Academic Program Options

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

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. Students are permitted to take a five-credit course for three credits, minus the individual or group conference project, with instructor permission. Requests to add a five-credit course for three credits may be submitted only during the second week of the Add/Drop period and if there is space in the course. Regardless of instructor permission, students cannot choose this option during initial course registration, and a space cannot be held for later registration. Courses registered during the initial course registration period for five credits cannot be changed to three credits; no exceptions.

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. Guest faculty do not routinely sponsor directed studies but may do so after consulting with the Provost’s Office.

A directed study should not substantially overlap with an existing course. Students may take only one directed study course per semester and a maximum of 20 such credits (including fieldwork) will apply toward a degree. 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 > Directed Study on MySLC for more information and the required proposal form. The directed study title should reflect the nature of the subject and intended theme and, once it appears on the student's transcript, cannot be changed. 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:

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 the faculty sponsor must meet weekly. Conference courses may not be undertaken during the summer.

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; e.g, 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 the work.

Fieldwork course credit is 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 faculty sponsor to create independent coursework in conjunction with the fieldwork.

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 a second reader brings insights and methods of their disciplines to the project. A senior thesis requires a good deal of planning, which is 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. 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.

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. Proposal submissions open at the end of the prior semester and are due no later than the last day of the first week of classes. View the academic calendar for directed-study submission window.

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.

1. Students secure a faculty sponsor, who must be a regular (not guest) faculty member.
2. Proposals are prepared in consultation with the faculty sponsor (sponsors, if senior thesis).
3. The student registers for a placeholder course of appropriate credit value either in Online Course Selection (OCS) or with an Add/Drop form, depending on the registration period, as they await final approval.
4. Completed proposals are reviewed first by the Committee on Student Work, then by the Curriculum Committee.
5. Once the proposal is approved, the Registrar’s Office is notified and the student is registered for the directed- study course.

If a five-credit directed study is registered as part of a student’s initial full-time registration, the course may not be dropped. Directed studies for fewer than five credits follow standard Add/Drop and withdrawal deadlines.

The Science and Mathematics Third program is designed to allow more flexibility in studying science at Sarah Lawrence College. Qualifying students may take two mathematics and science courses to comprise one-third of their academic program for a semester or academic year without an 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 and 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 may 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) may be taken as a Science and Mathematics Third component. Students may 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.

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 College’s transfer-credit policy (see the appropriate section in this handbook). A maximum of 16 credits (including Sarah Lawrence credits) may 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 section, above, for more information and details.

If dropped before classes begin, the summer course does not appear on the student’s official transcript. Students may withdraw from a summer course during the first week of class or before the second class meeting and receive a grade of WD on the official transcript.

See the Add/Drop and Course Withdrawal sections of this handbook for course and directed study deadlines. Current tuition and fee information is found in the Tuition section of this handbook and also on the Tuition & Costs web page.

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.

If dropped before classes begin, the course does not appear on the student’s official transcript. Courses dropped after the first class meeting and before the second class meeting are considered a withdrawal and receive a grade of WD on the official transcript. See the Add/Drop and Course Withdrawal sections of this handbook for course and directed-study deadlines. Current tuition and fee information is found in the Tuition section of this handbook and also on the Tuition & Costs web page.