Independent Study or Research in Communication

The Department of Communication offers students the option to work closely with their professors in either an Independent Study or Research in Communication.

Independent Study Courses (192:491 & 192:492) do not count as credits towards the Communication major. Research in Communication (192:470), however, does count as credits toward the major.

Both of these study options are arranged by contacting an instructor in the department. Once an instructor agrees to work with a student, the number of meetings, course requirements, and grades are arranged by that instructor. The student should obtain an application from the Department, or download and print it (see below), complete it, obtain the instructor's signature, and return it to the Department. Once it is approved, the Department will provide a special permission number that allows the student to register for the Independent study (192:491, or, if a second time, 192:492), or Research in Communication (192:470).

To qualify for an Independent Study or Research in Communication, a student must:

• Be a Communication Major
• Be a Junior or Senior
• Have a 2.5 College GPA
• Have completed 189:101 and 102, and 192:200, 201, and 300
• Obtain a Faculty Sponsor
• Obtain, Complete, and Submit an Application

To download the Department Independent Study application, click here:
Application for Independent Study

To download the Department Research in Communication application, click here:
Application for Research in Communication

Tutoring

Another enriching opportunity for students is to become a tutor in one of the various Communication courses offered by the Department. Tutors are able to work closely with undergraduate students and receive credits toward their degree requirements (but, as with the Independent study, not toward the Communication major). To be a tutor, students must obtain and complete the Tutor Application (see below), get the instructor's signature, and return the application to the Department. The Department will then provide a special permission number for the student to use to register for the course, 192:495, Applied Study in Communication. The Tutor application includes (1) the Application form, (2) a Departmental Tutor Policy, which the student must also sign and submit with the Application, and (3) a description of the Tutor's responsibilities.

To download the Department Tutor/192:495 application, click here:
Application for Tutor/Applied Study in Communication

To get the Adobe reader/viewer if you don't have it:
The application is in .pdf format and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader or Acrobat Viewer for Java. This software is freely available for download and is already installed at most Rutgers computing labs.