Contracts & Independent Study Projects

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The Academic Contract

An academic contract, which corresponds to one full-time semester of enrollment at New College, contains:

  1. Educational activities
  2. Short- and long-term goals
  3. Descriptions of academic activities and activities outside of the academic contract
  4. Certification criteria

Goals may of course change over time. Rather than committing to activities or outcomes, contemplation of goals provides an opportunity to imagine the future, and to reflect on how educational choices lead to academic achievements. Over time, successive contracts record new directions in thoughts and aspirations, and document the changes in a student’s intellectual and social development.

The student’s list of planned educational activities can include both semester-long (fifteen-week) and modular (seven-week) activities. Most New College full term courses, tutorials, internships or Independent Reading Projects are equivalent to one unit (4 credits); modular or module-equivalent counts as a half unit (2 credits). At minimum, undergraduate students are expected to enroll in, and remain enrolled in, at least three units (12 credits) each semester. Enrollment in more units may be necessary to make timely progress toward graduation, and/or because the faculty advisor requires this.

Educational activities may be courses, seminars, tutorials, labs, fieldwork, internships, special projects, and the like. For each activity for academic credit, a New College faculty member is listed and is responsible for submitting an evaluation of student work. All activities undertaken as tutorials or internships require the instructor's approval.

Activities outside the formal curriculum, such as personal development projects or employment, have a place on the contract as well. They do not appear on the transcript, and, while they may form an important part of the student’s experience and play an important role in the discussion with the contract sponsor, a faculty member does not evaluate these activities. This section may also be used to describe in more detail any educational activities listed in the second section.

The advisor and student negotiate the criteria for satisfactory completion of the contract, called "contract certification." The certification criteria reflect an agreement between the student and sponsor as to what constitutes successful academic progress for a semester. These criteria usually involve a number of completed educational activities, but may include the completion of other projects as well, such as planning for the senior thesis or solving a specific academic problem. Contract criteria must include a minimum successful completion of at least 12 credits (3 units). 

The New College faculty member with whom a student develops the contract, and who signs it, is the contract sponsor. This professor serves as a mentor (or advisor) during the semester, helping the student integrate experiences and respond effectively to academic challenges. Though the sponsor is often an instructor for one or more of the student’s educational activities, this need not be the case.

The completed contract, with the appropriate signatures, must be submitted electronically to the Office of the Registrar by the deadline posted in the academic calendar. In exceptional circumstances the Division Chair or Associate Provost may sign the Contract, with the contract sponsor’s approval.

Contract Renegotiation

After the student submits the contract, the student may revise it in consultation with the sponsor, a process called "contract renegotiation." Educational activities may be added or dropped, and the certification criteria must be revised accordingly. Adding and dropping courses must be done according to deadlines as posted in the academic calendar. The sponsor must endorse the changes. The deadline for adding or dropping courses is Friday of the second week of the semester. The deadline for changing certification criteria is in November.

Semester Evaluations

At the end of each semester, the instructor for each of the contract's educational activities submits a narrative evaluation of each student’s performance. In addition to providing details related to the student’s performance, this evaluation specifies whether or not that work is "Strong Satisfactory," "Satisfactory," "Marginal Satisfactory," "Incomplete," or "Unsatisfactory."

Deadlines for Incomplete Work

The deadline for incomplete courses and tutorials will be the first day of class of the next full academic semester (Fall or Spring). If the work remains incomplete by this date, it will automatically be marked as unsatisfactory. This policy applies to both modular and full-semester courses.

If a student needs more time to complete the work, they can apply for an extension by submitting a Provost Petition before the deadline. If an extension is granted, the student will have an additional two months to complete the work. If the work is still not submitted after the extension period, the incomplete will automatically turn into an unsatisfactory.

For Independent Study Projects (ISPs):

  • ISPs conducted during the January term must be completed and submitted by the first day of class following Spring Break.

  • ISPs conducted over the summer must be completed and submitted by the first day of class of the following Fall Break.

In both cases, failure to submit the work by the respective deadlines will result in an unsatisfactory evaluation. Students seeking additional time must submit a Provost’s Petition before the deadline; if approved, the extension will follow the same two-month policy as outlined above.

Contract Certification

The contract sponsor certifies the academic contract after evaluations have been submitted. This is based on the certification criteria articulated in the contract. The deadline for contract certification is posted in the academic calendar. Contracts are certified as Satisfactory, Incomplete, or Unsatisfactory.

