The PNP major lends itself to supervised independent work. If you think you might be interested in doing independent work, your first step would be to find a member of the faculty under whom you might work. In consultation with that faculty member, you would then devise a proposal explaining what you intend to do, what you hope to accomplish, and what you intend to produce by way of written work. You would then submit this proposal to the PNP Administrator for approval.
What follows is a description of procedures and requirements for independent study as part of your PNP major.
One independent study PNP 500 can be used to count toward your PNP depth and capstone requirements; if you are a last semester junior or in senior standing. The program prefers enrollment in PNP 500; but will consider other disciplines.
An Independent study must:
- be on a topic relevant to your chosen track, and
- be undertaken in the second semester of your junior year or in your senior year.
To pursue an independent study you must:
- find a faculty supervisor who will agree to oversee and grade your work
- send a brief (one page) description of your project to the PNP Administrator for approval. Include the name and department of the faculty member supervising the project
- Once your project is approved, your supervisor must send an email to the PNP Administrator stating the supervisor agrees to oversee your independent study and grade your written work, certifying that:
- your workload will be the equivalent of a 3-unit course.
- you will be working on a self-contained research project, ideally one that you had a role in designing (although we accept that this is not always possible).
- the research project will have a tangible, written 'output' corresponding to what might reasonably be expected from a 3-unit course: a paper (7-10 pages) and a letter grade.
Once your proposal has been approved and your supervisor has notified the PNP Administrator, a section will be created in WUCRSL and assigned to your supervisor so you can register and receive a grade.