Independent Study and Directed Research Students

Students may take independent study and/or directed research credits with a SMCM professor. Students meet with the professor to discuss mutual interest and decide on several parameters, and those decisions are recorded on a learning contract that can be acquired from the registrar.  Learning contracts are accepted up to the last Friday of the fourth week of classes and are exempt from the late add fee.

1. Directed research (_97) vs independent study (_99)
• If a student is conducting a research project, fieldwork, benchwork, or literature review, directed research is the correct category.

Example: A student doing a pre-SMP research project.

• If the student is doing assigned readings and responses or reflections, this is independent study.

Example: A student wants to work through the biostatistics labs without taking the full course.

2. Grade type: Letter or CR/NC
• This is up to the instructor and student. Generally speaking, credit is preferred as it requires the student to be more accountable.
3. Number of credits
• Discuss the amount of time the student wishes to devote to the project. A baseline for Biology credit is below, though the specific details are at the discretion of the faculty instructor.
• 1 credit = 4 hours of work per week
• 2 credits = 8 hours of work per week
• 3 credits = 12 hours of work per week
• 4 credits = 16 hours of work per week
4. Course number
• The number should correspond to the depth of the material, typically matching the student’s year level:
• 200 for second-year students
• 300 for third-year students
• 400 for fourth-year students
• Examples: 297, 397, or 497 for directed research; 299, 399, or 499 for independent study.
5. Title
• Select a title that is general and concise; it will appear on the student’s transcript.
6. Final Project
• Some possible final projects include a paper, a poster at the end-of-semester research symposium, or both.
• This must be specified in the learning contract and generally serves as the basis of the credit-bearing grade.

Other Useful Information:

• Mentoring directed research or independent study does not count toward the 3-3 teaching load, and there is no direct compensation to faculty members for taking on students during the Fall or Spring semesters. However, if a student enrolls for credits during the summer, they must pay tuition, and the professor receives a small financial compensation.
• The letter grade does not count toward the GPA for the biology major. Similarly, credits earned from serving as a teaching assistant do not count toward the 16 upper-division BIOL credits required for the biology major (typically three BIOL courses, two with lab, and BIOL 494). However, the letter grade does count toward the overall GPA and credits required for graduation.