LIBERAL STUDIES
INDEPENDENT STUDY PROPOSAL
Please Read: This proposal form should be used for all independent, tutorial, internship and experiential work
designed for academic credit in the Liberal Studies Program. Specific guidelines for developing independent
studies are in the Liberal Studies Handbook.
A typical 4-credit-hour course meets 3 ½ hours per week for 16 weeks (56 hours). A typical student spends 2
hours outside of class reading, preparing for exams, writing, etc., for every hour in class (112 hours). So, if
you’re a typical student, you’ll devote 168 hours to a typical 4-credit-hour course. Use this and your own past
experience in arriving at a reasonable agreement with your faculty sponsor regarding credit hours for the
project.
After negotiating the content and process with a faculty sponsor, this form should be completed and sent in to
the LIS Secretary. The form will be signed by the faculty sponsor and LIS Director prior to registration. If you
are using an external resource, it is your responsibility to get that signature. You may attach additional pages to
this form as needed.
Date:
Applicant Name:
UIN:
Address:
Email:
Home Phone
Business Phone
LIS Advisor:
LIS Course Number (380 or 499):
Title of this project:
Semester of Enrollment (indicate Spring, Summer or Fall and Year):
Credit hours requested:
(Note: You may enroll in a maximum of 4 credit hours per course in a semester, but you may not enroll in more than 12 cumulative
credit hours in any LIS course. The credit hours should be negotiated with your faculty sponsor.)
OBJECTIVES
What is the nature of the project?
What do you want to learn?
RATIONALE
Why?(Refer to Autobiography, Goals, and Learning Needs within one or more of the
Boyer categories)
RESOURCES
Location(s):
Facilities
Resource People:
(Provide Information about relevant qualifications or interests.)
Bibliography
(List: author, title, publisher, and date)
WORK PLAN
What steps will you follow in carrying out your study?
EVALUATION / DOCUMENTATION
How will you demonstrate to the Instructor that you have met your objectives?
(e.g.., term page; other product, oral examination)
What criteria should be used to evaluate your performance? (e.g., comprehension,
creativity, insightfulness, scholarship, other)
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Give an approximation of when you expect to complete each section or part of your study.
Mid-semester Progress Report
Final Meeting with faculty sponsor
PROJECT APPROVAL
Student’s signature:
Date:
I agree to sponsor this project:
Signature of faculty sponsor
Date:
Signature of external resource:
Received by LIS
Name:
Date: