The Research Excursions Program (REP) provides an opportunity for Arts & Science undergraduate students to travel off-campus as part of an instructor’s research project, while earning course credit at the same time. Past REP courses have taken students around the world, including to archives in New York City, field sites in Algonquin Park and forests in Ecuador. The Faculty of Arts & Science covers travel and living expenses for students, but students are expected to cover tuition fees for the course.
REP courses take place in the Summer term, between May and August. A limited number of REP courses are available each year. Each REP course has a program-specific designator, such as ANT, CLA, CSB, etc.
REP courses can count as 0.5 credit or 1.0 credit (depending on whether it is an H or Y course). Some REPs may be eligible to count towards program completion; speak to your program coordinator to learn more.
Instructors select students for their REP courses. In order to be eligible to apply for REP, students must be Arts & Science (St. George) degree undergraduate students and must have between 9.0 and 13.5 credits by the end of the April exam period.
Preference will be given to students who have not previously received funding for a Faculty of Arts & Science International Opportunity (including the REP, International & Indigenous Course Modules (ICMs) and the Dean’s International & Indigenous Initiatives Fund). If eligible and selected for an REP, students must sign a contract to be enrolled in the course, and must complete U of T Safety Abroad requirements in order to participate in the REP.
Application Details
For Summer 2023 REPs, students can apply from February 10 to March 5, 2023. Applications include three documents: resume/CV, a letter of intent and an unofficial transcript. For those interested to learn about the Summer 2023 application process, please view the CLNx application process video. On March 6, 2023, all applications will be sent to the faculty supervisor.
After student applications are sent to the faculty supervisors, they make their selections in accordance with the relevant deadlines (see Summer 2023 Program Dates and Timeline for details). Some faculty supervisors will have interviews, phone calls or email questions to students they are considering. Each faculty supervisor has their own method. Only students who are being considered or are selected for an REP course will be contacted by the relevant faculty supervisor. Selected students are required to sign an agreement (REP contract) with their supervising professor to participate in an REP course and will be enrolled into the course by the Office of the Dean prior to the start of the relevant term. All students must complete Safety Abroad requirements in order to participate in the REP course.
For more information about the Research Excursions Program, please email experiential.artsci@utoronto.ca.
Summer 2023 Program Dates and Timeline
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| February 10, 2023 | Summer 2023 REP course applications open on CLNx. |
| March 5, 2023 | Summer 2023 REP course applications close on CLNx. |
| March 6 – 26, 2023 | Instructors review applications and select students. Eligible students will need to submit the REP contract to be enrolled in the course. |
| March 27, 2023 | Deadline for REP contracts to be submitted. |
| Mid-April 2023 | Students enrolled in REP course. |
| Early May 2023 | All enrolled Summer 2023 REP students are placed on CLNx. |
| May – August, 2023 | Students complete REP course (exact travel dates and relevant Safety Abroad requirement deadlines may vary depending on REP project). |
| September 2023 (Date TBD) | REP students participate in Fall Research Fair. |
Summer 2023 REP Courses
| Department | Professor | Research Project | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANT | Tamas Bence Viola | Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers at Grub Kranawetberg | Vienna and Stillfried an der March, Austria |
| ESS | Daniel Gregory | Investigating critical metal deposits of northern Quebec and Ontario | Cobalt Ontario, Val d'Or Quebec, Chibougamau Quebec, Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| ANT | Michael Chazan | Archaeological Fieldwork and Community Engagement in the Northern Cape, South Africa | Kathu and Kimberley, South Africa |
| EEB | Njal Rollinson | Early spring breeding of amphibians in Algonquin Provincial Park | Wildlife Research Station, Ontario, Canada |
| EEB | Njal Rollinson | Ecology and evolution of amphibians and reptiles in the Canadian wilderness | Wildlife Research Station, Ontario, Canada |
| CLA | Seth Bernard | Archaeological Excavations at Falerii Novi | Rome and Cività Castellana, Italy |
| EEB | D. Luke Mahler | The evolution of ecological diversity across neotropical lizard communities | Santo Domingo and 6 field locations, Dominican Republic |
| NEW | Aggrey Wasike | Language, Gender, and Economic Factors in Education in Bungoma County, Kenya | Nairobi, Misikhu and Siuna, Kenya |
| EEB | Benjamin Gilbert | Impacts of fragmentation and climate fluctuations on plant diversity | Koffler Scientific Reserve, Ontario, Canada |