Field Experience and Independent Study Courses
Please read through the options below for instructions related to the various field experience and independent study courses. For questions about the registration process or anything related to these courses please email registrar@gse.harvard.edu.
Contract and Proposal Submission Deadlines
Please see the deadline to submit learning contracts and/or syllabi for S995, S997, S998, and S999. In addition to the contracts, proposals, and/or syllabi deadlines below, students must register for the course (S995, S997, S998, and S999) through my.harvard.
All add/drop deadlines apply and can be found on the HGSE Academic Calendar. Instructor consent (via my.harvard petition) is required for the course in addition to approval of the learning contract and/or syllabus.
| Term | Contract Submission Deadline |
|---|---|
Fall 1 | 9/8/2026 |
Fall Full-Term | 9/10/2026 |
Fall 2 | 10/22/2026 |
Spring 1 | 1/28/2027 |
Spring Full-Term | 2/4/2027 |
Spring 2 | 3/25/2027 |
More information for the 2026-2027 year will be available soon.
The contract approval and course registration process for the 2026-2027 year will be available soon.
The contract approval and course registration process for the 2026-2027 year will be available soon.
Independent Study Guidelines and Policies
Requirements for all independent studies:
- A clearly defined project that is aligned with a faculty research area.
- A weekly time commitment to the project by the student.
- At minimum, an average of 8 hours per week for 4 credits (semester-long)
- At minimum, an average of 4 hours per week for 2 credits (semester-long)
- At minimum, an average of 8 hours per week for 2 credits (half a semester)
- Regular meetings between the student and the faculty member (every other week is recommended)
- A mutually agreed-upon means of demonstrating acquired skills and knowledge to be assessed by the faculty member. (See examples below.)
- All research involving human subjects should be checked for adherence to IRB approval requirements.
The supervisor of an independent study or field experience is required to be a HGSE faculty member with the title "Adjunct Lecturer," "Lecturer," "Senior Lecturer," "Member of the Faculty," or any level of "Professor." No more than 8 credits (4 for part-time online students) of independent study, field experience, supervised re-search or combination thereof can count towards each degree. Independent studies and field experiences cannot be used to satisfy substantive program requirements.
Additional policy details are available in the HGSE Student Handbook.
Independent Study Enrollment Process
- Find a faculty member who is willing to oversee your independent study.
- Meet with faculty supervisor to create learning goals and S999 syllabus.
- Submit proposal through my.Harvard for S999
- The proposal will require you to submit a syllabus
- Once submitted, it will be routed to your faculty supervisor for approval, and then the program contact for approval.
- Once approved, S999 will appear in your Crimson Cart and you must finalize enrollment by enrolling in the course by the deadline.
Contact Information
- Residential Students (ELOE, EPA, HDE, LDIT, TTL)- Abbie Bloom (abbie_bloom@gse.harvard.edu)
- OEL Students- Nicole Barone (nicole_barone@gse.harvard.edu)
- Ed.L.D. Students- Clara Lau (clara_lau@gse.harvard.edu)
Independent Study Syllabus Template
You can use this template to create your syllabus. If you choose another syllabus format, please be sure all of the requested information is included.