Independent Study

Proposals

For proposals for Summer 2025 or Fall 2025 independent study courses, the proposal can be submitted up until Monday, April 14, 2025. For proposals for Spring 2026 independent study courses, the proposal can be submitted up until Friday, November 21, 2025.

Completed proposals must be submitted prior to the last 2 weeks of the semester preceding the semester the proposed course would start.

Proposals submitted to the Curriculum Committee (for undergraduate students) or Graduate Committee (for Masters degree students) after that date or incomplete proposals will not be reviewed. In addition, proposals must be approved prior to the start of the requested semester; therefore, provide enough time for changes that may be requested during the approval process.

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Time Commitment

The time committed to independent/individual study should be comparable to the time committed to standard courses. The student and faculty member are expected to meet at least once per week during the term of the course. A commonly used guideline for student time expectations is that, on average, three hours of independent work per week should be performed per hour of credit awarded.

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Planned Readings

Appropriate resources to act as primary or supporting curricular material should be listed. Such resources commonly include: textbooks, journal articles, manuals, and appropriate website resources.

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Deliverables

Deliverables may vary according to the proposed objectives for the course. Suggestions include: a term paper; presentation of findings to a class, seminar group, state, or national convention; development of a poster to be presented in the department; an article for publication; or development of instructional material.

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