Academic Program Options

The College offers a number of different opportunities for students to expand the curriculum based on their interests.

Five-Credit Seminar or Lecture for Three Credits

Conference work is a critical element of seminar and lecture courses. In certain circumstances, a student may wish to take an additional seminar or lecture for the curricular knowledge without the conference work. With instructor permission, students are permitted to take a five-credit course for three credits minus the individual or group conference project. Requests to add a five-credit class for three credits may be submitted only during the second week of the Add/Drop period, if there is space in the course. Students cannot choose this option during initial course registration, and a space cannot be held open for later registration. Courses registered during the initial course registration period for five credits cannot be changed to three credits; no exceptions.

Directed Study

Students may request to work one-on-one with regular faculty to study subject matter not covered in the curriculum in a number of ways. A directed study should not substantially overlap with an existing course. A completed proposal must be submitted no later than the end of the first week of classes of the semester of the requested directed study. Visit the Dean of Studies page on MySLC for more information and required proposal. Once the directed study title appears on the student’s transcript, it cannot be altered, and the title should reflect the nature of the subject and intended theme. Directed study is permitted over the summer with the exception of conference courses. First-year students, first-semester transfer students, and guest students are ineligible to propose directed study courses.

A directed study may take one of the following forms:

Conference Course: Five Credits

A semester course for an individual student in which the proposed material cannot be studied as conference work in conjunction with a regular course offered in the curriculum. As with any seminar, students work in an organized manner through a set body of materials. Conference courses offer the flexibility to evolve along with the student’s mastery and interest. The student and faculty sponsor must meet weekly. Conference courses may not be undertaken during the summer.

Independent Study: Two to Five Credits

An independent study is an intensive, advanced investigation of a selected topic. Available only to juniors and seniors, advanced students work independently under the guidance of a faculty sponsor (usually a teacher with whom the student has previously studied) in research, creative work, or intensive reading. Such study results in a major work such as a long paper, play, musical composition, or film. Credits should be commensurate with the scope of the project, frequency of meetings, and nature and quantity of academic work submitted. Students meet periodically with their sponsor to assess and direct work.

Fieldwork Course: Two to Five Credits

Earned either by enrolling in a practicum course or proposing independent fieldwork with a regular faculty sponsor. In exceptional cases, when enrollment in the practicum course is not possible, students may engage in fieldwork under the guidance of a faculty sponsor. The number of credits earned should be commensurate with the scope of the quantity of academic or creative work submitted and is not based on the number of hours worked at the job placement. If no academic work is completed, the course results in no credit. As is the case with the practicum course, the faculty sponsor grades the fieldwork-based directed study on a pass/fail basis. Students meet periodically with their sponsors to create independent coursework in conjunction with fieldwork.

Senior Thesis: Ten Credits

A senior thesis affords the opportunity for intensive and interdisciplinary work over the course of an academic year with a committee of two or three faculty members from different disciplines chosen by the student. One faculty member serves as chief sponsor, while the others bring insights and methods of their disciplines to the project. A senior thesis requires a good deal of planning expected in the spring of the junior year. Students must visit the Dean of Studies page on MySLC to review policies and procedures and access the required Senior Thesis Proposal form. Proposals must be submitted by the end of the first week of the Add/Drop period. A student earns 10 credits for the year in which the thesis is completed. Students who register for a senior thesis are responsible for meeting with each of their sponsors and keeping them informed of their progress. Early in the fall, the chief sponsor and student agree on a schedule of work, including a substantial piece of written or artistic work to be turned in by the end of the fall semester. If the faculty sponsors feel the work is proceeding satisfactorily, the project continues in the second semester. If satisfactory progress has not been made, the chief sponsor and the student discuss how the thesis may be reformed as a conference project or an independent study, or dropped as a course option.

In the spring semester, the committee should meet again to confirm the student’s remaining work schedule. Students should submit a final thesis with enough time for faculty to provide a grade and evaluation by the deadline for senior grades. All faculty sponsors must read the final thesis and provide comments to the chief sponsor. The chief sponsor is responsible for submitting an evaluation at the end of each semester and a grade by the spring deadline for senior grades.

Approval and Requirements

Students interested in pursuing directed study should first consult with their don. Directed study proposal forms, which include detailed instructions, are available on the Dean of Studies MySLC page. Fall and spring directed studies must be initiated no later than the last day of classes in the semester prior. View the academic calendar for summer and intersession directed study deadlines.

