Independent Research in the Summer

Overview 

Independent Research in the Summer (IDRS S300) may be taken either remotely or in person in Summer 2024. For college students and beyond. Must be taken pass/fail. May not be taken as part of a senior project or be deemed to be constituent of the senior requirement. Independent Research in the Summer consists of special projects set up by the student in an area of particular interest with the help of a faculty adviser and the director of undergraduate studies, intended to enable the student to cover material not otherwise offered by the department. The course may be used for research, design projects, or directed reading, but in all cases a term paper, written report on the research project, or equivalent final assessment as determined by the faculty advisor and DUS is normally required. The student must meet regularly with the faculty adviser. Interested students should review carefully the course description for application requirements; students are expected to work well in advance to prepare their project description and secure the required approvals, all of which must be submitted to summer.session@yale.edu by no later than the relevant application deadline, listed at summer.yale.edu. Because faculty members serve as advisers on an entirely voluntary basis, without additional compensation or teaching credit, students should consult closely with prospective advisers about their willingness and availability to take on this commitment over the summer.

Students taking Independent Research in the Summer for one credit should expect to spend approximately 35 hours a week on their research for five weeks (either Session A or B); for two credits students should expect to spend approximately 35 hours a week on their research for ten weeks (both Session A and B). Students may receive academic credit only if they are not being paid for doing research, but they may work for credit in one five-week period and for pay in the other. Upon completion of the course, the faculty advisor must submit a substantive report that both describes the nature of the independent research and evaluates the student’s performance in it. The report must include the grade, Pass or Fail. These reports should be shared with the student and the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the department or program in which the research is based and kept in the office of the student’s residential college dean.

Tip: Faculty advisors volunteer their time when they work with students on Independent Research in the Summer.

Application Process

1. Complete the Yale Summer Session application
2. Provide a 1-2 paragraph project description of the research to be undertaken, written in collaboration with the faculty advisor, including the proposed starting and ending dates. Send this to summer.session@yale.edu with "IDRS S300" and the student's name in the subject line.
3. Written permission from the following faculty members. All permissions should be submitted to summer.session@yale.edu with "IDRS S300" and the student's name in the subject line.
   1. The faculty advisor
   2. Either the Director of Summer Sciences for students in STEM (Professor Robert Zinn: robert.zinn@yale.edu), or the Dean of Summer Session (Dean Alexander Rosas: alexander.rosas@yale.edu) for students in the Humanities or Social Sciences
   3. The director of undergraduate studies of the applicant's major department
4. The Yale Summer Session Registrar will reach out if further information is needed.