A limited number of students who have completed 18 credits—including appropriate production courses, in the case of Independent Production—will be approved to undertake independent coursework. Students who have defined a specific subject or problem that they would like to investigate can pursue a course of study independent of regular class structures, meetings, and assignments. The student must work with an interested faculty member, who serves as the advisor, to design a project and develop a proposal.
The Independent Study/Production Proposal must be submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies for approval and clearance to register. Applications must be submitted with enough time for full evaluation prior to registration, usually two or more weeks.
Most independent projects are pursued with Principal Faculty members during the fall and spring semesters. Please consult with the Director of Graduate Studies before developing proposals for summer independent projects, or for projects with adjunct faculty advisors.