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Next: Off-Campus Programs Up: Independent Study Off-Campus Previous: Independent Study Off-Campus
All-College Independent Study Courses
389. Group Projects (.5-1)
Two or more students who wish to organize a course of study in an area not normally included in the regular course offerings may assume the responsibility for finding a faculty sponsor and for drafting a contract to be approved by the Academic Standing Committee. The contract must be submitted on a form available from the Registrar at least four weeks before the Project is to begin. Group Projects are open only to students who have completed at least nine term credits. Only those students who have signed the original contract may register for the course. Projects may be either departmental or interdepartmental; however, a Group Project may not be used to meet any of the general education requirements for the B.A. or B.Mus. degree and does not count toward a major unless specifically approved by the department concerned. A maximum of two course credits in Group Projects may be counted toward the minimum 32 course credits required for graduation in the B.A. or B.Mus. program. A half-course credit in a Group Project is permitted only if taken in conjunction with another half-credit course or with a Parallel course. Exceptions must be approved by the Academic Standing Committee. Group Projects are graded Credit/No Credit. (CR)
390. Individual Projects (.5-1)
Students may do intensive work in a subject or area not normally included in the regular course offerings or else pursue in depth a topic encountered as part of previous studies. The arrangement is that of a tutorial, in which the student works independently under the supervision of a faculty tutor on a topic suggested by the student and approved by the tutor. Individual Projects are open only to students who have completed a minimum of nine term credits, at least two of which are in the same department as the Project. B.A. or B.Mus. candidates are not permitted to earn more than two course credits of Individual Projects in any one department. Individual Projects may not be used to satisfy general education requirements for the B.A. or B.Mus. degree and may fulfill major requirements only if the department approves.
To enroll in an Individual Project, a student must file a contract endorsed by the faculty tutor and the chair of the department. The contract must be submitted to the Registrar at least four weeks before the start of the term in which the Project is to be credited. Forms are available from the Registrar's Office. A half-course credit in an Individual Project is permitted only if taken in conjunction with another half-credit course or with a Parallel course. Exceptions must be approved by the Academic Standing Committee. Individual Projects courses may be taken either for grade point credit or for Credit/No Credit. (OP)
490. Summer Study
Although Cornell does not at present offer on-campus courses during the summer, students may earn one course credit for either a research project or an internship undertaken during the summer. Only students who will have completed 14 term credits before the start of the 490 course are eligible to apply. Students begin by consulting a faculty member in the department in which they wish to earn the credit, who can tell them whether the department will sponsor their project and what, if any, prerequisites or other conditions must be satisfied in order to obtain departmental approval. Although some departments may suggest topics or put students in contact with prospective internship supervisors, most students develop their own proposals and contacts.
To register for a 490 course, students must file with the Registrar a prospectus, available either from the department or the Registrar's Office, before leaving for the summer (the earlier the better in case there is a problem obtaining the permission of the Academic Standing Committee). The prospectus must be approved and signed by the faculty sponsor and the department chair. Late or retroactive registration is not permitted. No more than one course credit may be earned in any one summer, and not more than two course credits of 490 may be counted toward a student's Cornell degree.
The 490 course must be completed during the summer in which it is undertaken, i.e., between the start of Term Nine and the end of Term One. All 490 courses are graded only Credit/No Credit. If a student fails or otherwise does not complete the course, he or she will not be charged and no record of the course or grade will be recorded on the student's transcript; however, if the College or the faculty sponsor has incurred any expense in connection with the course, the student will be charged the amount of this expense.
Tuition for a 490 course is free if the student substitutes the summer study for a course either in Term Nine preceding the start of the summer or in one of the nine terms of the following academic year. The student must also have paid or must pay tuition for the full academic year (eight terms) in which the 490 is credited. Under this option, the 490 is undertaken and completed during the summer, but the credit is posted either retroactively in Term Nine or in one of the following nine terms. A student is not permitted, however, to take a course in the term in which the 490 course is credited and must therefore take that term as a vacation. If these conditions are not satisfied, the student will not receive credit for a 490 course unless she or he pays tuition for the course at the rate charged for a single term during the regular academic year.
Students who elect to receive credit for their summer study retroactively in Term Nine but are unable to complete the course are not entitled to a refund, regardless of the circumstances. In such an event, the student's term-nine registration will be changed to ``vacation.'' Students should keep in mind the possibility that the internship may not materialize or that they may not be able to complete it. They should make certain, therefore, that they earn enough credits during the preceding eight terms in order not to jeopardize their being graduated on time. For information about 490 courses, consult the Registrar. (CR)
690. Special Studies
B.S.S. candidates have the option for one or more terms of reading on their own; auditing courses; doing library or field research; working either as a volunteer or a paid employee with public or private organizations; taking professional or vocational courses at other institutions; traveling; or engaging in a creative endeavor involving writing, composing, performing, painting, sculpting, etc. To arrange a Special Study, the student must justify to her or his degree advisor that the proposed experience is relevant to the student's educational objectives as stated in the B.S.S. Prospectus and will materially help the student to achieve these goals.
Students who undertake a Special Study (690 course) must file a Plan of Study with the Registrar before the start of the term. This is the contract for the term and must be approved and signed by the faculty advisor. Special Studies projects may extend over two or more consecutive terms; however, only one Plan of Study need be filed if only one project is involved. Any changes in the Plan of Study after the start of the term must be approved by the advisor and filed with the Registrar.
Students who file a Plan of Study at the beginning of a term must also file a Progress Report at the conclusion of that term in order to receive a term credit for their work. The advisor examines the student to determine whether she or he has done what was proposed in the Plan of Study and either signs the Progress Report (thus authorizing a term credit) or not, depending upon the advisor's evaluation of the student's academic progress. Students who file a Plan of Study for a multi-term project need not file a Progress Report until they have completed the project, i.e., at the conclusion of the final term specified in the Plan of Study. Because the advisor must certify to the Registrar at the end of every term that satisfactory progress is being made toward the completion of the project, the advisor may ask the student to submit periodic evidences of such progress. The Progress Report, typed onto an official form by the Recorder and signed by the student and the advisor, becomes a permanent part of the student's transcript.
There is no limit to the number of Special Studies that a B.S.S. candidate may take. The Academic Standing Committee approves petitions (available from the Registrar) to waive room and board charges for one or more semesters (periods of not less than four terms) for a limited number of B.S.S. candidates planning to undertake Special Studies outside Mount Vernon. (CR)
Next: Off-Campus Programs Up: Independent StudyOff-Campus Previous: Independent StudyOff-Campus
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