An Independent Study is designed by a student and an HSS faculty member to deepen an investigation in a field or specialization not offered in the scheduled course offerings.  

The course of study and assignments for a 2-credit independent study typically consists of a reading list comparable to that required for a regular 2 credit course (HTA electives, for example), which can range from 30-50 pages of reading per week, and a total of 12 pages of polished writing for the semester. 

A 1-credit independent study requires 2 hours of work outside of class per week; a 2-credit independent study requires 4 hours of work outside of class per week.  

An Independent Study cannot exceed 2 credits. 

Eligibility requirements: 

• Juniors, seniors, or 5th-year Architecture students;
• cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher; 
• successful completion of a previous course with the supervising HSS faculty member 

Other considerations: 

• a maximum of 4 credits over the course of a student's undergraduate career can be taken as Independent Studies 
•  students can only take one Independent Study per semester  

The primary consideration in approving proposals for Independent Studies is the educational value of the study project within the structure of degree requirements. Independent Studies may not be used to satisfy the credits for the core curriculum.   

An Independent Study may be supervised only by full-time or part-time faculty members who have taught in HSS for at least 6 semesters. If an HSS full-time or part-time faculty member is willing to supervise an Independent Study, the student should work with them to complete this form and submit the signed application to the HSS Dean's Office for approval no later than the end of the first week of the semester. The Dean will update the applicant regarding the status of the proposal. 

Late applications will not be accepted.

The work cannot begin unless the Independent Study is approved by the Dean.