Independent Study

Independent Study in the Environmental Studies department can take many forms and offers students an opportunity to work directly with Faculty on a research project. In the UCSC catalog, the description is simply " directed reading, supervised research, and organized projects relating to environmental problems".  We encourage students to propose an idea to a faculty member who teaches and does research in the area of interest.

How to enroll in Independent Study.

1. Formulate an idea with help from ENVS advising; TA's; friends; mentors; ENVS Faculty
2. Select a couple ENVS faculty members and bring your idea to them during their office hours.
3. Once the project is decided on with a faculty member, work with the faculty member to fill out the "Request Enrollment in ENVS Independent Study" google form.  Independent study courses do not exist on the schedule of classes and can only be added through this process.
4. We will follow up with you after the form is submitted, to give you enrollment information.

Independent study projects will carry either 2 units or 5 units, depending on the complexity of the project and how many weekly hours are expected.