The Independent Study Project

The ISP requirement addresses five educational objectives:

  1. To train students to carry out independent research so they are prepared to plan and carry through an effective senior thesis.
  2. To supplement the curriculum by providing opportunities to cover areas or methods of study not usually available, particularly off-campus.
  3. To provide an opportunity for non-traditional, innovative, experiential learning projects in the U.S. or abroad.
  4. To encourage work-related experiences such as internships.
  5. To provide an opportunity for intensive involvement with one subject, as a change of pace from semester-long terms.

A student chooses a topic in consultation with a faculty member who agrees to become the ISP advisor. The ISP Handbook and the ISP Workshop held in November of each year, guide students as to the types of ISPs that faculty encourage. Projects may be carefully defined at the beginning. The content and demands should be roughly equivalent to those of a term-length tutorial. A full-time,  three to-four-week academic activity, the ISP is incompatible with full-time employment, a regular semester contract, or a second, simultaneous ISP. One New College ISP 3 or 4 credits. Three ISPs are required for graduation. A student may register for a fourth ISP. A fourth ISP may be necessary for completion of the Area of Concentration requirements. To register for a fourth ISP, please reference the instructions below.

It is strongly recommended that the first ISP take place on campus to ensure strong support for the student and consultation with their advisor. When strongly justified by the educational benefits of a project, including a project completed abroad, a student may petition the Provost for a waiver of this requirement. To petition for a waiver, a student should submit a Provost Petition form. The petition should be accompanied by the completed Independent Study Project Description Form and a letter of support from the project advisor. Transfer students are not bound by this requirement, although on-campus study during the first ISP is strongly recommended. When practical, subsequent ISPs should also be done as on-campus study to permit advisor-student consultation.

Renegotiating the ISP

ISPs may be renegotiated with respect to topic, scope, etc., at the discretion of the original ISP advisor by filing a revised ISP Description form with the Office of the Registrar. The final renegotiation deadline for ISP proposal is the third business day of the ISP period. Renegotiation of an ISP Proposal form that was submitted on time will not be assessed a late fee. If a student is registered for an ISP and fails to submit an updated ISP Proposal form to the Office of the Registrar by the renegotiation deadline, the student forfeits payment for the ISP. Changes to the topic and ISP advisor after the renegotiation deadline require a successful petition to the Provost.

Summer ISPs

Students can earn ISP credit during the summer in two ways. With approval from their contract sponsor, students can pursue a summer internship for ISP credit under supervision of NCF's Center for Career Engagement and Opportunity; the evaluation for this ISP would be due before the start of the fall term at New College. The other option, with faculty sponsor approval and a completed Summer ISP Description Form, allows a student to enroll in academic activities at an accredited college or university for at least 4 semester credit hours (or 6 quarter hours). The credit hours must be earned with a grade of C or better at the host institution in order to receive transfer credit for an ISP at New College. Students who complete a Summer ISP abroad for academic credit need to submit off-campus study forms and documents at abroad.ncf.edu. 

Refer to the academic calendar for the deadline for submission of the Summer ISP Description Form to the Office of the Registrar. The contract sponsor also serves as the ISP advisor on the Summer ISP Proposal Form. Completion of the summer ISP is due by the day before fall classes begin at New College. The official college transcript for the work must be received no later than the last day of classes of the subsequent fall semester. The contract sponsor and/or the host institution may set earlier deadlines for completion and transcript submission.

Deadlines for Completing ISPs

All work completed as part of the Interterm ISP is due no later than the last day of the January Interterm. After that date, the ISP is considered incomplete or unsatisfactory. For incomplete ISPs see Incomplete Policy above.

A summer internship for ISP credit must be completed and evaluated before the start of the fall term at New College. A summer ISP through approved coursework at another college must be completed by the day before the first day of fall classes at New College (or earlier, if specified by the host institution or faculty contract sponsor). The New College Office of the Registrar must receive the transcript by the last day of fall classes. (The contract sponsor and/or host institution may set earlier deadlines for completion and transcript submission.)

If a student has turned in an ISP project and has received no acknowledgment of his or her completed work, the student should contact the ISP sponsor. 

Deadlines for Faculty Evaluations of ISPs

January ISP evaluations are due by the first day following spring break. A summer internship for ISP credit must be evaluated before the start of the fall term at New College. The expected completion date for a summer ISP is the beginning of the subsequent fall semester at New College. The New College Office of the Registrar must receive the transcript from the host institution by the last day of fall classes.