Driven by intellectual curiosity, students occasionally partner with faculty to design one-on-one courses. Run as a tutorial, reading courses are specially designed and arranged between a student and a faculty member. Proposals are reviewed by the College and must be submitted no later than the end of the first week of the semester through the online proposal system. Reading courses are limited to one per term, and are not open to first-year students. Not normally offered as part of the curriculum, they count as a regular course and may be approved to count as a departmental in one’s major. However, reading courses may not satisfy distribution requirements. Reading courses transcript with the department code, a special 090-level course number, and a descriptive transcript title.Pending approval by the supervising professor and the department chair, a student can elect to take a reading course as Graded A-F only, Graded PDF only, or Graded A-F/Optional PDF. If more than one student is enrolled in the course, the grading basis will be determined by student consensus/majority preference. For a course to be considered as a departmental, students must take the course for a letter grade and should select the “Graded A-F only” option. If the reading course is offered “Graded A-F/Optional PDF,” individual students will initially be enrolled as Graded A-F and will have the option to select PDF during the PDF election period. A reading course taken as an elective PDF will count toward the student’s maximum of four PDF courses.Contact the associate dean with questions or to schedule an appointment to discuss a proposal. Student Guide: Reading Course Development Process Step 1: Work with a faculty member to develop your course If you are interested in a subject that complements your academic program, discuss your interest with a faculty member. If they are willing to direct your reading course, the two of you can design the course together. Important elements to consider include: The reading list Assignments that will be due The meeting time How the course will be graded Whether it will count as a departmental In most respects, reading course requirements are the same as those of regularly scheduled courses—including the amount of work and class meeting time. You and the faculty member should plan to meet approximately three hours per week over the course of the semester. Step 2: Submit your course proposal Complete the Reading Course Proposal Form. The proposal form, linked below, includes course information as well as signatures of the chair or departmental representative of the supervising professor's department. Submit all paperwork. Submit the application along with a complete syllabus for review and approval by the associate dean of the college through the online form. Watch deadlines. Reading course approval and entry into TigerHub must be completed before the deadline for adding/dropping courses in that term. To allow for the necessary processes to be completed, all proposals must be received by the deans’ assistant during the first week of classes. Forms Reading Course Online Proposal Portal Document and submit the plan for a proposed reading course by the first week of classes. Resources for Students TigerHub Manage academic and enrollment tasks, including course enrollment and changes. Undergraduate Announcement Review academic regulations, programs of study, and undergraduate course offerings.
