Project and Independent Study Registration
Planning
During the academic planning period, which starts in February, students who intend to conduct project work during the following year should set aside time to plan their projects, meet with faculty, and form project teams. The faculty will list project opportunities on the Projects Program web page in February. (Some Project Centers and special programs may have an application process before that.) Each academic department typically will hold a projects information meeting for students in their major. Students are also encouraged to meet with faculty individually.
The most important and difficult part of a project is the planning which precedes the execution. The planning phase of your project will involve developing a background, talking to people in the field, finding out what has already been done in the area, and determining what your goals are and what you need to do to accomplish them. If any special equipment, financing, or resources will be needed for execution of the project, it is especially important to make this known early to ensure that it will be available to you. In addition, most faculty members require a project proposal before registration of the project.
Project Registration
Students who intend to do project work must complete a project registration form by no later than the beginning of the first term of that project work. The Project Registration Form is available on-line at the Registrar’s Office web site, under Forms For Students. Once completed on-line, it must be printed for the signature of the student and the project advisor, and brought to the Registrar’s Office. Any student who will travel to an offcampus location, such as a Residential Projects Program site, is required to file a project registration form with the Registrar’s Office before traveling to that site.
Project/Independent Study registration for terms A-E will be accepted up to the 15th day of the term (not including weekends) without penalty. A $100 late registration fee will be charged per project/independent study after the 15th day.
A project involving an off-campus sponsor (MQP mostly, but some IQP) carries the further obligation of compliance with the rules and regulations of the sponsor. Often, these are specified in a formal contract between the sponsor and WPI, and are legally binding. At the time of registration, any affected student will be required to review the legal documents in the Registrar’s office, and sign an agreement and release form.
A student may not receive monetary compensation from an off-campus sponsor and receive academic credit for the same work.
For an MQP, the project advisor or an associate advisor must be a member of the faculty in the discipline which corresponds to the major area of study of the student.
Change of Registration Information
For all changes in projects, use the Project Registration Form. Students may change the title, the type or the discipline of the project with the approval of the project advisor but without having to secure the approval of the academic advisor. The student must obtain the project advisor’s written approval and the academic advisor’s approval before changing the number of units in the current or future terms.
All project changes are to be made only during the coursechange period of each term.
Changing Project Advisor
To change the project advisor for a degree-required project, students must obtain the authorizing signatures of both the existing and new project advisors and of the academic advisor and submit the form during a course change period.
Project Conferences
Students should report to their project advisor’s office at the beginning of the term to make arrangements for subsequent meetings.
Overload with Project
If a part of the work in a given term involves qualifying project work, students may not register for an overload without the written approval of both the academic and project advisors on a project overload petition form. This form is available at the Registrar’s Office.
Project Completion
During the final term of registration for the project and sufficiently prior to the deadline for submittal of Completion of Degree Requirement Forms, students must submit their completed project report to the project advisors. Students are also required to submit a copy of the document to the participating off-campus organization sufficiently prior to the end of the term so that proprietary and confidential information in the report can be identified and removed. Most off-campus organizations require 30 days for this review, and the grade and final report cannot be submitted to the Registrar by the project advisor until this review has been done.
The project report must contain a title page similar in format to that specified on the Projects Program web page, in the area entitled, “Finishing Up.” A final project report may NOT be submitted as hard copy, or on disk or CD. Directions for submitting the project report electronically are available in Gordon Library or on-line. (See Electronic Project Submission)
A completed electronic Completion-of-Degree-Requirement (eCDR) form, must be printed for signature by each student and signed individually by the advisor as the final step in the submission process. The eCDR form must be submitted in person by the project advisor or a member of the academic department of the advisor to the Office of the Registrar by no later than the second day of the next academic term.
A student who has filed an application to receive their degree in May must submit a completed eCDR to the Office of the Registrar by the last Thursday in D-term.
Maintained by webmaster@wpi.eduLast modified: January 26, 2009 12:43:05