Eligibility Requirements for Student Research Participation

SPT helps ECE researchers advertise open research projects to find students with the appropriate background and experience required for specialized research areas. When a researcher posts a new research project through SPT, they can specify by class level who is eligible to apply. Currently, research projects in SPT are open to qualified ECE students who are enrolled in the following class levels:

• ECE Sophomore
• ECE Junior
• ECE Senior
• ECE Masters (MS, including graduate-level IMB students)

Each SPT project listing will indicate one or more compensation options: Pay (i.e., hourly pay) or Units (i.e., research for credit). Depending on the project offering, you may choose to apply for opportunities for hourly pay, or you may choose to apply research credits toward your degree requirements. However, students cannot receive both forms of compensation for the same research project.

RESEARCH FOR PAY

Certain research projects have funding available to hire student applicants for hourly pay. Students who participate in research for pay can expect the below rates per hour, subject to tax. All students with an hourly paid position must submit any and all hours worked each pay period into the university's payroll system (Workday) and may not exceed 20 hours worked in one week.

*Effective Spring 2024

Research for credit

Certain research projects provide students with the opportunity to earn academic credit while participating in the research programs of individual faculty members. The number of units for which a student is approved/registered should equal the number of hours worked each week. For example, registering for 12 units of research should equate to you conducting 12 hours of research work per week for the duration of the semester.

All units registered carry tuition (for a full-time student this does not change the total tuition cost in the fall or spring, but will generate a separate tuition bill in the summer term). Research units count toward a student's full-time enrollment status.

Undergraduate Students

ECE undergraduate students who engage in research for academic credit may apply the units toward either their ECE Coverage requirement or toward their Free Electives requirement. Your Academic Advisor will register you for 18580 for the appropriate number of units once your application is accepted by the project instructor in SPT.

MS Students

ECE MS students can apply up to 27 units (or 36 units in the intensive project option) of research credit towards degree requirements. Please note, the intensive project option is only available in select programs/locations.

Students should refer to the degree requirements page for their program for explanation of how research units may be counted:

• MS-ECE Standard Program
• MS-ECE Advanced Program
• MS-AIE Program
• MS-SE Standard Program

Your Academic Advisor will register you for the appropriate course number and for the accepted number of units once your application is accepted by the project instructor in SPT.

To apply for an open research project position:

1. Login to the Student Project Tracker (SPT) application portal using your CMU Andrew userID.
2. From Open Research Projects main page, search or filter listing of open projects by project title, class level, compensation type, and/or research instructor(s).
3. Click the project title to open the project details page, which includes a project abstract, desired applicant skills, project location, and more.
4. If you meet the experience and eligibilty requirements for a project of interest, click the  button to start your application.

After submitting your completed application, it undergoes a review process involving multiple parties, including:

• Student applicant
• Project instructor (e.g., faculty member, research scientist)
• Academic advisor (e.g., staff advisor from student's home department)
• Other researchers or program coordinators with access to SPT

Once the review process is initiated:

1. SPT sends a notification to the project instructor of your submitted application.
2. The project instructor reviews your application, and they (or someone from their research group) may contact you if there is an interest in your application or any follow-up questions.
3. The project instructor will accept any applicants they approve in SPT.
4. a. If your application is accepted for pay, the project instructor works with the ECE Business Office regarding the details for hiring you in Workday. You should receive a Workday notification once your hire has processed.

4. b. If your application is accepted for units,SPT will send a notification to your academic advisor, who will register you for the appropriate research units based on the information in your application. You should see the research units reflected in SIO once this has processed. NOTE: the project instructor listed in SPT is the person who will be entering the grade for these units. If students feel there is any lack of clarity around who is supervising their work vs the project instructor, they should reach out to the project instructor and/or their academic advisor.

Though the nature and duties of each research project can vary, all students should enter a research project with the following expectations:

• clear guidance from the instructor regarding schedule and responsibilities
• for pay this means clear hours, for units this also means clear understanding of grading criteria

Q: I have arranged a verbal agreement with a faculty member for a research project. Do I still need to apply for it in SPT?

A: Yes. If you already have a research project set up with a faculty member, the project still must be created in the SPT application portal. Also, the interested student(s) must apply for the position and receive an offer from the faculty member/research instructor via SPT. This ensures students are properly registered or hired for pay.

Q: Can I conduct a research project with a non-ECE faculty member?

A: Yes. If you are planning on conducting research with a non-ECE faculty member, the project must still be posted in SPT. Most importantly, you and/or your research instructor must identify an ECE faculty member who is willing to serve as a co-research instructor for the project.

Q: How do students gain access to Student Project Tracker?

A: Each semester, open research project are populated in SPT. Students gain access to the SPT system on the first day of classes using their Andrew userID. If you experience difficulty logging in to the SPT application portal on or after the first day of classes, please contact your academic advisor for assistance.

Q: Can I work remotely on a research project from an off-campus location?

A: Typically, no. Students may never receive pay for a research project from an off-campus location. In the fall and spring, all students must be physically in person at a CMU campus location. In the summer, there may be flexibility only when working on a project for units. Students may communicate with faculty on other CMU campuses to determine what options are feasible for their research projects, but students typically must be on campus themselves.

Q: Is the faculty member/research instructor notified after I have applied to their project? Do I need to contact them directly?

A: Yes. Project instructors receive an email notification when a student applies to one of their projects. You do not need to contact them directly upon submission of your application. However, if you had a previous exchange with the instructor about the project in question, you may choose to follow up to notify them you have formally applied. Additionally, if you have applied and not heard back from the project instructor, it is okay to reach out to them after one week to follow up on your application status.

Q: I've accepted an offer to join a research project. Do I need to notify my advisor(s)?

A: Ideally, you should alert your advisor of your intent to apply for a research project position prior to submitting your application. However, after a student is accepted to a project, SPT will notify your academic advisor of record with an automated email for their reference. Your academic advisor will then register your requested research units in the appropriate course number.

Q: I've chosen hourly pay as my preferred compensation instead of research units. Do I have to do anything in order to get paid?

A: If you accept a research position for hourly pay, SPT will send an automated email to the project instructor and ECE's Business Office. The ECE Business Office will confer with the instructor to collect the pertinent information regarding the source of the funding that will compensate the student. If either the RI or the ECE Finance office requires anything more from the student, they will contact the student via Andrew email.  

Q: Can I choose research for units and hourly pay for my compensation?

A: No. Some research projects will offer compensation as research unit credit or for hourly pay but not both. Other projects may offer students the opportunity to choose which form of payment they prefer to receive, but the student cannot select both options.

Q: How many research units can I apply toward my program requirements?

A: Undergraduate ECE students should contact their academic advisor for specific information on how many research credits can be counted toward their degree. ECE MS students can apply up to 27 units (or 36 units in the intensive project option) towards degree requirements. See your program's requirements webpage or contact your academic advisor for full details.

Q: I see that a project is listed as "idle", what does this mean and can I still apply?

A: Yes, students are allowed to apply to any open project, even if they are in an "idle" status. A project receives "idle" status in SPT when there have been no accepted applications for the project in several semesters. This is merely a way to indicate to students that while it is still open for applications, it may be phasing out. After two semesters of "idle" status a project will automatically close, keeping the SPT website as up to date as possible. If you are interested in a project that is in "idle" status, it is best practice to reach out to the Project Instructor to confirm if they are still actively hiring.

Find Projects and Apply

Access the Student Project Tracker (SPT) website to discover exciting research projects looking for qualified students.