Independent Study

Policy

A student can enroll in one or more independent study courses in a semester with the consent of the instructor and the director of undergraduate studies in the instructor's department.

Independent study courses count toward the 34 course credits needed for graduation and toward the Small Group Learning Experience (SGLE). Independent study courses do not carry any curriculum codes. Courses officially titled "Research Independent Study," coded R, count toward the Research requirement, and one of them may be submitted toward the W (Writing in the Discipline) requirement; for more information on that option see Independent Study (Research) "W" coding. Students who are seeking an R code must make sure to check the title and code of the independent study course for which they are registering.

All independent study courses must meet the following four requirements:

  1. The independent study must be approved by the instructor involved as well as by the director of undergraduate studies in the relevant department or program;
  2. The student will meet with the instructor of the independent study course at least once every two weeks during the fall or spring semester (at least once a week during the summer);
  3. The final product must be submitted during the semester of enrollment in the course; and
  4. The instructor will evaluate the work, including the final product, associated with the independent study.

Procedure

Contact the faculty member with whom you propose to do an independent study. Discuss the objectives of the course, how much of a time commitment the faculty member expects you to make for the course (generally 10–15 hours per week), and what the requirements for the final product may be. Check the Web site of the faculty sponsor’s department or the department sponsoring the course for any particular information and forms that may pertain. Departments often require a written project proposal.

To request an independent study based on an internship:

In Trinity College and the Pratt School of Engineering, course credit can be earned for internships only when they include as a component an academic course of instruction. If you are planning a non-academic internship and are interested in the possibility of receiving credit, you may wish to seek permission to enroll in an independent study related to the internship experience and resulting in a substantive research paper. You can begin the process by identifying a faculty sponsor and constructing a proposal for the independent study, and this should be done well before the internship begins. (For a summer internship, this should be done prior to the end of classes in the preceding spring term; some departments may have early deadlines for independent study proposals.)

When choosing a faculty sponsor for an independent study course based upon an internship experience, you might consider an instructor with whom you have already taken a course. Alternatively, the director of undergraduate studies or your academic advisor may be able to suggest a suitable faculty member to serve as the sponsor of your independent study. Some departments have specific internship numbers assigned to such independent study courses, while others use their regular independent study numbers. Consult the department’s Web site for information on its procedures for independent study; if the information is not available there, consult the office of the director of undergraduate studies in the department.