Undergraduate Program

Directed Group Study & Independent Study Procedures(UGBA 98/198 & UGBA 199)

Undergraduate students are encouraged to pursue/propose directed group/independent studies under the guidance of faculty members. The topic can be any business related study and can be an extension of ideas explored in the regular curriculum. However, UGBA 98, 198 and 199 may not be used as a way of “adding on” to a course in which the student is currently enrolled.

Individual independent study is a UGBA 199. The UGBA 98/198 numbers are reserved for directed group study and require a room assignment. Both types of courses need a faculty sponsor and the approval of the Executive Director of the Haas Undergraduate Program. It is the student's responsibility to find a faculty sponsor. Please refer to the Haas Faculty directory at:
http://www.haas.berkeley.edu/faculty/dept.html

UGBA 199/Independent Study credit cannot be received for internships, whether paid or unpaid. Students may propose an Independent Study that relates to an internship. However, the proposal must have academic content and be separate and distinct from the internship.

University Rules

The Academic Senate rules which govern these courses include:

1) Students must complete 60 units prior to participating in an individual Independent Study;

2) No more than 4 units of directed group/independent study per semester;

3) UGBA 98/198 and 199 are offered on a P/NP basis only (no letter grades);

4) No more than 16 units total of directed group/independent study may be used for degree requirements.

In addition, please see the Campus procedures for the review and approval of student-facilitated special studies courses with the 98 and 198 course numbers at: http://education.berkeley.edu/specialstudies

Number of Units

A UGBA 98/198 or 199 can be assigned 1, 2, 3 or 4 units. The number of units depends on the amount of class contact hours and/or study. Academic Senate regulations prescribe that a student do 3 hours per week per term for each unit of credit received. So, UGBA 98/198 and 199 units are agreed on in advance with the expectation that each unit represents 45 hours of class contact and/or study. Please note that 3 and 4 unit directed group or independent studies are exceptional and are only approved when accompanied by substantial proposals.

How to Propose a UGBA 98/198 Directed Group Study

UGBA 98/198 proposals must be submitted to the Haas Undergraduate Program Office by May 1st for the Fall Semester and November 1st for the Spring Semester and must include a syllabus, the type of study, the semester work plan, and the criteria for evaluation. The UGBA 98/198 proposal must list a minimum of 13 class meetings. In addition, the student coordinator must secure the signature of the sponsoring faculty member. Faculty may not sponsor more than one UGBA 98/198 in any semester. More than one student coordinator is allowed, however, there must be one primary student coordinator who will be responsible for being the contact person with the Undergraduate Program Office. The proposal should then be submitted to the Haas Undergraduate Program Office in Haas S450 for review. If approved, the Undergraduate Program Office will request a classroom, course control numbers, and the class entry codes to be assigned by the student coordinator to students approved to enroll in the 98/198 course. The coordinator will also be granted access to limited Haas Computer Center services.

Important Note: Student coordinators are NOT instructors and do not replace the faculty members who are sponsoring their courses. Any questions regarding course content, syllabus, grading policy, and any disputes MUST be directed to the sponsoring faculty member and department and not to the course coordinators or the DeCal office.

A student coordinator may not be enrolled in the UGBA 98/198 course. The faculty sponsor should enroll the student coordinator in a UGBA 199 course that he/she will supervise. The UGBA 199 proposal should state that the student is the coordinator for a specific UGBA 98/198 course and should have the 98/198 course description attached.

UGBA 98/198 Directed Group Study is not to be used as a way of “adding on” to a course in which the student is currently enrolled.

UGBA 98/198 Directed Group Study Form (Acrobat PDF)

If a UGBA 98/198 has a student coordinator, the UGBA 98/198 form needs to be filled out as well as the Special Studies form. The Special Studies form can be downloaded from the web at: http://education.berkeley.edu/specialstudies/spstudies_propfrm.pdf

The Haas Undergraduate Program Office will submit the original of the Special Studies form to the Academic Senate. The Student Coordinator can request a copy after all signatures have been obtained.

How to Propose a UGBA-199 Independent Study

Discuss the idea with the sponsoring faculty member and develop a semester outline for the work involved. Clearly state the topic and method of study and include a time line and information about the hours that will be spent on each component as well as how the project will be evaluated. It is important to state intermediate goals with tentative due dates. A UGBA 199 can be assigned 1, 2, 3 or 4 units. The number of units depends on the amount of class contact hours and/or study. Academic Senate regulations prescribe that a student do 3 hours per week per term for each unit of credit received. So, UGBA 199 units are agreed on in advance with the expectation that each unit represents 45 hours of class contact and/or study. Please note that 3 and 4 unit independent studies are exceptional and are only approved when accompanied by substantial proposals. The proposal should then be submitted to the Haas Undergraduate Program Office in Haas S450 for review. If approved, the Undergraduate Program Office will e-mail you the control number and class entry code needed to add the course.

UGBA 199 Independent Study is not to be used as a way of “adding on” to a course in which the student is currently enrolled.

UGBA 199 Independent Study Form (Acrobat PDF)

The deadline to submit UGBA 199 proposals for Fall and Spring semesters is the last day of the third week of the semester. The deadline to submit UGBA 199 proposals for Summer Session is July 1st.