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Directed Independent Study

Department of English

DIS is an opportunity for superior students to conduct inquiries into subjects either not covered or insufficiently covered in existing courses.

According to the UNCW Catalogue, Directed Individual Study, designated as 491, is a course involving investigation beyond what is offered in existing courses. To enroll in a Directed Individual Study, students must have an overall grade point average of at least 2.0 and the approval of:

  1. the faculty member who would direct the study,
  2. the departmental chairperson, and
  3. the appropriate dean.

Criteria

Departmental criteria includes:

  1. the availability of the instructor (ordinarily instructors will not supervise more than six student credit hours of Directed Individual Study per semester)
  2. the appropriateness of and need for the proposed study in the student's program,
  3. the availability of library and other research resources, and
  4. the feasibility of completion of the proposed study in the allotted time.
  5. Students are limited to nine credit hours of Directed Individual Study toward graduation requirements, not more than three of which can be outside the area of concentration.

Further Criteria

Aside from the departmental criteria in the catalog, the Department of English requires that any DIS candidate:

  • be a junior or senior,
  • have 9 hours of literature or writing courses (depending on project focus), including at least 3 hours at the 300-400 level,
  • have an overall grade point average of at least 3.0 in all English courses,
  • be able to present to the department chairperson a well-conceived plan of research,
  • and receive consent of department chairperson.

Directed Individual Study is not a program of exclusively reading or as a substitute for existing courses.