Special Academic Opportunities

The College has found many ways to recognize, encourage and reward special talents and to help students extend their academic interests into the realms of research, the arts, internships, educational travel, public service and employment.

Student-Faculty Collaboration

F&M prides itself on creating opportunities that allow students to convert theory into practice and enjoy hands-on experience. While most undergraduate institutions reserve research opportunities for students in their graduate programs, we engage students now by allowing them to work side by side with faculty. These programmatic opportunities include the Summer Research Scholars Program, independent student research projects, the preceptor program, and many other academic year and summer research opportunities made available through departmental and faculty grants.

Tutorials

A Tutorial is a regular course (either one that is a permanent part of the curriculum or one taught as a “topics” course) taught on an individual basis. A student may register for a Tutorial with the consent of the instructor and the approval of the department chair. The student should complete an “Application for Tutorial” form available in the Registrar’s Office and on its website.

Directed Readings

A Directed Reading is an investigation of a topic through readings chosen by a student with the agreement of the instructor. Assignments normally include multiple short papers as opposed to a thesis. A student may register for a Directed Reading with the consent of the instructor and the approval of the department chairperson. The student should complete an “Application for Directed Reading” form available in the Registrar’s Office and on its website.

Independent Studies

An Independent Study consists of an extensive research project completed under the supervision of a faculty member.

The following rules govern Independent Studies:

1. An Independent Study must be approved by a faculty adviser and the department chairperson.
2. An Independent Study must culminate in a thesis or performance.
3. The student and the adviser for the Independent Study should agree in advance whether the project will extend over one or two semesters, for one-half, one or two course credits.
4. The deadline to register for an Independent Study is the end of the first week of the semester in which the Independent Study is undertaken.
5. To register for an Independent Study, a student completes the “Application for Independent Study” form and returns it to the Registrar’s Office.
6. If an Independent Study is to be considered for Departmental Honors, the additional guidelines described in the section on Departmental Honors should also be observed.

The regulations governing grading options for an Independent Study are as follows:

1. If the student elects the standard letter grade option, the student registers under normal procedures and presents the required Independent Study application with the department or program chairperson’s approval. It should be noted that this is the only one of the grading options that is automatic. Each of the others requires additional input to the Registrar from the student, the department chairperson, or both.
2. The student may elect the Pass/No Pass option in the first semester of a two-semester Independent Study. In this case, the student completes the Independent Study application and a Pass/No Pass form, including the signature of the chairperson, and files it with the Registrar before the add deadline. This procedure differs from the normal Pass/No Pass regulations in that the instructor (i.e., the Independent Study adviser) knows about the use of the option and reports the grade directly as Pass or No Pass.
3. In some cases the department requires the Pass/No Pass option in the first semester of a two-semester Independent Study. In this instance, the chairperson notifies the Registrar in writing prior to the add deadline. This note must include the name of each student involved. The chairperson should also indicate this requirement on the approval form given to the student when the student requests permission for Independent Study.
4. If the student elects the “no grade/double grade” option, then no grade and no course credit are awarded at the end of the first semester and two grades and two course credits are awarded at the end of the second semester. The use of this option must be approved by the chairperson of the department or program. This option must be indicated on the Independent Study application and cannot be selected after the deadline to add courses. In other words, this option is viable only for an Independent Study originally designed to cover two semesters and for which it is not realistic to assign a grade halfway through the Independent Study.
5. For Independent Studies under the “no grade/double grade” option, the deadline to withdraw without record is the “withdraw-without-record” deadline for regular courses during the first semester. A withdrawal beyond that date, but during the first semester, will result in a “W” (withdrawal with record) on the student’s transcript for only the first semester. Withdrawal (after the “withdraw-without-record” deadline) during the second semester will result in a “W” on the student’s transcript for both semesters.

Experiences for Credit (EFC)

Students may earn academic credit for a summer or semester internship or other work experience. Together with a faculty sponsor, the student will develop an Educational Plan for an academic work product that corresponds with the timing and area of the internship experience. Students who wish to obtain credit for an academic year or summer experience must complete each of the following steps before the relevant application deadlines.

