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 an HGSE faculty member with the title “Adjunct Lecturer,” “Lecturer,” “Senior Lecturer,” “Member of the Faculty,” or any level of “Professor.” Students are limited to a maximum of 4 credits of Independent Study (S999) and/or Field Experience (S997) per semester. A maximum of 4 Independent Study credits may be taken with the same faculty member. No more than 8 credits (4 for part-time online students) of independent study, field experience, 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

1. Find a faculty member who is willing to oversee your independent study.
2. Meet with faculty supervisor to create learning goals and S999 syllabus
3. Submit proposal through my.Harvard for S999
   1. The proposal will require you to submit a syllabus
   2. Once submitted, it will be routed to your faculty supervisor for approval, and then the program contact for approval.
4. Once approved, you will have permission in my.Harvard and will need to finalize your enrollment.  

Contact Information: 

• Residential Students (ELOE, EPA, HDE, LDIT)- Abbie Bloom (abbie_bloom@gse.harvard.edu)
• OEL Students- Nicole Barone (nicole_barone@gse.harvard.edu)  
• TTL Students- Emily Hess (emily_hess@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.