17-689 Independent Study Mini

Independent Study Mini is a variable credit half semester course.

An Independent Study course is one that is designed by the student to pursue in-depth study in a particular area of interest. Units completed via independent study may vary from 6-12 maximum. Each independent study, regardless of the proposed units, fulfills the requirement of one elective course only.

The purpose of the independent study is for you to further explore an area of interest you may have just scratched the surface of during one of the core courses.

While the independent study is intended for individual students, it may be completed in very small teams. All members of the team must have completed the core courses in the MSIT program. A team project must be more significant in scope than a project by an individual.

The steps for the independent study are

•	Propose a project. This will take the form of a formal document and will be considered the first deliverable of the project. The proposal must include an executive summary a definition of the work to be completed, including deliverables timelines reviews final report an advisor (a Carnegie Mellon faculty member) a proposal of how you want the grade to be generated from the independent material
•	Deliverables will always include a report which will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the technique in the chosen domain and relate what went well and poorly during the independent study.
•	Discuss the project.
•	Receive approval.
•	Begin the project.
•	Report periodically to your faculty mentor.