Proposals are reviewed and approved by the Office of the Dean of Studies on behalf of the Committee on Student Work, and the Provost’s Office on behalf of the Curriculum Committee. The content, as well as writing and reading requirements of the directed study, must be comparable to other courses in the curriculum.

Registration and Approval Process

1. Students should secure a faculty sponsor who must be a regular faculty member.
2. Proposals are prepared in consultation with the faculty sponsor (sponsors if senior thesis).
3. Completed proposal with signatures is submitted to the Office of the Dean of Studies at deanofstudies@sarahlawrence.edu, reviewed first by the Committee on Student Work, then by the Curriculum Committee.
4. Student registers for placeholder course of appropriate credit value either in Online Course Selection (OCS) or with Add/Drop form, depending on registration period as they await final approval.
5. Once the proposal is approved, the Registrar’s Office is notified, and the student is registered for the directed study course.

Tuition

If a faculty member agrees to a summer or intersession directed study that is approved by the Dean of Studies and Provost’s Office, students are billed per credit. Fieldwork undertaken in the summer or intersession is charged at 50 percent of the current per-credit tuition rate. Tuition is not refunded for summer directed studies dropped after June 1. If a five-credit directed study is registered as part of a student’s initial full-time registration, the course is not permitted to be dropped. Directed studies for fewer than five credits follow standard Add/Drop and withdrawal deadlines.

Stipulations

1. Only one directed study is permitted per semester.
2. Over the course of a student’s career at the College, a maximum of 20 credits may be applied through directed studies.
3. Only regular faculty can serve as sponsors. Permission regarding guest faculty must be obtained from the Provost’s Office.

Science and Mathematics Third

The Science and Mathematics Third program is designed to allow more flexibility in studying science at Sarah Lawrence College. Qualifying students can take two mathematics and science courses to comprise one third of their academic program for a semester or academic year without additional tuition charge.

Regularly scheduled conference meetings are expected to occur between the student and at least one of the instructors. The Science and Mathematics Third program is intended for students with a primary interest in the natural sciences and/or mathematics who have a strong background in the subject(s) involved. One purpose of the program is to help students meet the challenges inherent to the hierarchical nature of science and mathematics study in which advanced courses often have one or more prerequisites. Students who take two elementary- or intermediate-level Third components can more quickly qualify for advanced study. Students already at the advanced level can enroll in two advanced courses simultaneously. First-year students in their first semester of study are not eligible.

Conceivably, any science or mathematics course (seminar or lecture) can be taken as a Science and Mathematics Third component. Students can take two components in the same discipline or in different disciplines, and two components at the same level (open, intermediate, or advanced) or at different levels, assuming the student qualifies for the courses. Because of the time demands of lab courses, students are discouraged from enrolling in a Third program involving two lab-based science courses.

A student interested in enrolling for two courses as a Third should interview both faculty members involved. The student should declare an interest in taking the course as part of a Third program during the interview period and register for one of the two courses during initial registration. The other course should be added during the Add/Drop period with the appropriate registration form available on MySLC approved by both faculty members and by the chair of the Science and Mathematics Group.

Summer Credit

The College has limited summer study options, usually in the format of either a practicum course or directed study. Students are also permitted to take summer courses at other accredited institutions in accordance with the transfer credit policy (see the appropriate section in this handbook). A maximum of 16 credits (including Sarah Lawrence credits) can be used to fulfill degree requirements, with a maximum of eight credits in one summer semester. Students may propose directed study in the form of fieldwork or independent study for up to five credits. View the Directed Study portion above for more information and details. Tuition is charged at the regular tuition rate of the previous academic year for independent study and at 50 percent of the rate for fieldwork. See the Add/Drop and Course Withdrawal portions of the handbook for deadlines. Current tuition and fee information may be found on the Tuition and Fees webpage on MySLC.

Intersession Credit

Students may earn a maximum of two credits either by enrolling in another college’s intersession program or with independent study or fieldwork under the guidance of a Sarah Lawrence faculty member. Final work for intersession directed studies must be submitted by the first day of spring registration. Independent study projects are charged at the per-credit tuition rate, and fieldwork courses are charged at 50 percent of the per-credit tuition rate Students may drop an SLC-offered course before the class begins, but after the first class meeting courses dropped are considered a withdrawal and receive a grade of WD on the official transcript. See the Add/Drop and Course Withdrawal portions of the handbook for deadlines. Once the intersession begins, students are responsible for the full tuition and are not eligible for a refund.