Independent Study Courses

Students in good standing who are unable to take a course specifically required for their major or who are interested in supplementing the general curriculum with independent work in their major may, under the circumstances outlined below, earn academic credit by taking an independent study course under the supervision of a University faculty member. Independent study courses are available only to juniors and seniors except by special permission.

Registration for independent study courses may be authorized only with the written approval of the instructor and the chairperson of the department in which credit is to be earned, and the associate dean of the Sykes College of Business if the course is taken in that college. Deadlines are indicated within the Dropping and Adding Courses Policy in the paragraph labeled Registration for Internships and Independent Studies. After the registration deadline, either the Associate Dean's Office (for the Sykes College of Business) or Dean's Office (in other colleges) approval is needed as well as an Academic Petition for late registration. The Independent Study contract and Academic Petition form are available in SpartanNet under the Academics/Forms and Information link.

Students should take a course required for their major as an independent study course only when it is clearly a necessity, or when the experience gained will be extremely valuable to their career path.

Before a student may register for an independent study course, a completed “Independent Study Contract” needs to be submitted to the Registrar’s Office; if it is after the registration deadline, an Academic Petition is also required for late registration. The student is responsible for making sure that the contract is submitted to the Registrar’s Office and verifying on Workday that registration in the course has been completed. In addition, the college or department in which the course is offered maintains a record of the contract.