Independent Study Overview
The School of Art and Design has established policies and procedures that govern Independent Study credit. “Independent study” is defined as academic credit earned for activities which are not part of the regular curriculum. Independent studies allow students an opportunity to study of a topic not otherwise offered in the curriculum, pursue a topic beyond or in greater depth than is possible within the context of a regular course, or earn credit for a research project or similar activity which occurs in an off-site setting. Independent studies may also be used to compensate for minimal differences in transfer credit for off-site instruction (such as Study Abroad), or when unavoidable scheduling conflicts lead to minor deficiencies in a student’s timely progress towards a degree. Independent studies should not be used when existing curriculum will reasonably suffice.
Requirements:
Independent studies should be a relevant professional activity or a rigorous investigation of a specific topic. A written proposal which includes a timeline, and describes student learning outcomes and expectations, is required. Students should be mature, self-motivated, and capable of working under minimal supervision. Except in extraordinary circumstances, instructors shall be a full-time, tenure-line faculty member. At no time is any employee required to supervise an independent study.
Procedures:
A student seeking independent study credit must submit a draft proposal to a supervising instructor to determine if the instructor is willing and able to undertake an independent study course. Students must also get advice from their Academic Advisor, if different from Program Chair.
A final proposal, agreed upon by both the student and instructor, must be approved by Program Chair(s) of programs with which the faculty member is affiliated, and in which the student is earning a degree or degrees. If the student is a Graduate student, the student’s Graduate Coordinator or Academic Advisor should also be notified. As with any curricula, instructors who are not members of the Graduate College will not be able to record grades for graduate student independent study credit; graduate students seeking to work with such an instructor must also identify a faculty member who will be able to submit a final grade once it has been determined by the supervising instructor. All parties must agree to collaborate as a condition of the independent study. The proposal must then be submitted using the School of Art and Design UNDERGRADUATE Independent Study Form or the GRADUATE Independent Study Form.
Internships for Academic Credit Overview
“Internship for Academic Credit” (hereafter referred to as “Internship”) is defined as academic credit earned for any learning activity or opportunity for which academic credit is not otherwise available, but is determined by the faculty in any Program to be appropriate for and worthy of academic credit.
Like Independent Studies, Internships allow students opportunities not offered in the curriculum, but differ in that they involve external partnerships or non-academic sponsorship and supervision. Activities may include but are not limited to professional activities such as commissions, community-focused collaborations, corporate partnerships, exchange learning programs, exhibitions, expositions, travel, internships, fellowships, laboratory or studio work, student organizations, summer jobs, and workshops, to name some established modes.
Requirements:
Internships should enhance and enrich student experience, learning, or competency. Generally, a written proposal should be submitted for approval prior to the scheduled start of the internship, but must be submitted within ten business days. The proposal must describe the terms of the internship, including location, institutional sponsor, faculty sponsor(s), and on-site supervision, timeline, a description of student learning outcomes and expectations, and credit hours. Internships should commence after a student has earned at least 30 credits towards the degree for which they are enrolled and generally must conclude before the start of their final semester. As per the university guidelines, credit hours associated with internships require 45 hours of work to correspond to 1 credit hour. The maximum total hours of internship credits that any student can receive is 4 hours. Internship credit is only approved for S/U (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) grade modes. Students should be mature, self-motivated, and capable of working under minimal supervision, and have maintained a 3.3 GPA for the previous semester. Ordinarily, instructors shall be a full-time, tenure-line faculty member, though Specialized Faculty are eligible to supervise. At no time is any employee required to take on the additional labor and responsibility of supervising an internship.
Procedures:
A student seeking internship credit must submit a draft proposal to a supervising instructor to determine if the instructor is willing and able to supervise the internship. Students must also get advice from their Academic Advisor, if different from Program Chair. A final proposal, agreed upon by both the student and instructor, must be approved by the Chair(s) of the program(s) with which the faculty member is affiliated, and in which the student is earning a degree or degrees (unless the student is a non-major, in which case approvals from the student’s home unit are not required). If the student is a Graduate Student, the student’s Graduate Coordinator or Academic Advisor should also be notified. As with any curricula, instructors who are not members of the Graduate College will not be able to record grades for graduate student internship credit; graduate students seeking to work with such an instructor must also identify a faculty member who will be able to submit a final grade once it has been determined by the supervising instructor. All parties must agree to collaborate as a condition of the internship. The proposal must then be submitted using the School of Art & Design UNDERGRADUATE Internship Study Form or the GRADUATE Internship Study Form.
Upon successful completion of the internship, and before the beginning of the following semester, the supervising faculty member shall provide a brief report which uses either an evaluative statement or other performance review (a simple verification of the student’s actual and appropriate participation is sufficient) from the external partner, or the terms of the original proposal, to evaluate student performance to be used as the basis for receiving Internship credit.
Programs may impose their own internal procedures to be completed separately from these.
Programs may use any existing Internship rubrics or use a temporary rubric as appropriate and necessary.
For questions regarding Independent Study or Internship Credit:
Michael Foellmer
- (217) 244-8462
- foellme1@illinois.edu