Independent Study

Independent Study is an an opportunity to work one-on-one with a faculty member to complete directed reading, a creative project and/or supervised research. It is designed by the student and sponsoring faculty to investigate an area or field of specialization not normally offered in scheduled course offerings.

To find an independent study, you must meet with a full-time faculty member and propose the project, paper, or directed reading. If he or she agrees, you will fill out an Independent Study form which details the scope of the work and shows the faculty member has agreed to supervise you for a certain number of hours/credits. The work must meet a minimum of 45 hours of work per credit (i.e. approximately 10-15 page completed paper per credit).

Independent study coursework may only be used toward elective requirements, not as a substitute for required courses. Adjunct faculty may not supervise students for Independent Study.

Registering for an Independent Study

Students must get their advisor’s approval before registering for an independent study. For Steinhardt faculty, students need to submit an Independent Study form to his or her advisor for approval before registering (either scan and email it to your advisor, or drop it off in his/her mailbox), then register for the appropriate faculty member's independent study course in Albert. The form then needs to go to the University Registrar. This form also allows a student to title an independent study.

For non-Steinhardt faculty, students should work with the faculty member to register for the appropriate independent study course and fill out the appropriate form, if any. The student will then need to work with his or her advisor to be sure the independent study is approved for their degree program.

Deadlines: Students should seek advisement in the semester prior to which they wish to register. Then, students should submit Independent Study forms prior to end of the second week of the semester to the University Registrar (we recommend earlier).

Signatures: Their advisor’s signature at all times, along with those of the sponsoring faculty member and the chairperson of the department in which the student is matriculated.