Independent Studies
St. Bonaventure University professors may teach independent studies when circumstances warrant. An independent study is defined as a special topic or special course number and features an agreement between the faculty member and the student to determine the topic. A syllabus is required.
Tutorial Courses
St. Bonaventure University professors may teach tutorial courses to students only under exceptional circumstances. A tutorial course is defined as a regularly taught class that is not offered during the current semester, or if it is offered, a student is unable to enroll in the regular section(s) of the course due to extenuating circumstances.
Before any tutorial course is approved it must be shown that the course is being taught not for the convenience of a student, but due to some unforeseen scheduling difficulty or other error made by the university, which will prevent a student from graduating on time
Tutorial courses should never take the place of regularly scheduled courses taught during the fall or spring semesters. They should only be used for courses that are infrequently scheduled, yet required.
A student must obtain the permission of an instructor who is willing to teach the course, the student's advisor, the Department Chair, the Dean of the school where the student is enrolled, the Dean of the school in which the tutorial takes place, and the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs. The student’s petition must clearly show the necessity for him/her to take this course in order to graduate on time.
Policies for both Independent Studies and Tutorial Courses
Professors teaching an independent study or tutorial course will be reminded that they must meet with the student for the amount of time required by the New York State Educational regulations. Tutorial courses are not individual project courses and should not be confused with individual study courses.
Students taking independent studies or tutorial courses shall pay for them as they pay for any other course at the university.
Ordinarily a faculty member is not paid for leading an independent study. The faculty member will be paid a $500 stipend for a tutorial course. The faculty member may not receive any additional monies from the student or any gift from a student, except a token “thank you” remembrance.