ITI Independent Study provides the framework for you to design, negotiate and manage a learning program of approximately 150 hours based on your experience, knowledge and work intentions. If you are an ITI major who meets the required qualifications, you may apply to undertake 04:547:460 Independent Study, a 3-credit course.

ITI Independent Study represents a significant learning opportunity for you to explore a course of study that is typically not available through the range of ITI electives. Building on the knowledge and skills you learned during the major, you’ll:

• Identify and establish strategies to meet your learning goals.
• Construct a program of research, investigation and documentation.
• Demonstrate learning outcomes to the SC&I academic supervisor.
• Understand the importance of professionalism and professional development in IT environments.

To be eligible to undertake 04:547:460 Independent Study, you must:

• Be an ITI major with junior or senior status.
• Have completed a minimum of 27 credits in ITI courses (not including 04:189:101, 102, or 103).
• Have at least a 2.75 grade point average in the ITI major.
• Have at least a 2.5 cumulative grade point average.

Meet with ITI Director Warren Allen to discuss the nature, objectives and outcomes of the Independent Study and develop a full proposal. Contact a full-time faculty member in the department to discuss your proposal. Once a professor commits to work with you:

• Agree on the number of meetings and course requirements.
• Download and complete the ITI Independent Study Application.

The deadline for submission is before the end of the Add/Drop period. Submit the completed application with a copy of your transcripts and your written proposal to the Office of Student Services in Room 214 of the SC&I building. Once you receive approval, you are assigned a Special Permission Number to proceed with the enrollment and commence your Independent Study.

Prepare an Independent Study proposal approximately three pages long that covers:

• The general purpose of your proposed program of study, including:
  • Topic area
  • Personal career goals
  • Its importance to the ITI field
  • How it links to prior courses and extends your current work
• Learning goals you hope to achieve and how meeting them will develop your:
  • Knowledge of the topic
  • Range of technical, intellectual and evaluative skills
  • Range of personal and professional qualities
• A detailed explanation of your project’s planned activities:
  • An overview of activities involved including formal library research, analysis and synthesis of the topic
  • How you intend to present the project
  • A timeline for the semester’s work
  • Any form of technical development that demonstrates your scope of learning, such as a creative website that illustrates mastery of sophisticated design techniques or software package.
• Preliminary list of information resources that might form the starting point for the development of the core literature that will inform your study. Identify key technical requirements needed in the study, and if these are not available or provided by SC&I, how you will meet these needs.
• Provide a preliminary indication of how you will present the final project and how it should be assessed. This may take many forms, but typically involves an evaluative journal and as well as analytical paper, product, presentation and/or self-evaluation.
• Include your starting and end dates.
• Provide documentation (e.g., a letter or email) indicating the willingness of your academic supervisor to work with you.
• Attach a copy of your résumé to your proposal.

You’ll engage in extensive critical reading, analysis and review of pertinent literature pertinent selected in collaboration with your supervising faculty member who will determine how your work will be evaluated.

You’ll meet regularly with an academic supervisor throughout the program to:

• Discuss your progress at regular intervals.
• Deal with issues and concerns that arise during your course of study.
• Receive input regarding how you’re meeting your learning goals and assessment requirements as set out in the proposal.
• Get direction in terms of appropriate resources for researching your chosen topic.

You’ll develop a final project in collaboration with your supervising faculty member that will be part of your student portfolio. Together, you’ll develop the mode of presentation, the evaluation criteria and the length of your independent study. For example, this might be a research-based paper of considerable depth and scope, or it might be a written paper that accompanies some technical project such as a website or database.

You’re required to keep a journal that includes:

• Work completed
• Commentary on readings
• Results of your independent study
• Self-evaluation of the study, including what you learned

The ITI program offers a Senior Thesis option to undergraduates who excel in the major. Senior Thesis students conduct original research under the supervision of a faculty advisor and an honors thesis committee. In order to be accepted into the program, you must meet the specified eligibility requirements.

To be eligible, you must meet:

• Have at least a 3.4 grade point average in the ITI major
• Have at least a 3.2 cumulative grade point average
• Have completed 45 credits of university-level coursework by the end of the semester in which you make the declaration
• Have an agreement from a faculty advisor
• Complete and submit an ITI honors declaration

Once you’ve been accepted, follow these steps:

• Enroll and complete with a grade of B or higher 04:547:300 Application of Research in Information Technology, usually taken in the fall semester.
• Enroll and complete with a grade of B or higher 04:547:465 ITI Senior Thesis under the direction of your faculty advisor, usually taken in the spring semester.
• Pass an oral defense of your thesis during senior year and present your final project at the SC&I session of the Rutgers Undergraduate Research Week.
• Download and complete the ITI Honors Program Application.

You may also participate in your college honors program under the sponsorship of the department.