SSE students are encouraged to do research with a faculty member to gain additional experience and expertise in their chosen field. Unless a student is paid to do the work, they may earn independent study credit. Students register for independent study in the faculty member's department after discussing the details of the research, time commitment, responsibilities, etc. with the faculty member. Typically students earn 1 credit for 3-4 hours/ week, 2 credits for 6-8 hours/week and 3 credits for 10-12 hours/week, on average. (This means that some weeks the student might work 15 or more hours and another week (e.g., during midterm exams), the student might only work 5 hours.) Scheduling is done with the faculty member. Independent study can be taken for up to 6 A-F graded credits. Additional credits are earned by signing up for the S/U graded credits. Again, all registration is done within the faculty member's department. For some majors, the independent study may count to fulfill major or minor credit. Check with your major advisor if you are not sure. Some majors also give credit for research performed with other faculty (e.g., at the medical school), so check with your major advisor to see what your options are.
