How to Set Up an Independent Study Course

Independent study courses are individually tailored courses whose content and workload are negotiated between a faculty member and a student. A student desiring to do this kind of course should approach a faculty member with an idea – often related to a class taken with that faculty member. They will then discuss the format and requirements for successful completion of a 3 credit hour course. Often, this means doing further reading and/or qualitative (interviewing, observation) or quantitative (statistical analysis) research, with a substantial term paper due at the end of the semester. Faculty members may be interested in other independent projects as well – e.g. directed readings with smaller papers, or term papers written in relation to internships (with additional reading and/or research). If you cannot think of which faculty member to approach, discuss this with the Undergraduate Advisor.

• Note: Independent study courses require a lot of initiative and self-discipline. You will probably be working without much direction, and it’s easy to put this work aside under pressure of inflexible deadlines from other courses. Establishing a regular time to meet with the faculty member supervising you can help, but students have been known to go underground as the semester progresses, and we will not police you. Think about this issue in advance! On the other hand, doing an independent study is an excellent way to see whether academic research is something that you enjoy doing on your own.