Independent Studies Colleges

Independent study is an increasingly popular option for subject mastery and the development of self-motivated learning skills at the college level. While there are many distance learning and online programs labeled “independent studies,” the traditional IS program is part of the on-campus or year-abroad experience and involves significant autonomy for the scholar, while requiring ongoing collaboration with a faculty adviser who will ultimately sign off on course credit. Colleges in the United States offer a variety of independent studies options in their curricula.
  1. University of California - Santa Barbara

    • Independent studies at Santa Barbara expands a subject that the student has excelled in during the course of a regular academic class, in an area that bears further exploration. The student can work independently for course credit each semester, under the guidance of a faculty member. The independent study takes the form of a research project within the scope of the Environmental Studies Program and requires a student-signed contract detailing the relevance of the study and the required work to complete it for credit.

      University of California - Santa Barbara
      Bren Hall, University of California,
      Santa Barbara 93106-4160
      (805) 893-2968
      es.ucsb.edu

    Brown University

    • Brown University's Global Independent Study Initiative was designed to make a year abroad program a more integrated part of the Brown experience. Students who qualify work with a faculty mentor to identify an area of exploration in addition to their academic studies at a partner university abroad. The research for independent study projects can lead to graduate research with the faculty adviser, an honors thesis as a graduation requirement, or serve as the basis for a senior capstone project.

      Brown University
      Office of International Programs
      69 Brown Street
      Providence, RI 02912
      (401) 863 -3555
      brown.edu

    Wooster College

    • Wooster College has offered its independent study for more than 60 years. IS at Wooster is a year-long project, under the guidance of a faculty adviser, that results in a performance, research paper or art exhibit to showcase the student’s in-depth academic encounter with a subject. All seniors participate in the program which encourages mastery of a field that is of special interest to the student. One day at the end of the spring semester is set aside for presentation of the independent study projects to the entire faculty and student body.

      College of Wooster
      1189 Beall Avenue
      Wooster, Ohio 44691
      (330) 263-2000
      wooster.edu/en/Independent-Study

    Windward Community College

    • Windward Community College in Hawaii provides an opportunity for a student to dig deeper into an area of particular interest with original, directed reading, research or field work. A faculty advisor with expertise in the area of study is required. Subjects chosen by students have included Archaeoastronomy of Egypt, Population Analysis of Reef Fishes, and Atmospheric Physics Internships at NOAA’s Fluid Modeling Facility

      Windward Community College
      45-720 Kea‘ahala Rd.
      K?ne‘ohe HI 96744
      (808) 235-7400
      windward.Hawaii.edu

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