UROP provides a unique opportunity for bright undergraduates to undertake research work under the supervision of experienced researchers. Through this apprenticeship in research, students learn to formulate questions, to evaluate claims and to do in-depth study in a topic in order to solve a problem whose solution is not previously known. It allows undergraduates to participate in active research and to experience first hand the challenges and exhilaration of research, discovery and invention. Students will be working at, or near, the frontiers of computing research and this exposure will enrich their academic experience and complement their coursework. In addition to achieving competence, many students find research so exhilarating that they continue on to doing postgraduate studies and research as a career.

Students will conduct research under the supervision of SoC faculty members. Typically, the research involves these activities: problem formulation, literature survey, attending research seminars, proposal and implementation of solution, evaluation, and documentation and presentation of results. The relative importance of each of these research activities may vary widely depending on the chosen research topic (ranging from basic research to applied research to innovative application development).

With effect from Semester 2 AY19/20, single-semester UROP will be discontinued. Students who are keen to do single-semester research projects are recommended to take CP3106 Independent Project instead. UROP will be spread over two consecutive semesters, allowing ample opportunities to learn and do research in a substantial project.

UROP is usually done in third year, allowing the students to earn two courses worth of units. Furthermore, students can choose to do research on the same topic for their Final Year Project, allowing substantial depth in research within their undergraduate education.

With effect from AY2024-25, Semester 1, SoC’s UROP students may optionally upgrade their UROP to the UROP+REx (CP3209+CP3209R) programme. This REx upgrade aims to provide students with a holistic research experience through participation in research themed workshops, showcasing their work at conferences or symposiums, and collaborating with undergraduate researchers from other disciplines in NUS.