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Directed Study

Directed Study

A student must be in good standing to take an initial one (1) or two (2) credit Directed Study. To take a three (3) or four (4) credit Direct Study or a second Directed Study: i) a student must maintain a class rank at or above the 25th Percentile, and ii) the student must obtain the professor's approval in writing confirming the directed study merits the number of credits desired before obtaining approval from the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. A student may not earn more than four (4) credit hours of Directed Study.

Students must submit to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs the Directed Study Approval Form, as well as a research proposal signed by the supervising professor. The research proposal should be not less than 500 words, and include a summary that reflects the student’s initial research into the topic. Such research should include, but is not limited to, reviewing the scholarship for preclusion, identifying circuit splits in decided cases, and surveying existing scholarship on the subject. The proposal should also include a research plan outlining the timeline for completing the paper.

The following are accepted guidelines for directed studies:

  1. The participating student shall produce a paper that is a minimum of 20 pages long, not counting endnotes, except in so far as the paper is done to fulfill the Upper Level Writing Requirement. In the latter instance, the policy regarding the Upper Level Writing Requirement governs the length of the paper.
  2. During the course of the directed study, the supervising professor shall engage in regular meetings with the participating student and review the student's work at each step in the process; and
  3. During the course of the directed study, the participating student shall submit at least three documents to the professor: an outline, a rough draft, and a final draft.
  4. The supervising professor shall provide written comments concerning the student's outline, draft(s) and if appropriate the final draft.

The directed study form is available online.


 

Amended: April 17, 2019

Updated: July 2, 2019