Directed Study Proposals

Directed study is allowed only in special cases, such as a course required for graduation not offered at a time the student can take it.

Students may apply for Directed Study by following these procedures:

• The student must fill out a Directed Study form (pdf) with the faculty who will supervise the course.
• The Directed Study form must be signed by the Department Chair of the supervising faculty, the supervising faculty and the student’s academic advisor.
• The form must be submitted to the graduation advisor in the Enrollment Center at least one week before the beginning of the course and must be approved by the Academic Standards Committee.
• Directed Studies are allowed only on the Fairfield campus.

Directed Study forms submitted after the block begins may not be accepted. For more information about Directed Studies requirements please see the back of the Directed Study form.

Directed Study Requirements

The following guidelines are to help you decide whether a specific course qualifies for a directed study. Occasionally, special circumstances require an exception to the general policy. If you feel a course is academically necessary but doesn’t meet the policies below, the directed study may still be requested by completing the form and submitting it to the Enrollment Center. The Academic Standards Committee (ASC) will determine whether an exception applies.

Policies for Requesting a Directed Study

• A course that is not a graduation requirement cannot be requested for a directed study.
• Students cannot take a directed study if the desired course is available at another time in the year unless it is their final year at MIU and two required courses occur at the same time.
• Students should have a strong academic reason for taking up a faculty member’s valuable time to teach a directed study.
• Directed studies are not independent studies. Directed study teachers are required to meet with the student AT LEAST THREE TIMES PER WEEK FOR AN HOUR EACH TIME to review progress and provide feedback.
• Faculty teaching a day program course cannot also teach a directed study course at the same time.
• Faculty who are asked to teach a course NOT in their regular discipline must have the competency to teach the course and must secure prior approval from the head of the department that normally offers the course.
• Students who skip a required course to take a non-required course are ineligible to take the required course as a directed study.
• Students may take up to a total of 16 units of directed studies and internships, but not more than 8 units of directed studies.
• Students on Academic Warning or Probation status are ineligible for directed studies or internships. (Please refer to MIU Course Catalog’s “Monitoring Student Progress” section for more details on Academic Warning status.)