Faculty of Health Sciences

Independent Study Definition
A course for which credit is earned through individual study under the supervision of an instructor. This option may be elected as early as the second semester or as late as the last, depending upon the capability of the student for undertaking academic work with a minimum of guidance. Independent Studies in the Faculty of Health Sciences may have the course numbers of HLSC/NURS/PUBH 2990, HLSC/NURS/PUBH 3990, or HLSC/NURS/PUBH 4990.

If you wish to do an Independent Study and already have a particular area of interest in mind, you should contact an instructor who also has interest and experise in that field. Together, you and your instructor (who will become the Independent Study supervisor) will devise a set of course requirements on which you will be graded. The course requirements will vary depending on the nature of your proposed topic. Course work may require library and/or field research and/or a major term paper. 

Important Notes

-Since the purpose of an Independent Study is to expand a student's program beyond the limits of the regular curriculum, it may not normally be used to duplicate course offerings and should be undertaken only in areas not covered by courses in the curricula.

-No student shall receive credit for more than three Independent Studies in the program.

-Formal registration occurs after approval of the supervising instructor, academic advisor, and the Dean. Credit for Independent Study is at the discretion of the Faculty of Health Sciences upon recommendation of the instructor.

-An Independent Study is worth 3.0 credit hours and follows the standard grading mode (letter grade).

Guidelines
The Independent Study proposal may follow the format outlined below:

a. Title
-well focussed, controllable topic

b. Introduction (Nature of the study)
-concise description of area under study
-rationale for the study

c. Purpose(s)
-statement of the purpose(s)

d. Limitations of the study
-identification of unavoidable and foreseeable constraints in conducting the study

e. Review of Literature
-brief analysis of related materials selected and organized for intended purpose(s)
-supportive of the rationale

f. Design of the Study
-description of the manner in which the study is to be conducted; i.e., interviews, library research, practicum experience, use or formulation of study guides, videotaping, film production, use of experimental controls and statistical analysis.

Questions?
You may wish to contact a Faculty of Health Sciences academic advisor.