EG2605 Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme (UROP), offered by College of Design and Engineering (CDE), gives you a taste of research through apprenticeship under the guidance of a faculty member. Through UROP, you would be able to:
- Acquire skills involved in the intellectual process of inquiry;
- Enhance your knowledge of the latest technology;
- Interact with faculty members so as to foster closer ties.
Course Credits
Graded on a 'CS/CU' basis, successfully completing UROP will earn you 4 units which is counted towards the Unrestricted Elective (UE) requirement of your Bachelor’s degree.
Notes:
- Students from AY2021/22 intake can take UROP to fulfil 4 units (out of 10) of the major internship requirement.
- Students are allowed to take both UROP (EG2605) and UREx (CDE2605R), but not concurrently.
- A maximum of 4 units from UROP/UREx can count towards the major internship requirement for Bachelor of Engineering students. If students take both UROP and UREx, the other 4 units will count towards UE.
Pre-Requisites
- Should be a registered student of CDE. Non-CDE and exchange students are not allowed to register for EG2605. Non-CDE students can pursue UROP at their home Faculty/College/School.
- Have at least Stage 2 standing (typically achieved after completing 36 units of courses). Polytechnic diploma holders are, however, exempted from this pre-requisite and are eligible to enrol for UROP as early as Stage 1 standing.Â
- Have at least two regular semesters of study remaining prior to graduation.
Other Conditions
- Can only be taken once during the undergraduate studies.
- Not to be undertaken concurrently with Student Exchange Programme (SEP), NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC), Industrial Attachment (IA). and Undergraduate Research Experience (UREx). Students must ensure they have submitted their UROP report before they commence SEP, NOC, IA and UREx. Failure to comply with this condition will result in a possible 'CU' grade being awarded to the student.
- Students registering for UROP in Semester 1 or Semester 2 are eligible to participate in Vacation Industrial Attachment (VIA). Students registering for UROP in Special Term 1 are not allowed to concurrently do VIA. Please refer to the Internships website for details on IA and VIA.
- For students taking both UROP and UREx (Note: cannot be taken concurrently), the scope of the project for UROP should be different from that of UREx.
- FYP can be taken concurrently with UROP, however the FYP project should be significantly different from the UROP project.
- Main supervisor for UROP must be a full-time academic staff from CDE (includes staff with joint appointments with CDE).
What is involved?
A minimum commitment of 130 hours and submission of a technical research report (10-20 pages) to your UROP supervisor via the CDE Enhancement Programmes portal at the end of the research work.
The assessment guidelines for satisfactory grading are based on students: (i) having done a literature survey of the research area, (ii) having defined the problem clearly and proposing a hypothesis or a model for the problem, (iii) designing a solution procedure/experiment to study the hypothesis or analyse the problem, (iv) obtaining the data and evidences to support the hypothesis, (v) drawing conclusions and making suggestions for future studies, (vi) communicating the project objectives, methodology and outcomes clearly and concisely in written form and (vii) displaying research competencies including independence, commitment, and ability to handle and troubleshoot problems.
Refer to the link at the bottom of this page for guidelines on preparing the UROP report.
How do I get started?
1. Identify your research interest. Thereafter, review faculty members’ profiles to find potential supervisors with research interests similar to you.
The level of involvement can range from being an assistant in experimental research to software development in an academic department or interdisciplinary laboratory or research centres focusing on engineering and technology. Participation in cross-departmental projects within CDE is permitted.
2. Check out current UROP projects
Go to the Enhancement Programmes portal to view the list of available projects. You may also source for projects on your own by enquiring directly with faculty members. A mutual agreement between you and your UROP supervisor is required for your enrolment to be supported.
3. Register your UROP interest at the Enhancement Programmes portal as per the timeline
If your project is self-sourced, your intended supervisor must first post the project in the Enhancement Programmes portal before you can select the project for registration.
Registration Timeline for UROP
| Activity | Semester 1 of AY2024/25 | Semester 2 of AY2024/25 | Special Term 1 of AY2024/25 |
| Register via the Enhancement Programmes portal | Week -1 & Week 0
(29 July 2024 to 9 Aug 2024) |
Week -2 & Week -1
(30 Dec 2024 to 10 Jan 2025) |
Week -2 & Week -1
(28 Apr 2025 to 9 May 2025) |
| Enrolment of EG2605 in EduRec by Dean’s Office | Week 3 & Week 4
(26 Aug 2024 to 6 Sep 2024) |
Week 3 & Week 4
(27 Jan 2025 to 7 Feb 2025) |
Week 2
(19 May 2025 to 23 May 2025) |
Note:
- Students can only register for one project at a time in the Enhancement Programmes portal.
- Students should ensure that the total course workload (including UROP) for that semester falls within the permissible limit.
- Students enrolling in Special Term 1 will be charged fees. Students prior to Cohort 2019/2020 may qualify for a rebate of the Special Term fees if they graduate within the normal candidature period. Students are not allowed to register for UROP in Special Term 2.
