Mentorship, Work, Research & Project Opportunities 

Through courses and co-curricular activities, these opportunities to apply your learning, develop a project, conduct original research, or meet leaders in the field will help you deepen your understanding of computer science concepts, build valuable skills and strengthen your resume. 

• Mentoring & Networking

• Internships & Work

• Research

• Project Courses

Mentorship & Networking 

Connect with alumni and industry professionals.

Alumni-Student Mentorship Program
Connects students with supportive alumni of computer science who are working in the field and are willing to share their academic and career experiences with a student mentee who is preparing for their own path.

Who can participate or apply: undergraduate students in a CS program at the St. George campus
Next Steps: Apply in the Fall on the Mentorship program website

Backpack to Briefcase (b2B)
Networking events bring together alumni and A&S students in similar fields to learn more about career prospects. 

Who can participate or apply: All A&S students
Next Steps: Register for updates and invitations on the b2B website

Who can participate or apply: Varies
Next Steps: Sign up for CS Undergrad Quercus announcements about upcoming events

Internships & Work

Interested in internships, work-integrated learning, and courses with applied projects?

Arts & Science Internship Program (ASIP)
ASIP combines 12-20 months of paid work experience with specialized development training. 

Who can participate or apply: Computer/Data Science Specialists and Majors entering Year 2 or, in exceptional circumstances, Year 3 (see ASIP eligibility criteria for more information).
Next steps: Apply to ASIP in the summer before Year 2 or Year 3

Community engaged learning
Community placements, workshops and training, leadership opportunities, mentorship and other support to learn in community while developing knowledge and skills. 

Who can participate or apply: Varies by program
Next steps: Connect with the Centre for Community Partnerships to learn about curricular and co-curricular community-engaged learning opportunities 

New College offers Community Engaged Learning courses, where you can earn course credit by completing a community placement (along with other coursework) 

Job Board for CS students
The undergraduate office posts job and internship listings sent to us by external organizations. 

Who can participate or apply: Everyone
Next steps: Check the job board regularly for new postings.

Jobs for all U of T students are also posted on the Career Learning Network, maintained by the Career Centre.

TA positions in Computer Science
Support students and instructors while building transferable skills in teaching and training. 

Who can participate or apply: Upper year students
Next steps: TA applications are typically posted in June for Fall/Winter, October for Winter, and March for Summer.

The Focus in Technology Leadership is designed to prepare students with industry-ready skills, strong leadership capability, and an understanding of the technology landscape. More information and application instructions are available on the FTL website. 

Who can participate or apply: Students applying to programs who have not completed CSC207H1 prior to beginning Focus requirements are invited to apply to the Focus in Technology Leadership.

Next steps: Apply to the Focus in Technology Leadership when you apply to CS programs. More information is available on the How to Apply to a Computer Science Program pages.

Research 

Interested in working on research with a faculty member or other expert?

CSC494H1/CSC495H1: Computer Science Project
In a Computer Science Project course, students and professors make individual arrangements to work together on a specific project.

Who can participate or apply: 3rd and 4th year students
Next Steps: Please see the Computer Science Undergrads Quercus course for a details on requesting enrolment in the course.

Additional details:
If you would like to work on a CSC494H1/CSC495H1 project, you must take the initiative to ask faculty members whether they are willing to supervise your project. 

Once you have found a faculty member to supervise your project, finalize the project details (including a title and short description of the project) with the faculty member and submit a request to the Undergraduate Office to enrol in a project course using our CSC494H1/CSC495H1 Request Form. 

Note: For your first project course, you will be enrolled in CSC494H1; for your second project course, you will be enrolled in CSC495H1. 

• Who picks the project topic?
  If you have a topic you're really interested in, you can propose it yourself. Even if the topic is suitable -- they aren't always -- you may still have to look around to find a professor who feels both willing and qualified to supervise it. Otherwise, the professor may well have a stock of suitable project topics. Picking one is part of the project arrangements.

• How are the marks determined? 
  The project supervisor determines a mark and sends it to the Undergraduate Office. The mark is due by the same date as the mark for any other undergraduate course that does not have a final examination. Usually that means sometime early in the examination period at the end of the relevant academic session -- in other words, mid-December, mid-April, or mid-August.

• What are the formal arrangements for enrolling?
  Once you have a project title and project description ready, submit a request for enrolment here: http://www.cs.toronto.edu/dcs/ugdocs/csc494register/
  Submit the form by the Wednesday of the first week of the semester, in the term in which you wish to take the course. Your prerequisites will be checked, and when everything is in order, the Undergraduate Office will enroll you directly in the appropriate course. 

Preparation for Research through Immersion, Skills, and Mentorship (PRISM)
A new program for second-year Computer Science undergraduates to help get your feet wet in research. Learn about and practice research skills, interact with grad student mentors, and be immersed in parts of the research process.

Who can participate or apply: 2nd year students (We encourage participation from members of groups which have been historically underrepresented in computer science research.) 
Next Steps: Apply in the Fall term; activities take place during the Winter term

Research Opportunity Program (ROP) 
The ROP gives undergraduate students in their second and third year the chance to join a professor’s research project and earn course credit towards their degree and program requirements.

Who can participate or apply:

• CSC299Y – entering 2nd or 3rd year

• CSC399Y – entering 3rd or 4th year 

Next Steps: Apply in February for Summer projects and March for Fall/Winter projects 

Undergraduate Summer Research Program
This program gives students the opportunity to work on paid, intensive full-time research with a professor for sixteen weeks over the summer, and to build a community with other students engaged in research at our department. 

Who can participate or apply: Students in 2nd year and above 
Next Steps: Apply in December/early January for funding for the following summer.

The Computing Research Association offers a number of resources and programs for students on undergraduate research, graduate school, and research careers in computer science through their Student Pathways into Research in Computing (SPARC) portal: https://sparc.cra.org/

If you have any questions about CRA resources or activities, please contact cs.undergrad@utoronto.ca.

Project Courses 

Interested in receiving course credit and building skills through applied projects? 

CSC404H: Introduction to Video Game Design
Design and build a playable game through this course. 

Who can participate or apply: 3rd and 4th year students
Next Steps: Please see the Computer Science Undergrads Quercus course for a details on requesting enrolment in the course. 

CSC454H: Business of Software and DCSIL
This course introduces you to the nature, structure, and dynamics of the contemporary software industry. 

It focuses on the key factors involved in ideating, hypothesizing, validating, and executing a viable and investable/return driven business model to launch a sustainable, scalable and profitable tech-based (software and/or hardware) business venture as a company founder or as an employee of an established company. 

Who can participate or apply: 3rd and 4th year students
Next Steps: Please see the Computer Science Undergrads Quercus course for a details on requesting enrolment in the course.

CSC490H1/CSC491H1: Capstone Course
In Capstone Design Project courses, students work on special projects relating to a predetermined theme, which varies from offering to offering based on the supervising professor. The projects focus on current and dynamic computer science topics and often combine skills from several computer science areas. 

Examples of recent capstone topics:

• Applied software engineering 

• Video game design 

• Video game interfaces 

• Real-world consulting projects 

Who can participate or apply: 3rd and 4th year students
Next Steps: Please see the Computer Science Undergrads Quercus course for a details on requesting enrolment in the course.