Production Independent Studies

Planning a Production Independent Study? Review the eligibility requirements carefully. Beginning in Academic Year 2026-2027, Production Independent Studies have updated requirements for faculty supervision, credit value, registration, and deadlines.

Important: All required approvals must be completed before the University's official Add Deadline. New Production Independent Studies cannot be initiated after the Add Deadline.

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New Rules at a Glance

Requirement	What Students Need to Know
Faculty Supervision	Production Independent Studies require a full-time faculty mentor.
Credit Value	Production Independent Studies are offered for 2-4 credits.
Zero-Credit Studies	Zero-credit Production Independent Studies are discontinued beginning Fall 2026.
Deadline	All approvals, registration, and enrollment must be completed before the official Add Deadline.
Production Resources	Projects using SCA equipment, stages, facilities, insurance, permits, or Production Office support must follow all applicable production policies and approval processes.

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What Is a Production Independent Study?

A Production Independent Study allows a student to earn academic credit for a clearly defined, faculty-mentored creative or production project.

Independent Studies are designed to support specialized learning experiences that extend beyond regularly offered coursework. Projects should have clear learning objectives, measurable deliverables, and a realistic scope appropriate for the number of credits requested.

Production Independent Studies are not intended to:

• Replace existing SCA courses

• Serve as open-ended personal projects

• Support large, unsupervised productions

• Circumvent existing production policies or resource limitations

Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for a Production Independent Study:

• The project must have clearly defined learning objectives and deliverables.

• The scope must be realistic for the timeline and credit amount requested.

• The project must comply with all SCA production policies and safety standards.

• A full-time faculty mentor must be secured before registration.

• All required approvals must be completed before the Add Deadline.

Production Independent Studies are offered for 2-4 credits.

The final credit amount should be determined collaboratively by the student and faculty mentor based on project scope, complexity, and expected learning outcomes.

Important Deadlines

Beginning in Academic Year 2026-2027, all Production Independent Studies must be fully approved, registered, and enrolled by the university's official Add Deadline.

After the Add deadline:

• New Production Independent Studies cannot be initiated for that quarter.

• Students may begin planning for a future quarter instead.

• Exceptions are rare and require administrative review.

Students are strongly encouraged to begin planning and faculty outreach before the quarter begins.

How to Find a Faculty Mentor

Production Independent Studies require a full-time faculty mentor.

Before reaching out to a faculty member, prepare:

• A project overview

• Script, treatment, or project plan

• Learning objectives

• Proposed deliverables

• Desired quarter for enrollment

• Proposed credit amount

When contacting faculty:

• Introduce yourself and your academic program.

• Explain your project in a few concise sentences.

• Explain why you are seeking their mentorship specifically.

• Request a conversation about project fit and expectations.

Faculty are not obligated to accept Independent Study requests. Students are encouraged to begin outreach early to maximize the likelihood of securing mentorship before registration deadlines.

Registration Process

Step 1: Develop Your Proposal

Prepare:

• Script, treatment, or project plan

• Learning objectives

• Deliverables

• Timeline and milestones

• Equipment and facility needs

• Requested credit amount

Step 2: Secure a Faculty Mentor

Identify a full-time faculty member whose expertise aligns with your project and obtain mentorship approval.

Step 3: Complete the Approval Process

• The faculty mentor submits the proposal.

• The student reviews and approves the submission.

• The faculty mentor completes final approval.

• Administrative review is completed.

• The Records Manager enrolls the student in the course.

Step 4: Verify Enrollment

Confirm that the Independent Study appears correctly in your Degree Progress Report (DPR) before the Add deadline.

Once enrolled, projects requiring SCA production resources may begin the Greenlighting process through the Production Office.

Equipment & Facility Access

Production Independent Studies may access SCA production resources when appropriate to the educational goals of the project.

Access to equipment, stages, facilities, insurance support, permits, and Production Office resources requires compliance with:

• SCA Production Policies

• Greenlighting requirements

• Equipment center policies

• Reservation deadlines

• Certification requirements

Access to resources is subject to availability and may be limited based on overall departmental capacity.

Students should contact the Production Office early if their project will require equipment, stages, insurance, permits, or other production support.

Faculty Mentor Responsibilities

Production Independent Studies require faculty mentorship and academic oversight throughout the quarter.

Faculty mentors typically:

• Help define learning objectives and deliverables.

• Ensure the project scope is appropriate for the requested credit amount.

• Discuss expectations, milestones, and project goals with the student.

• Provide guidance and feedback throughout the project.

• Help students understand applicable production policies and requirements.

• Evaluate student learning and completed deliverables.

• Assign a final course grade.

Faculty mentors may decline an Independent Study request if:

• The project scope is unrealistic.

• The proposed learning objectives are not appropriate for academic credit.

• Adequate mentorship cannot be provided.

• The project presents resource, safety, or supervision concerns.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can an adjunct faculty member supervise a Production Independent Study? No. Production Independent Studies require a full-time faculty mentor.

How many credits can a Production Independent Study be worth? Production Independent Studies are offered for 2-4 credits.

Can I start an Independent Study after the Add Deadline? No. New Independent Studies cannot be initiated after the Add Deadline.

Can I use SCA equipment and facilities? Yes. Projects using production resources must follow applicable Greenlighting, reservation, certification, and safety procedures.

Does approval guarantee access to equipment and facilities? No. Access to equipment, stages, facilities, insurance support, permits, and other production resources remains subject to applicable policies, reservation deadlines, certification requirements, and resource availability.

Can I start planning before the quarter begins? Yes. Early planning is strongly encouraged and often leads to a smoother approval process.

What if a faculty member declines my request? Faculty are not obligated to supervise Independent Studies. Students should approach potential mentors early and be prepared to contact more than one faculty member.

Is a Production Independent Study the same as a personal project? No. Production Independent Studies are academic courses with defined learning objectives, deliverables, mentorship, and evaluation criteria.

Are zero-credit Production Independent Studies still available? No. Zero-credit Production Independent Studies are discontinued beginning Fall 2026.

Related Resources

• Start a Project

• Greenlighting Projects

• Production Policies & Safety Standards

• Equipment Certifications

• Equipment & Facilities

• Faculty & Staff Directory

• Production Resources & Support