Individual Studies & Auditors

Please see the Internships page for policies and process for internships. 

Faculty may choose to offer IND/DIR courses for 1-2 credit per course as determined by the department (see catalog listing under each program for options.) Faculty are not required to participate as an instructor for IND/DIR courses as this coursework is taken on as an addition to their teaching load with no financial compensation from the college. Students are responsible for making arrangements and registering for the IND/DIR coursework within the published policies and deadlines. With the exception of some study away experiences and limited internships, students are required to take a 4-credit experience in J-term, therefore, IND/DIR are not offered in J-term.

Independent Study (IND) is advanced critical study or research on a specific topic under the guidance of a faculty member in a department. Students may register for course 400 in the related academic department with the permission of the faculty member and the department chair.

Directed Study (DIR) is study of a particular topic of interest under the direction of a faculty member. Students may register for courses 199, 299, 399 and 499 in departments that offer directed study. Permission is required from the department chair and the instructor.

No more than 8 credits in independent and directed studies combined may be applied toward the Bachelor of Arts degree. IND or DIR courses may be taken for 1 or 2 credits as determined by each department (see the departmental catalog page for the major for more information.) In one term, no more than 1 course of independent study and 1 course of directed study may be enrolled for a student in a given department. Students may repeat IND/DIR courses for credit, as long as it is approved by the department, and all other policies about earning credit apply. Courses in IND/DIR may not replace coursework regularly offered and/or are part of the faculty-approved curriculum and may not carry Learning Perspectives, Suffix or Skills designations. Students may not fulfill general education requirements with IND/DIR coursework. Courses in IND/DIR courses cannot be taken to avoid paying tuition and fees. Students should keep in mind that IND/DIR courses will count in the total credits allowed with full-time tuition. In order to comply with Department of Education seat time regulations for credit hours, registration for IND/DIR should be made within regular enrollment periods for 14 week or 7 week courses as published on the Academic Calendar. 

In exceptional cases, a student who is a graduation candidate and who critically needs a course may petition to take a required course through private study with an instructor. Courses must carry the same credits as the regularly offered course. The student must petition the Committee on Advanced Standing and Degrees and the Provost for final approval. The student is responsible for all fees above and beyond regular tuition. Private Study is charged at the per-credit rate. 

Approvals will only be considered when:

• The course is not offered at a time when the student must take it. 
• The course is required for the student to complete their only major and/or degree. 
• The course is not enabling early graduation.
• The student has been continuously enrolled each semester.
• The student has not repeatedly dropped, withdrawn or failed coursework.
• The student is responsible for securing a faculty member who will agree to teach the course in a Private Study arrangement*
• The student is responsible for making a petition to the Committee on Advanced Standing and Degrees with a supporting statement from the department in which the course will be offered.
• Pre-payment is required in the business office prior to enrollment

All regular academic policies, including enrollment and grading deadlines, apply for private study courses. For information, students should consult their advisor, a faculty member and the Provost. Private Study courses may not be taken in J-term. 

*The college is not obligated to offer this option to a student and faculty are not obligated to teach in a Private Study arrangement.

Generally, most degree-seeking students will not want to take a course as an auditor. Audited coursework does not complete any requirements, it does not appear as completed work on the student record and students may not use financial assistance to audit a course. An audited course does not factor in the grade-point average. Audited courses do not count toward major, minor or degree requirements of any kind. Students needing to repeat a course for proficiency only (to improve grade for departmental requirements) must request prior permission from the Committee on Advanced Standing and Degrees, register as an auditor and pay for the course.  Non-Augustana students who wish to audit a course must apply using the Special Student Application available on the website and will pay the full tuition fees associated with the coursework. (See Schedule of Student Charges on the website for tuition and fees.) 

Students who elect to audit a course ‎will acknowledge they understand the following with choosing audit status for a course:

• audited courses will be a flat fee of $800.00 per course above and beyond regular tuition and do not count in the 34 credits for the year. 
• they have read the college policy on auditing coursework noted above;
• change to audit status must happen prior to the start of the term; 
• once enrolled in a course for audit, a student is not permitted to change that enrollment status to a credit bearing status; 
• enrollment in a course for credit are not permitted to change to audit status once the term has started; 
• audited courses do not serve as prerequisites for other Augustana courses;. 
• audited courses do not count toward full-time status or financial aid calculations, but do count toward calculating tuition credits.