GEOG 596i
Independent Study in Geospatial Intelligence

Independent Study Policy and Procedures

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Purpose of Independent Study

Independent Study is an opportunity for students to work with individual direction from a faculty member on a topic of mutual interest in geospatial intelligence. Students must have taken at a minimum nine (9) credits of course work or have strong professional experience in the subject matter leading up to the chosen topic. Independent Study is reserved for advanced specialties or for intermediate study in areas in which the department does not normally offer course work. Faculty members are under no obligation to accept Independent Study students but do so as their teaching load permits.

Acceptable and Unacceptable Activities

Independent Study may not be used to fulfill Core curriculum requirements. Independent Study is not intended to be used by students to take a regular course not being offered that term.

The Independent Study Agreement

An Independent Study (IS) Agreement is executed for every independent study project. The IS Agreement between the student and faculty sponsor provides the details for the project including the topic and nature of the project, how the project will be accomplished, and what the intended final outcome will be (i.e., paper, presentation, etc.).

Semester Hours of Credit

Independent Study agreements range from one (1) to three (3) credits. The number of credit hours is determined by the faculty sponsor and student prior to registering for the IS credits. No Independent Study credit will be granted retroactively for study experiences carried out at an earlier date. A minimum of 25 hours of time is required for each semester hour of credit.

Eligibility

A student must be in the Geospatial Intelligence program. Students should have completed at least nine (9) credit hours of related courses and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.

Faculty Sponsor

Only regular faculty members may sponsor Independent Study projects. Program approval for each project is provided by the Option Director.

Procedures

Students contact a faculty member to discuss their idea for an IS project, how the work will be accomplished, and what the final outcome will be (paper, presentation, etc.). Students should contact a faculty member whose research is related to the IS topic the student is pursuing. If the project is accepted by the faculty member, the student completes the Independent Study Agreement. The form must be signed by the student, the faculty member, and the Option Director.