Independent Study Course (sometimes referred to as directed studies)—Independent study courses, which are distinct from course by arrangement and special topics courses, are designed to provide an opportunity for a student to pursue a research/study interest not available through any of the courses offered in a program at EKU.
Independent Study Courses:
Must be under the supervision/direction of a faculty member with appropriate qualifications for the course content and must be guided by an approved course plan.
Must follow the proscribed procedure below and be approved in advance of enrollment in an independent study course appropriately designated as such in the Catalog.
Should not be used as a mechanism to teach a course not offered in a given semester or as a substitution for program requirements, though they may, with appropriate approval, fulfill such requirements.
Are not intended to be a mechanism for enrolling in a course for which a student would otherwise be ineligible.
Course by Special Arrangement—A course that is part of the approved curriculum program but is being offered to a student during a term or at a time when it is not scheduled. See Policy 4.3.17P.
Special Topics Courses-Designated courses designed to cover specialized areas within a discipline. These courses are created with normal class enrollment expectations.
Procedure
The Independent Study Form with original signatures will be sent to the Registrar’s Office. Upon seeing the department approval, the Registrar’s Office will register the student for the independent study.
A student interested in an independent study will complete the Independent Study Proposal. This form requires a description of the scope of the work covered in the independent study and an attached project plan, including learning objectives, devised in consultation with the supervising faculty member.
Faculty supervisors are responsible for assisting the student in developing the proposal, including the method(s) to be used for evaluating student learning and the planned and periodic evaluation of the student’s progress. The faculty supervisor will also complete the appropriate section of the Independent Study Proposal form and grant initial approval.
Before agreeing to supervise an Independent Study, faculty will seek approval of their department chairs to determine the impact on workload. The department chair and the college dean must approve before a faculty member can supervise more than one independent study in a semester.
Department chairs are responsible for ensuring independent study proposals adhere to the definition stated above and for approval of the proposal.
Individual departments may establish additional procedures for independent study courses.
Students must be registered in the course and the number of credit hours determined prior to students beginning the independent study.
Limitations
Students may be approved for a maximum of 6 hours of independent study per degree earned.
A student must be in good academic standing and have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 2.5 to take an ISC. Graduate students must be in good academic standing and have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 to take an ISC.
