervising professor  will be responsible for the third and final installments.

All awards are paid through direct deposit to your Canadian bank account. All award recipients must have a bank account in Canada. In order for the award to be deposited, you must fill in the following updated information on Minerva: bank information, your Canadian Social Insurance Number (SIN), and a valid permanent address. Please follow the two steps below as soon as possible. Failure to do so will result in your award processing being delayed. (NB: International students who do not have a Canadian Social Insurance Number (SIN), please only complete step one).

1. Access the Banking Information form on Minerva: Student Menu > Student Accounts Menu > Direct Deposit Bank Account, and enter the information under both Student-related and Payroll-related bank account information.
2. Access the Social Insurance Number form on Minerva: Student Menu > Student Accounts Menu > Student Tax Menu > Social Insurance Number (SIN)
3. Access the Addresses and Phones form on Minerva: Personal Menu > Addresses and Phones

Donors

The ARIA Program is supported by the generous contributions from McGill Alumni, the Dean of Arts Development Fund, and the Arts Employment Fund.

The Arts Student Employment Fund (ASEF) Award

Funded by the Arts Undergraduate Society of McGill University.

Mrs. Jane C. Blackwell

The Dean of Arts Development Fund (DADF)

The DADF provides the only source of discretionary funding for the Faculty of Arts. The DADF supports a wide range of events, publications and research opportunities for members of the Faculty of Arts, enhancing Faculty research and the student learning experience. This past year alone, the DADF funded projects in the majority of the Faculty’s departments and provided support for Internship Awards, research assistantships, international conferences and high-profile keynote lectures – in addition to much needed assistance to our Arts Student Advising Program. Students and professors alike can apply for grants from the DADF and the funds are allocated at the Dean’s discretion.

Dr. Joan Eakin and Christopher Hoffmann

Established in 2012 by Dr. Joan Eakin, BA'70, MA'73, PhD'80, and her husband, Christopher Hoffmann, BSc'69, BCL'74, LLB'79, the Eakin & Hoffmann Arts Research Internship Award supports one or more undergraduate students participating in internships conducted through the Arts Undergraduate Research Internship Award Program. Preference will be given to students pursuing sociological research that uses qualitative methodology. In the case of no eligible candidates, preference will be given to students pursuing social science and health research upon the recommendation of the Dean of the Faculty of Arts.

Mr. Mark W. Gallop

Mr. Bram Garber

The Bram Garber Arts Undergraduate Research Internship Award was established by the estate of Bram Garber, a well-known and respected member of the Canadian business community, to help support one or more undergraduate students participating in an internship conducted through the Arts Undergraduate Research Internship Award Program in the areas of Art History, Communication Studies, and related fields. This award is created under the aegis of the Bram Garber Fellowship in Art History and is administered through the Dean's Office in conjunction with the Faculty of Arts Internship Office, this award is meant to provide funding to assist students who assume summer research projects under the supervision of a McGill Faculty of Arts professor on the basis of academic merit, proficiency in the field to be studied, and such factors as determined by the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, in conjunction with the Faculty of Arts Internship Office.

Morris and Rosalind Goodman Family Foundation

Established in 2016 by the Morris and Rosalind Goodman Family Foundation, the Rosalind Goodman Arts Research Internship Award supports one or more undergraduate students participating in internships with McGill's Visual Arts Collection conducted through the Arts Undergraduate Research Internship Awards Program. Awarded by the Faculty of Arts Internship Office. Value varies.

Mrs. Betty Maldoff, Mr. Eric Maldoff, Mr. Gerry Maldoff and Mrs. Barbara Maldoff

Established in 2013 by the family of Charles and Betty Maldoff, the Charles and Betty Maldoff Family Arts Research Internship Award supports one or more undergraduate students participating in an internship conducted through the Arts Undergraduate Research Internship Award Program.  Administered through the Dean’s Office in conjunction with the Faculty of Arts Internship Office, this award is meant to provide funding to assist students who assume summer research projects under the supervision of a McGill Faculty of Arts professor and who demonstrate high academic achievement (with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.2 or above). 

Dr. Leah Pope and Mr. Clayton Pope

Mr. Harry Samuel

The Jennifer Ritter Internship Award

The Jennifer Ritter Internship Award was established in 2015 by Dr. Alan Ritter and Jennifer Ellen Nozick (BA'95) to support one or more undergraduate students in the Faculty of Arts participating in an Arts Internship or an Arts Research Internship conducted through the Faculty of Arts Internship Program. Awarded by the Faculty of Arts Internship Office upon recommendation of the Awards Administrator. Preference will be given to students in Psychology.

Undergraduate Experiential Learning Opportunities Support Fund

The Undergraduate Experiential Learning Opportunities Support Fund, from an anonymous donor, will be used to support experiential learning opportunities managed by the Arts Internship Office in the Faculty of Arts. The fund will be used to support undergraduate students participating in the Arts Internships and the Arts Research Internship Awards (ARIA) programs in the Faculty of Arts.

Tax Receipts/Slips

The award amount received will be recorded on a T4A/Releve 1 and will be treated as scholarship income by the Federal and Quebec governments. For more information regarding taxes click here.

T4A’s are issued for scholarships and awards and for exemptions from tuition related to staff dependent bursaries. Students are advised to consult this Canada Revenue Agency page for more information, and to find out who is required to report this amount as income.

You are able to view the details of the transactions that are part of your T4A / Releve 1 totals under Student Tax Slip Details menu in Minerva.

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.