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A maximum of 3 credit hours of Independent Study (ENGL666) may be counted toward the MA degree. Up to 6 credit hours of Independent Study courses (ENGL866) may be counted toward the PhD degree. The threshold for getting an Independent Study approved by the Graduate Committee is high: students must demonstrate that they cannot adequately engage with this subject matter through regular coursework, and that the proposed course is equivalently rigorous when compared to a standard graduate seminar.
Students are required to submit a formal proposal, including a syllabus and cover letter explaining the purpose of the course, to the Director of Graduate Studies before the beginning of the registration period for the semester in which they wish to take the independent study. The syllabus should be a formal document that includes the kinds of readings and writing assignments that would normally be included in a graduate seminar. To allow for flexibility, students may leave a few weeks open for subsequent adjustment according to where their reading and research takes them during the term. A formal syllabus for each Independent Study course will be kept on file in the Graduate Studies office.