Independent Study

Students with a learning need that cannot be met through a regular course sequence of requirements and electives may pursue Independent Study. Graduate students are limited to 3 credits.  Refer to the Course Credits policy for the number of hours required for Independent Study courses. 

Application Process

For Graduate students the Independent Study course number is 697, with the subject of study.  Students should meet with their advisor early in the proposal planning process discussing ideas.  Students must take the initiative to generate a proposal and identify the specific resources; faculty and learning activities and complete the Independent Study Application. Independent study requests must be submitted before the last day to Add a course for term/session. Students should complete planning by the middle of the semester prior to registering for an Independent Study course. 

The term “external” is used to refer to the learning mentor, whoever that may be, because they are “external” to the regular graduate course program. It could be a faculty or staff member from Alverno, or it could be someone from another institution. The person must have the expertise needed plus the ability to effectively assess student learning at a graduate level of performance. If the external professional is not from Alverno, they receive a small honorarium; the amount depends upon the responsibilities involved but generally will not exceed $250. 

Include Learning Outcomes that are as specific as possible, explain they will be met through the Independent Study course. Explain how the work will be undergraduate or graduate level.  Graduate students must integrate graduate-level learning experiences and assessment into the course requirements. 

Address any Abilities that will be met through the Independent Study course.

The Independent Study course must have a title and use and a subject (EN, BI, etc.). The independent title can be up to 35 characters, including blank spaces. May use reasonable abbreviations as needed. 

Signatures and Approvals

The Independent Study Proposal must be signed by you and your external professional; it must then be approved by both your advisor and the Director of the Alverno Graduate Program. Again, the deadline for submission to the advisor is one week prior to registration for the semester in which the Independent Study course will be used. 

Application Completion 

  1. Student Name & ID Number
  2. Program:  
  3. Proposed semester of study: 
  4. Proposed number of credits (usually limited to 3): 
  5. Title and brief description of study:  
  6. Proposed external professional name, organization, address & phone:
  7. List the learning goals for this independent study? Include a brief explanation of why these goals could not be met in an existing course.
  8. ​Describe how learning goals are met by providing a detailed plan of the independent study, including how student goals will be achieved and how learning will be assessed.