Independent Study

Independent Study is a learning experience available to students who wish to extend their education beyond the standard course structure of classroom activity as described in the College Catalog and Student Handbook. It is an opportunity for a student to work independently under the guidance of a faculty sponsor and is not intended as a substitute for an existing course. When the student working with a faculty sponsor agrees to the Independent Study, the faculty sponsor will initiate the Independent Study Application. Course registration and student notification for an approved Independent Study course is handled by Registration and Records.

Faculty Senate Resolutions (2007, 2017)

  • 2.7.1
    Definition: Independent Study at MCC is a credit bearing study done by an individual student under the sponsorship of a faculty member who provides initial guidance, criticism, review and final evaluation of student performance. Existing courses in the MCC Catalog cannot be offered as Independent Studies.
  • 2.7.2
    Independent Study may be taken (in accordance with Student Program resolution Section 1.1.3) as a
    (1) Program requirement
    (2) Program elective
    (3) General Elective
  • 2.7.3
    Credit
    No more than 15 Independent Study credits may be granted toward a degree. Credit or a project will be determined jointly by the student, faculty sponsor and department
    chairperson to accurately reflect the time and work involved. A recommended guide for
    credit allocation is one credit hour for the equivalent of every forty-five sessions of
    student academic activities of 50 minutes duration each (37.5 clock hours).
  • 2.8.5

    The sponsoring faculty member will initiate the approval process by completing the Application for Independent Study in the Curriculum Database.  The following fields are required: a short descriptive title, a prefix indicating the sponsoring department, a statement indicating that the course is not an existing course in the MCC catalog, and name and student number of the student, the reason for the Independent Study, the number of credit hours for the course, the academic activities required for completion of the course, the number of hours to be spent completing them in order to justify the number of credit hours to be awarded for the course and how the grade is to be determined.

    The proposal must then be approved by the department chairperson, the appropriate Academic Dean and the Dean of Curriculum, as indicated in the curriculum Database.

For more information, click here for Faculty Senate Resolutions.

Independent Study Application – Faculty Sponsor Initiate

The Application For Independent Study is an electronic proposal form. To access the Independent Study Form go to the Curriculum Database:
Open Curriculum database

  • Click on Access the Curriculum Database
  • Click on Create Proposals to access the Independent Study proposal form.
  • Enter required information in asterisk fields (*)and click Save before using Back button.
  • To Edit the form, click on the Edit button.
  • When required fields are complete, click on Edit button then Submit button located in the Status tab.
  • The proposal review and approval includes the Deptartment Chair, Division Dean, and Dean of Curriculum Dean.

Use HELP icon if you need assistance or contact the Curriculum Office.