Faculty of Arts

Research

Research at TRU is making a difference.

Many of our most important research discoveries stem from community-based research questions that result in real-life solutions with immediate and far-reaching impact. They influence policy, enrich culture, improve programs and build more vibrant cities. Our faculty are engaged in training the next generation of world-class researchers at both the graduate and undergraduate level.

TRU is one of the province’s leading research universities, and is a proud member of the Research Universities Council of British Columbia.

TRU actively promotes undergraduate student research. We are one of only two Canadian members of the Council on Undergraduate Research, an organization that supports and promotes high-quality undergraduate student-faculty collaborative research.

We target research funding to undergraduate students.

We schedule undergraduate research courses and host research conferences.

HOL

UREAP

Engaging in your own original research is a way to improve your resume, increase your academic and professional success, and make your time in university more interesting and rewarding. The Undergraduate Student Research Experience Award Program (UREAP) is a $6000 scholarship that can help you get started.

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Researchers in TRU's Faculty of Arts are contributing new knowledge to global conversations; from understanding why people fall away from religion, to exploring how infants develop reach and grasp movements may help those recovering from spinal injuries, the questions we answer at TRU are being asked around the world.

TRU Arts hosts and participates in local conferences. We also encourage, help organize, and support students who wish to attend academic conferences in other cities. Conferences are great places to meet fellow students, encounter new ideas, network with potential employers and supervisors, and of course to put your own research before an collegial public. Highlights on our conference schedule include:

TRU Arts students have several course options for earning credit while conducting research.

  • Directed Studies: many Arts disciplines offer courses that students can customize to explore a topic in greater depth; students work with an instructor one-on-one
  • Service Learning: SERV 300 and SERV 400 provide a means for students to earn credit while working on a project in the community; projects are overseen by a faculty and community representative
  • Research Learning: students use RESL courses to pursue a research topic under the supervision of a faculty member;  students taking RESL are eligible to apply for U-Reap funding
  • Co-op: the Arts co-op program alternates work and study terms
  • Honours Thesis: this course open to students completing the Honours program in Psychology