Special Academic Programs and Courses

Winter and Summer Session Courses
Courses are offered during the Winter and Summer Sessions through the School for Professional and Continuing Studies.  Traditional undergraduate students may enroll in these courses to make-up credits, improve their overall GPA or repeat a course when an F or a low grade was earned.  Students may enroll in up to two courses during each of these special sessions. Enrollment in additional courses requires the written permission of the Dean of the Undergraduate College.

Independent Study
Students with demonstrated proficiency in specific areas may work individually on a research project planned in consultation with a supervising professor. Independent Study, a mutual agreement between student and faculty member, cannot duplicate a course offered in the College catalog.

To be eligible for independent study, a student must be a junior or senior with a minimum cumulative index of 3.0 and must be a major in the subject area of the independent study or have earned at least 15 credits in that subject area. The Independent Study Contract must be presented at registration with the approval of the chairperson, faculty member, and Dean of the Undergraduate College. It will be void if a course outline is not submitted to the faculty member by the first week of the semester. Independent study must result in production of a research paper and/or project.

Writing Emphasis Courses (WE)
WE courses include written assignments in at least two different modes of writing that total at least nine pages. These courses help students not only to improve writing skills, but to use writing as a learning tool in the content area. WE courses are designated on the students’ transcripts (as well as in the College catalog) to indicate to graduate school admissions committees and future employers that the students who have taken these courses have developed their writing skills well beyond the minimum requirement. One WE course which includes at least 15 pages of writing may be applied to the Writing Minor, with the approval of the Director of Writing.