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Individual Study - Graduate/Professional

Graduate and professional students in the Divinity School, Graduate School, Law School, Owen Graduate School of Management, Peabody College, the School of Engineering, and the School of Nursing can utilize the Individual Study form to request to enroll in independent study, directed readings, research, internship, and practicum classes. Enrollment requests must be submitted before the end of the Open Enrollment period for each semester. Please see the appropriate academic calendar for specific dates. The individual study form is available through the YES suite of applications. 

To view a pdf version of this user guide, including screenshots of YES, click here: Individual Study.

Navigating to Individual Study

  1. On the student landing page, click Individual Study.
  2. The Individual Study form will open. Student EMPLID, First Name, and Last Name will all prepopulate.

Completing the Form

Select your home school from the drop-down menu.

Course Information
  1. Subject - Select the subject area of the course you are requesting. You can begin typing in the window, and matching selections will return for selection.
  2. Course Search - Select the course in which you wish to enroll.
    1. In all caps, begin typing the subject code that matches the Subject listed above (e.g., ENGL).
    2. The search will return individual study courses offered in that subject area. Please note it may take some time to load.
    3. Select the desired course from the search results.
  3. The Course Description and Minimum/Maximum Credit Hours will auto-fill based on information from the course catalog.
  4. Credit Hours Requested – Enter the desired number of credit hours for the individual study. Please note this number must fall within the minimum and maximum credit hours listed above.
  5. Year – Enter the calendar year of the term in which you wish to enroll (e.g., 2023 for spring, summer, or fall 2023).
  6. Term – Select the appropriate term from the drop-down menu. Only terms open for enrollment will appear.
  7. If approved, will you need to drop a course? – If you wish to drop a course if your individual study request is approved, please answer Yes; otherwise, answer No. If you answer Yes, you will be prompted to enter the course information for the course you wish to drop.
Project/Study Description
  1. Title of Project/Study – Enter the title of your proposed individual study here.
  2. Faculty Supervisor – Select your instructor from the drop-down menu. If your intended instructor is not listed, please contact your school’s Office of Academic Services for assistance.
  3. Instructor – User Lookup – The instructor selected from the faculty drop-down menu will autofill here. Please note it may take some time to update. You will not be able to submit the form until the name appears here.
  4. Study Description – Your enrollment request must include a description of your study plan, including details such as a timeline for meetings with your instructor, intended study outcomes, and student responsibilities. Study Descriptions can be entered manually, or a file can be uploaded.
    • Upload – Select the “Upload a document” option and follow the prompts to upload a file.
    • Manual entry – Select the “Enter study description manually” option and enter the
      appropriate information in the Study Description box.
Acknowledgement

By signing and submitting this request, you acknowledge that enrollment in the requested independent study or research course is contingent upon having any necessary prerequisites for the course, as well as not requesting more credit hours than you have been approved to take.

  1. Click Sign this form to sign. Options for signing include Type, Draw, or Image Upload. Click Save when complete.
  2. Click Submit to submit the request for approval(s).

Approval Process

Requests for individual study enrollment will be routed to the following for review and approval:

  • The instructor listed on your individual study form
  • For students in the Graduate School and professional students in Peabody College and the School of Engineering, an administrator for the department offering the course (e.g., Director of Graduate Studies)
  • Your school’s Office of Academic Services

Individual study enrollment requests will not be processed until all approvals have been finalized.

**Important note: Until your request has been approved and processed, you are not enrolled in the course.**

Requests Sent Back

At any point in the process, an approver may send the form back to you for updates (for example, if you entered the wrong number of credit hours). If a request is sent back to you, you will receive an automated email message from the workflow system. Click View Item to access the form and make any necessary changes.

Notifications

Notifications about the course withdrawal process will be sent as follows:

  • You will receive an email notification when you submit the request.
  • You will receive an email notification if your request is denied for any reason by your instructor, the department, or your school’s Office of Academic Services.
  • You will receive an email notification if your request is sent back to you for any reason by your instructor, the department, or your school’s Office of Academic Services.
  • You and the course instructor will receive an email notification if your request is approved, once the enrollment has been processed.

Questions

Please contact the YES Help Line at yes@vanderbilt.edu or 615-343-4306 if you have questions or need additional assistance.