Directed Research & Independent Study Courses

A maximum of sixteen credits are allowed for courses that are pass-fail or have a university-wide course number of 590, 592, 594-598, and 696-697 (or equivalent courses that may appear as transfer credits).

A directed research or independent study course is taken to meet a student’s specific need when a course is not offered at the university that would serve the student’s interests.

• A course must be conducted by the graduate student under the supervision of a graduate faculty member or members.
• The outcome for the directed research will include a clear statement of the question under investigation, a review of the literature, analysis and synthesis of the data or scholarly evidence, and the inference of conclusions.
• Advanced work for the independent study includes the design and completion of a specific outcome or project.
• It is the responsibility of the student and the student’s program advisor to select or create doctoral level courses that situate the student to become an expert in the proposed area.

Courses are approved by the Dean of the Graduate College.

See the Graduate Catalog for more detail, or for deadlines see the Academic Calendar.