What is the difference between an Independent Study and a Research Practicum (PSY 103)?
Independent Study courses are more academic in nature than the Research Practicum courses. Independent Study students must be supervised by a faculty member (not a graduate student, post doc, or a lab technician), they must meet weekly with their faculty mentors, they should engage in discussions of assigned readings, hypotheses, etc. with their mentors to better understand the context of the work they are engaged in, and finally they must write a substantial paper as the culmination of their Independent Study. Students taking Independent Studies are customarily juniors and seniors. A sophomore who has had considerable background in psychology may get special permission to enroll in Independent Study, but a letter of justification must be written to the Dean for that student to be enrolled. In contrast, the Research Practicum courses are 1/2 credit Pass/Fail courses that are seen as perhaps forerunners of Independent Studies. In the Research Practicum courses students serve as research
Related Questions
- Can I use an independent study, internship, practicum, co-op, research, or similar type of course to fulfill a General Education requirement?
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- What is the difference between an Independent Study and a Research Practicum (PSY 103)?
