Seminars and Conference Courses
A seminar tends to focus on more advanced and/or specific research topics. It has few, if any, lectures and emphasizes student presentations, papers, and research. Enrollment is usually limited to 12 to 15 students.
A conference course places more emphasis on discussion than research. It usually has an enrollment of about 25 students (35 maximum), meets once a week for 2-3 hours, and incorporates lectures, as well as student papers and research.
In general, seminars and conference courses are open to advanced undergraduates as well as graduate students. Ordinarily, they do not have final examinations, nor do they qualify for teaching fellows.
Tutorial Instruction (Undergraduates Only)
Supervised Reading and Research Courses
Graduate students enrolled in Reading and Research courses (300-level courses) do not receive letter grades but are graded SAT/UNS. Undergraduates may not enroll in courses numbered in the 300s or 3000s. However, undergraduate candidates for the Concurrent Master’s degrees may enroll in such courses with the instructor’s permission. (See Undergraduates in Courses Designated Primarily for Graduates.)
First-Year Seminars
Any sophomore, junior, or senior whose previous record is satisfactory may petition to undertake Independent Study for non-letter-graded credit. A student may petition to take up to a total of four semester-long courses of Independent Study. Independent Study courses are subject to the same rules for dropping and withdrawing as any other course.
A petition to undertake Independent Study, available on the Office of Undergraduate Education (OUE) website, requires two signatures:
- That of a qualified advisor (ordinarily a voting member of Harvard Faculty) who must be an officer of the University and whose professional competence is appropriate for the subject area of the Independent Study. In those exceptional cases where the advisor is not a faculty member - for example, a teaching fellow - the petition must also be supported by an appropriate academic department or unit.
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That of the Allston Burr Resident Dean, which signifies that the proposal satisfies the guidelines and has been signed by the advisor. Resident Deans will refer questions concerning guidelines to the Office of Undergraduate Education.
The petition also requires an outline of the student’s proposed project. The full petition must be submitted to the Allston Burr Resident Dean for approval, ordinarily in the first week of the term. The completed petition paperwork, including the proposal, must then be submitted to the OUE, ordinarily before the enrollment deadline. Once final approval is granted by the OUE, the Allston Burr Resident Dean must lift the advising hold in my.harvard for the student to register. Any change-of-course petition that is filed to add, drop, or withdraw from Independent Study also requires the approval of the Allston Burr Resident Dean. A separate petition, properly completed, must be filed for each half-course of Independent Study.
The advisor will assist the student in the development of a plan for Independent Study and provide guidance but not regular instruction. Independent Study does not imply formal instruction and should not be confused with tutorials, seminars, or with directed or Supervised Reading and Research courses offered by several academic departments and committees. (Supervised Reading and Research courses are generally numbered 91 or 910 and normally receive letter grades.) A student enrolled in Independent Study must undertake to work independently. Classroom work, regular instruction, and group projects are inadmissible. Students whose projects include interviews or research involving human subjects should contact the Undergraduate Research Training Program before submitting their independent study petition.