Directed/Independent Studies and Special Topics

Directed and independent studies are non-classroom programs of study, arranged for and undertaken by a student under the supervision of a faculty member and at the discretion of that faculty member. Such studies must be judged to be of substantial weight, equal to or exceeding the merit, time, and attention given to a classroom course of equivalent credit. All directed and independent study courses must be approved by the student's faculty advisor, the department chair, and by the Dean.

Directed Study courses are individualized offerings of courses currently approved and listed in the Undergraduate College Catalog. These are often offered to assist a student in resolving a serious scheduling conflict outside of his/her control that cannot be resolved by other means.

Independent Study are individualized courses that allow a student to work with a faculty member to do research beyond what is offered in the normal curriculum.

Directed and independent studies are subject to the following requirements:

Contact hours: A directed study must have scheduled faculty-student contact hours equal to at least one third of the contact hours of a classroom course of equivalent credit. Contact hours for an independent study are at the instructing faculty member’s discretion.
GPA: A student taking a directed study must have a GPA of at least 2.75. A student taking an independent study must have a GPA of at least 3.5.
Class standing: Students taking directed or independent studies must have completed at least twenty-four college semester credits.
A student who has received a D or F in a course may not take a directed or independent study in order to replace the grade for that course.

Special Topics are classroom-based courses for topics outside the normal curriculum. These are often used to address new questions in a field or to test whether the course should be approved for permanent listing in the catalog.