The Independent Study (ENG 500) fulfills elective credit in both the MA and MFA programs. This option allows students to undertake intensive and advanced study of a topic that culminates in a major research paper or project. The Independent Study should not be used to fill requirements in the MA programs except in special circumstances to be approved by the Program Directors. Instead, students should pursue an Independent Study to focus more intensively on an idea or a skill previously developed in their regular coursework.
Many MFA students may choose to take an Independent Study the quarter before they register for their thesis course (ENG 501). Students in an independent study may generate, in consultation with a faculty advisor, drafts or partial drafts in preparation for the thesis. Students interested in undertaking an Independent Study must first discuss their plans with their program director, Dr. Michele Morano, and with the prospective supervising professor, under whose general areas of expertise the intended topic falls. Approval of an Independent Study requires completion of a short proposal detailing the scope and objectives of proposed research and describing the written work that the study will produce.