Eligibility Requirements:

The following regulations govern Experiences-for-Credit (EFC):

1. To apply for an EFC, students must:
   1. Have sophomore, junior, or senior status;
   2. Have a cumulative grade point average (“GPA”) of at least a 2.0. Students whose GPA is less than 2.0 may petition the Committee on Academic Status for an exemption;
   3. Have secured an internship, research, volunteer or other experience with an off-campus organization for which they are seeking credit;
   4. Have identified and secured the agreement of an F&M faculty member to serve as the faculty sponsor and adviser for the EFC experience.
2. All EFCs are graded on a Pass/No Pass basis and are subject to Pass/No Pass regulations.
3. During the academic year, there is no additional fee for an EFC UNLESS the student is enrolled as a part-time student (fewer than 3 credits). The cost of a summer EFC is not covered by regular tuition and must be handled directly with the Student Accounts Office.
4. Once the student has completed the EFC, the faculty sponsor may receive a brief statement of appraisal of the student’s performance from the on-site experience supervisor. However, the most important element in determining the grade will be those items specified on the Educational Plan for the EFC.
5. Students may receive one-half, one, or two course credits for an EFC, depending upon the time commitment per week or the length of the project.
   1. To earn 1 credit, students must intern for 96 (or more) hours during a semester or summer.
   2. To earn a 1/2 credit, students must intern for 46-95 hours during a semester or summer.
   3. Only 2 course credits from experiences-for-credit, including past internships-for-credit, may count toward the completion of graduation requirements.
   4. Two-course-credit EFCs occur over two consecutive semesters, or an entire summer and an adjoining semester with the summer counting as one semester. A one-course-credit EFC must involve a minimum of 96 hours for the semester.
   5. Almost all summer EFCs are half-time or full-time over 10-12 weeks.
6. Students who enroll for a two-semester EFC may not elect the “no grade/double grade” option.
7. Students may simultaneously receive compensation and credit for the experience. The Center for Career and Professional Development (formerly OSPGD) facilitates the EFC program. EFC application materials along with detailed instructions, guidelines and Educational Plan samples may be found online at the Center’s EFC website. Students must complete all aspects of the EFC application, including the Educational Plan and Experience Description, and secure the signatures of their Experience Supervisor, Academic Advisor, and the F&M Faculty Sponsor, before submitting the EFC application packet to the Center for Career and Professional Development.

International Students:

F-1 International students who wish to pursue an Experience for Credit should contact Jessica Haile, Office of International Programs, at jhaile1@fandm.edu for information about specific requirements, including Curricular Practical Training (CPT). Please allow one week to obtain CPT authorization. Questions about CPT should be directed to the Office of International
Programs.

Community-Based Learning Seminars

Community-Based Learning (CBL) seminars integrate experiential learning in the community with academic learning in the classroom. Coursework takes a critical perspective on the seminar’s topic and requires significant reflection on the experiential learning. The experiential learning component varies from course to course: instructors may cultivate internships for the students or design a series of community-based experiences.

The following regulations govern CBL seminars:

1. The expectation for classroom time is 2 - 3 hours per week, and the expectation for experiential learning is 5 - 6 hours per week, for a total range of 7- 9 hours.
2. CBL seminars are either designated a course in the curriculum (and carry a departmental/programmatic prefix with the additional notation of “CBL”) or be designated a CBL-IFC. Either way, the seminar requires the approval of the instructor’s department/program chair.
3. The courses are offered at the 200-, 300-, or 400-level.
4. There is no limit to the number of CBL seminars a student may take.

Experiential Learning

F&M is a proud member of the Lancaster community and encourages its students to get involved. The Ware Institute for Civic Engagement is one avenue for connecting F&M students with opportunities to learn, serve, and work in the surrounding Lancaster community. The Ware Institute offers traditional community service projects, engaged learning opportunities through classroom collaborations, and more structured paid internships with local nonprofit organizations.