Project Timeline
Note: Students can choose to complete UROP by end of Semester 2, AY2024/25 or end of Semester 1, AY2025/26.Â
| Commencement | Completion by | Deadline to submit UROP report | Grading |
| 13 Jan 2025 | End of Semester 2, AY2024/25 | 25 Apr 2025 | You will receive ‘CS/CU’ grade at the end of Semester 2 of AY2024/25 |
| End of Semester 1, AY2025/26 | 21 Nov 2025 | You will receive:
· ‘IP’ grade at the end of Semester 2 of AY2024/25 · ‘CS/CU’ grade at the end of Semester 1 of AY2025/26 |
Note: Students can choose to complete UROP by end of Semester 1, AY2024/25 or end of Semester 2, AY2024/25.Â
| Commencement | Completion by | Deadline to submit UROP report | Grading |
| 12 Aug 2024 | End of Semester 1, AY2024/25 | 22 Nov 2024 | You will receive ‘CS/CU’ grade at the end of Semester 1 of AY2024/25 |
| End of Semester 2, AY2024/25 | 25 Apr 2025 | You will receive:
· ‘IP’ grade at the end of Semester 1 of AY2024/25 · ‘CS/CU’ grade at the end of Semester 2 of AY2024/25 |
For UROP starting Special Term Part 1, AY2023/24
Note: Students can choose to complete UROP by end of Special Term Part 1, AY2023/24 or end of Special Term Part 2, AY2023/24 or end of Semester 1, AY2024/25 but no later than end of Semester 2, AY2024/25.
| Commencement | Completion by | Deadline to submit UROP report | Grading |
| 13 May 2024 | End of Special Term Part 1, AY2023/24 | 16 Jun 2024 | You will receive ‘CS/CU’ grade at the end of Special Term Part 1 of AY2023/24 |
| End of Special Term Part 2, AY2023/24 | 28 Jul 2024 | You will receive:
· ‘IP’ grade at the end of Special Term Part 1 of AY2023/24 · ‘CS/CU’ grade at the end of Special Term Part 2 of AY2023/24 |
|
| End of Semester 1, AY2024/25 | 22 Nov 2024 | You will receive:
· ‘IP’ grade at the end of Special Term Part 1 of AY2023/24 · ‘IP’ grade at the end of Special Term Part 2 of AY2023/24 · ‘CS/CU’ grade at the end of Semester 1 of AY2024/25 |
|
| End of Semester 2, AY2024/25 | 25 Apr 2025 | You will receive:
· ‘IP’ grade at the end of Special Term Part 1 of AY2023/24 · ‘IP’ grade at the end of Special Term Part 2 of AY2023/24 · ‘IP’ grade at the end of Semester 1 of AY2024/25 · ‘CS/CU’ grade at the end of Semester 2 of AY2024/25 |
For UROP starting Semester 2, AY2023/24
Note: Students can choose to complete UROP by end of Semester 2, AY2023/24 or end of Semester 1, AY2024/25.Â
| Commencement | Completion by | Deadline to submit UROP report | Grading |
| 15 Jan 2024 | End of Semester 2, AY2023/24 | 26 Apr 2024 | You will receive ‘CS/CU’ grade at the end of Semester 2 of AY2023/24 |
| End of Semester 1, AY2024/25 | 22 Nov 2024 | You will receive:
· ‘IP’ grade at the end of Semester 2 of AY2023/24 · ‘CS/CU’ grade at the end of Semester 1 of AY2024/25 |
Dropping of UROP
Request for dropping the course should be placed via the Enhancement Programmes portal. To place the request, follow the steps below:
  1. Log in to Enhancement Programmes Portal
  2. Go to Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme (UROP) > Withdrawal of Interest > Indicate the reason(s) for withdrawal > Submit
Prior to submitting the withdrawal request, please take note of the following:
| For students registering for UROP in | Notes |
| Semester 1 | Students will receive a ‘W’ grade if they drop the course between Week 3 and end of the Recess Week of Semester 1. Students who drop UROP after the end of the Recess Week of Semester 1 or in Semester 2 will receive a ‘CU’ grade. |
| Semester 2 | Students will receive a ‘W’ grade if they drop the course between Week 3 and end of the Recess Week of Semester 2. Students who drop UROP after the end of the Recess Week of Semester 2 or in Semester 1 of the next Academic Year will receive a ‘CU’ grade. |
| Special Term | Students will receive a ‘W’ grade if they drop the course during Week 3 of Special Term 1 and a ‘CU’ grade thereafter. |
Queries?
For enquiries, please email the UROP administrator at ugep@nus.edu.sg or contact your Programme’s UROP coordinator (refer to the table below).
| Programme | UROP Coordinator | |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | A/Prof Francois Blanciak | f.blanciak@nus.edu.sg |
| Biomedical Engineering | A/Prof Chen Nanguang | biecng@nus.edu.sg |
| Chemical Engineering | A/Prof Chiu Min-Sen | checms@nus.edu.sg |
| Civil Engineering | A/Prof Kuang Sze Chiang, Kevin | ceeksck@nus.edu.sg |
| Computer Engineering | A/Prof Xiang Cheng | elexc@nus.edu.sg |
| Electrical Engineering | A/Prof Xiang Cheng | elexc@nus.edu.sg |
| Engineering Science | A/Prof Karl Erik Birgersson | mpebke@nus.edu.sg |
| Environmental Engineering | A/Prof Yu Liya | ceeley@nus.edu.sg |
| Industrial Design | Dr Zheng Zhihan Clement | clement.zheng@nus.edu.sg |
| Industrial & Systems Engineering | A/Prof Liu Yang | iseliuy@nus.edu.sg |
| Infrastructure and Project Management | A/Prof Tay En Rong, Stephen | stephen.tay@nus.edu.sg |
| Landscape Architecture | A/Prof Francois Blanciak | f.blanciak@nus.edu.sg |
| Materials Science & Engineering | A/Prof Tan Swee Ching | msetansc@nus.edu.sg |
| Mechanical Engineering | A/Prof MD Raisul Islam | mpemdri@nus.edu.sg |
| Project & Facilities Management | A/Prof Tay En Rong, Stephen | stephen.tay@nus.edu.sg |