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Management Studies Department Guidelines for Independent Study
1. Independent study is designed to provide an opportunity for students
to learn more about a management studies topic that they were exposed
to in an upper division LSBE course. It is not designed for students
who have only had a principles course in the topical area unless there
is no elective course that covers that topic in more depth. Hence,
the independent study course is primarily designed for students who
have already taken one or more discipline-specific electives.
2. An independent study course will only be approved in cases where
no similar course is offered by our department. We will not approve
an independent study in cases where a similar course is already listed
in the catalogue but is full, not offered in a given semester, or
not offered at a time convenient to the student. It is incumbent on
the student to show that the content of the proposed independent study
differs significantly from existing course offerings.
3. Independent study credit will not be granted for a project that
would lend itself more to an internship.
4. If you want to seriously study a topical area in more depth, after
you have taken the appropriate core or elective course that provides
a conceptual foundation to your topic, it is your responsibility to
find a faculty member who is willing to direct your independent study.
In the initial meeting with that faculty member, you should be prepared
to describe exactly what you want to study and what you hope to learn
from the process. Your request is more likely to succeed if you review
faculty members= research interests and direct your request to the
appropriate faculty member. You may not register for an independent
study course until you have the approval of the faculty member who
will supervise the project.
5. Faculty do not get compensated in any way for directing an independent
study and faculty are not required to supervise any particular independent
study project. Thus, it is important for you to show enthusiasm and
strong interest in your topic as part of the process of persuading
a faculty member to agree to work with you.
6. Given the nature of the type of work that an independent study
entails, independent study arrangements are available only to students
who have already proven themselves as capable of such independent
work. Minimally, an overall GPA of at least a 3.0 and a LSBE GPA of
3.0 is generally expected of anyone wishing to engage in an independent
study. We would also expect to see a B or better in the core course
in that area and also a minimum 3.0 GPA in all area electives taken
to date.
7. If a faculty member agrees to supervise an independent study,
the faculty member and student should develop a written agreement
which details the assignments, expectations, deadlines, and grading
expectations.
8. An independent study course should, at a minimum, be equivalent
in time and effort to a corresponding in-class learning experience.
The project would be expected to require a time investment at least
equal to the sum of in-class and out-of-class requirements in a Aregular@
course. For example, for a three credit independent study course,
a student should expect to commit at least nine hours per week to
the project. The projects or outcomes should be commensurate with
the expected time investment for the number of academic credits to
be awarded.
Adopted 5/5/04
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