A student wishing to receive credit toward his or her major for research done under the direction of a faculty member in another department or unit of the University must obtain approval from a faculty member in the Department of EEB or MCDB, who agrees to serve as co-sponsor before beginning the project.  A prospective co-sponsor will verify that the proposed research meets all of the criteria required of research carried out within the Department of EEB or MCDB.  The faculty co-sponsor will review the research proposal and decide the appropriateness of the nature of the research.  The co-sponsor will also confirm that the project is biological in nature, that it will help the student develop independence and is not simply a technical training exercise.  (Note: Microbiology concentrators who elect to take Micro 399 do not need to find a co-sponsor, nor does a Neuroscience concentrator who elects to take Psych independent study elections).

If an external unit or department offers its own undergraduate research course, the student may elect it instead of EEB or MCDB 300 or 400. However, to be eligible for major credit, the project must be co-sponsored (as described above). If this option is chosen, the course may count as a cognate course for those majors that accept cognate courses as part of the major. (See individual major requirements to determine if a cognate course can count toward the major.)

Note that, per LS&A policy:  Candidates for an A.B., B.S., or B.G.S. degree must complete a minimum 100 credits of LSA courses, allowing 20 credits of non-LSA course work in the minimum 120 required for the degree. Non-LSA credits in excess of 20 will be included in the calculation of a student's GPA, but will not be counted toward the 120 credits needed for a Bachelor's degree in LSA.

Students can register for BIOLOGY 200 for up to 6 credit hours and EEB/MCDB 300 or 400 for a maximum of 9 credits each; however, only a maximum of 3 credits will be applied toward the major (with the exception of the EEB major which allows 6).  If a student elects to take more than the major-approved number of credits of independent research, the extra credits will count towards the student’s general pool of 120 credits required to graduate from LS&A.

College of LS&A Policies: A combined total of 30 credits of Experiential and Directed Reading/Independent Study courses may be counted in the 120 credits required for a degree. Experiential and Independent Study courses are excluded from area distribution plans.

Note: Three credits of independent research credit must be completed in one term to fulfill a requirement, with the exception of Neuroscience (see below).

* A student who elects MCDB 300 or 400 has the option of taking 2 credits to fulfill the requirement; otherwise the student must take 3 credits from one of the approved Psych courses.

All research courses that will be used as part of a major must be assigned letter grades.

Independent study courses may be elected for between one and three credits.  Credits may be elected by following these general guidelines:  3-5 hours a week of serious academic work (e.g. reading, discussion with a faculty member, writing) or 4-5 hours of laboratory work per week generally earns one full semester hour credit.

Students who meet the above-listed criteria and are interested in participating in an independent study project for credit can complete the Independent Study Enrollment Request form and turn it in to the Program in Biology office in 1140 USB.  Note that the form must be signed by the faculty mentor (and the co-sponsor if one is needed).