Independent Study and Field Experience
Information for students and faculty
Three parties participate in arranging and authorizing honors college credit for independent study or internship, practicum or field experience: the student, the supervising faculty member and a Lee Honors College advisor. All three must agree upon the specifics of the project before the student will be enrolled in the course.
To count an internship, practicum or field experience or independent study as an honors course, you must first determine if you will be registered for these experiences through a course offered by a WMU academic department other than the honors college. This determination affects the paperwork you will be required to complete and whether or not you must enroll in HNRS 3990 Field Experience or HNRS 4950 Independent Study.
If you are registered through a WMU department
- Submit a request to use a departmental independent study or field experience for honors college credit form before the drop/add deadline of the semester in which you are enrolled in the departmental independent study or field experience course.
- You do not need to register for an HNRS 3990 Field Experience or HNRS 4950 Independent Study.
If you would like to register for independent study or field experience via the honors college
- Submit an agreement form for independent study or field experience before the drop/add deadline of the semester in which you are doing the internship or independent study.
- A WMU faculty member must agree to supervise you and issue you a grade for your internship or field experience (in coordination with your internship site supervisor). A graduate assistant/teaching assistant may not supervise you.
- A Lee Honors College advisor will register you for HNRS 3990 or HNRS 4950.
- After you complete your independent study or field experience, your site supervisor must complete the supervisor’s evaluation of student’s field experience and submit it to the WMU supervising faculty member. The WMU faculty member will then record a grade for your independent study or field experience.
