Independent Study Agreement

A full explanation of Independent Study policy can be found in the Graduate Student Handbook.

Policy

A Graduate Independent Study (IS) is intended to advance a graduate studentā€™s academic progress. The study should help the student build knowledge and/or develop skills necessary for their degree or future research. The IS must not itself constitute the research that leads to the MS or PhD dissertation and must therefore meet the following requirements:

  • Have one or more learning objectives and/or deliverables, appropriate for the graduate level
  • Be independent of any funded research 
  • Be independent of the studentā€™s current MS or PhD dissertation research

6000-level courses in ASEN are considered ā€œAdvanced Graduate Courses,ā€ and by definition have a graduate-level course (at the 5000 level) as a prerequisite. 

If you wish to enroll in ASEN 6849, the independent study proposal must show that the topic under study either i) has a graduate-level course as a prerequisite to the study topic, or ii) constitutes the ā€œadvancedā€ second phase of a previous 5000-level independent study. 

It is the responsibility of the independent study supervisor (faculty member) to create a rubric for evaluation of the IS. The rubric creates an agreement between the student and the advisor for deliverables and grading expectations. Similar to any other course, the student should know ahead of time the work required to complete the IS, how the work will be evaluated, and the criteria for grade determination. At a minimum, the Independent Study proposal should include: 

  • A list of expected deliverables (reports, hardware, literature reviews, etc.)
  • A rubric for each deliverableā€™s contribution to the final grade

Instructions

To be considered for approval by the Graduate Program, the Graduate Independent Study proposal form should include the following:

  • Describe the purpose and academic goals of the proposed Independent Study (IS). 
  • Describe the method of conducting and evaluating the IS (for example: research and reading, written reports, regular meetings and discussions, final paper or report). 
  • Describe how the IS will be evaluated. Indicate any specific assignments, dates when they are to be finished, and how they will contribute to the final grade.
  • If enrolling in ASEN 6849, provide justification and describe the prerequisite course or previous independent study.
  • If necessary, explain how this work differs from your MS/PhD research or any funded projects.

*Only use this form if you are planning to do an independent study with a faculty member in Smead AES. If you are planning independent study with a faculty member in another department, you will need permission from that department to enroll in their independent study course, so reach out to their graduate coordinator/graduate program advisor for instructions.

**Make sure you have the information required for the proposal BEFORE beginning the form; you will not be able to save and return to the form later.

***This form must be completed before or within the first 10 days of the semester.

  1. Enter contact information for the student and the IS supervisor (faculty member). 
  2. Click ā€œSubmitā€ and you will be directed to DocuSign to complete the form. 
  3. In DocuSign, complete the required fields. There is an option to attach a typed proposal instead of filling out the text boxes. If you attach a proposal, type ā€œSee attached documentā€ in the required fields. 
  4. You will receive a copy of the form when it is completed, or you will be contacted via email if there are modifications requested. Your academic advisor (GPA) will follow up via email when you have been successfully enrolled in the course. 

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