General Overview:
Independent Study is available through COMPFOR 399. Development of a “Petition for COMPFOR Independent Study” should occur in consultation with their planned supervising faculty member. If the faculty member agrees, the form will be completed by both the student and the faculty member and submitted to the PCAS Curriculum Committee for evaluation by the faculty member. If approval is granted, the student and faculty will be notified via email and the student issued an override to enroll in COMPFOR 399..
Credit Ratio:
Independent Study may be approved for 1-4 credits depending on the depth and scope of the student’s proposed plan of study. Each credit hour earned, should represent three-hours of work, composed of agreed-upon instructor-student consultations and structured, independent work. Therefore, COMPFOR 399 for petitioned for 2 credits would require 6 hours of work, weekly.
Regular Faculty Contact:
Because faculty mentors donate significant time and effort in supporting an independent study, students should be similarly committed. To this end students and faculty should meet at least every week (in person or virtual) to discuss their progress, learnings, and adjustments.
The Process:
Interested students should initiate contact with a COMPFOR faculty member who is knowledgeable of the topic and who will not be on leave for the teaching term, and come to an agreement on the basic plan before submitting a petition.
Proposal General Expectatons:
- The student will produce a substantial final project in consultation with the supervising faculty member.
- Over the course of the term, the student will meet (in person or virtually) at least weekly.
Other Policy Considerations:
- First-semester freshmen are not eligible to petition a PCAS Independent Study.
- At present, Independent Study, is only possible in the fall or winter terms.
- Each full term, each PCAS faculty member can be expected to support at maximum 2 Independent Study students. Please consult your planned PCAS faculty member early in the process. It is at the discretion of the faculty member if they wish to take on more students.
- Proposal forms are due no later than the second week of classes in the fall or winter term in which the student wishes to enroll.
- It is expected that the Independent Study topic proposed be typically unavailable in the COMPFOR curriculum or similarly taught in an another UM department.
- Student should be in good academic standing, with a cumulative GPA above 2.0.
- Students must conclude other Independent Studies from previous terms before enrolling in COMPFOR 399.
- Students should have no other incompletes or developed plan for resolving them (i.e., an academic recovery plan). Substantiation may be required in this instance.
- Repeat credit for COMFOR 399: Independent Study is at the discretion of the Chair of PCAS.
- COMPFOR 399 cannot be used to yield credit from internship experiences.
- COMPFOR 399 cannot be used for Curricular Practical Training (CPT) for international students, as PCAS does not offer a major, presently.
