INDEPENDENT STUDIES

Independent study allows students to explore academic areas of special interest not ordinarily provided by the existing curriculum. Independent study is carried out under the guidance of a qualified member of the faculty and must have the approval of the department from which the course is taken, as well as of the Curriculum Committee. Independent study normally is available to junior and senior students. (Students enrolled through OCE must have completed 10 credits at Linfield.) Students should have a GPA of at least 2.750 and have satisfied the necessary prerequisites for the proposed course of study. No more than 20 semester credits of independent study may count toward graduation. Although independent study is conducted under the supervision of a faculty member, it is possible to arrange to do the work off campus, provided adequate reasons are given and satisfactory arrangements are made for faculty supervision of the work. Students desiring to enroll in a course of independent study must obtain an Independent Study Request Form from the Office of the Registrar. This form must be signed by the supervising instructor, advisor and the department head and submitted to the Office of the Registrar during the add period of the relevant semester or term.

TUTORIALS

Schedule conflicts sometimes occur that prevent a student from taking a course required for graduation. In such instances, a student may request to take the course as a tutorial. Tutorials are courses listed in this catalog that are taken by special arrangement with a qualified member of the faculty and carry the number, title, and credit specified in the catalog. Students enrolled in tutorial courses must meet frequently and regularly with the supervising faculty member. Tutorials during fall, spring, and January Term command faculty time and energy in a way that may be deleterious to regular teaching assignments. It is in the general interest of students to keep the number of tutorials to an absolute minimum. Accordingly, requests for these tutorials must substantiate, under signature of the student’s academic advisor: 1) that missing the course in question will preclude the student’s graduation within the four years normally allotted to earn a Linfield degree, and 2) that other available options (for instance, an approved substitution of an alternative course) have been exhausted. Fall, spring, and January Term tutorials will normally be granted only to students with senior standing. The preceding restrictions do not apply to Online and Continuing Education or summer term tutorials. Permission to take a tutorial may be obtained by submitting a Tutorial Request Form, available from the Office of the Registrar, during the add period of the relevant term.

INTERNSHIPS

Opportunities of several kinds exist for students to earn academic internship credit while working in off-campus organizations. IDST 287, Career Exploration Internship, is offered by the Office of Career Development staff and is designed, as the name implies, to assist students at early stages of thinking about career possibilities. Internships are also offered by a number of academic departments, some to help students explore possibilities for applying their major studies to the world of work, the majority to provide experience in the work world for students in the advanced stages of their majors. Many departments and programs offer internships for credit. Because opportunities, policies, and procedures vary from program to program, students should consult with the department or program chair for specific guidelines. No more than 10 credits from internships may count toward graduation. Academic departments and Career Development can provide information about organizations that may be able to provide internship opportunities to Linfield students