Guidelines for Independent Studies

 1. Graduate students in the English Department may apply to take Independent Study as part of their Program of Study if they meet the following qualifications:

• The student must be fully matriculated in a Fitchburg State College Graduate English Program.
• The student must have completed 15 semester hours in one of our Graduate English Programs with no grades lower than 3.0 and have no Incompletes.

2. An Independent Study cannot be taken in place of a course offered by the department or to replace a required course in the Program of Study. Instead, it is an opportunity for in-depth study under the supervision of a professor whose specialization the student wishes to study.

3. The student should consult with the Graduate English Chair to determine the appropriate professor to approach with a particular project.

4. The student needs the written approval of both the professor for the Independent Study and the Graduate English Chair before s/he files an application to do an Independent Study.

5. The application for an Independent Study must be submitted and approved during the Spring or Fall semester prior to the semester during which the Independent Study is to be pursued. (Applications will not be acted on during the Summer.)

6. The Application for an Independent Study is prepared by the student in consultation with the supervising profession. It must include:

• an explanation (500 words) of the Independent Study project detailing the following: genesis of the project; project description; project objectives; and expected outcomes;
• a list of the required readings;
• a description of the type and length of written work to be completed;
• a tentative timetable including meeting dates and assignment due dates.

7. Projects begun without English Department approval are not eligible for Independent Study credit.