Independent Study Policy

Independent study applies when a student contracts to meet regularly with a qualified instructor to fulfill the assignments, tests, projects, and other tasks necessary to achieve the performance objectives of a given course. Independent study requires a student to be motivated and organized. Because an independent study does not provide the student with the classroom interaction normally expected in higher education, it is to be offered only when there is no alternative and as infrequently as possible.

Students may take, and the University may offer, a course through independent study when all of the following conditions are met:

1. The course is not currently offered on-site or online.
2. Completion of the course is necessary for on-time graduation.
3. The need for the course in the quarter/term in question does not arise from the student's decision to withdraw from the course in an earlier quarter/term, the student's failure to satisfactorily complete the course in an earlier quarter, the student's decision to change programs, or the student's decision to accelerate graduation near the end of their program.
4. The student will complete work of a similar quantity and quality as required in a regularly scheduled course and will meet the standard performance objectives for the course. If the method for meeting and assessing the performance objectives differs from the standard course syllabus, the changes will be noted within the course section.
5. Within the first week of the independent study, the student and instructor must meet to review the course schedule and determine how the course and weekly objectives will be met and assessed.
6. If the independent study is held residentially, the instructor and student(s) will meet an equivalent of at least 11 hours which are distributed evenly across the weeks of the quarter/term.