This section highlights special academic opportunities available to qualified students, including Honors Courses, for-credit research assistantships, independent study/research, internships, and EXP one-credit courses designed to enrich the undergraduate experience.
In the spirit of JCU's motto, Explorando Excello, a Latin phrase that means "I excel by exploring," the University offers EXP 1-credit courses.
EXP 1-credit courses are designed to provide students with opportunities to acquire useful technical or professional skills or to engage in academic topics they may wish to investigate further. This particular set of courses aims to encourage students to think outside the box and push intellectual boundaries.
EXP 1-credit courses will normally be offered on four Fridays designated for each semester. These courses cannot be used to fulfill general distribution requirements, or as Major Electives, or towards the fulfillment of Minor requirements; they can only be taken as general electives. Students can take a maximum of three 1-credit courses within the 120-credit graduation requirement.
Examples of EXP courses taught in the past are:
Introduction to Teaching Italian as a Second Language
Professional Skills for Career Development
The Exhibition Review
Community Inclusion through Art and Movement
Understanding and Managing Personal Finance
Diplomacy in Practice
Emotionally Intelligent Leadership in Humanitarian Crises
Foundations of R Programming
Storytelling for Social Change
Students undertaking a for-credit research assistantship have an opportunity to deepen their research skills while sustaining a more advanced research project in a specific disciplinary area. Research assistants may earn one unit of academic credit (on a P/NP basis) for the completion of at least 45 hours of work. They must complete at least 90% of their work before the end of the semester in which they are registered in order to receive a passing grade.
Learn more about for-credit research assistantships
Students who achieve high levels of academic excellence (minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5) have the option of taking specially designated “Honors Courses.”
Honor Courses may also include occasional interdisciplinary seminars open only to such students. More frequently, regular John Cabot University courses may be offered with an option of taking them for four academic credits as Honors Courses. Students who register for such courses as Honors Courses must complete additional assignments (e.g., research papers or portfolios) in which they delve more deeply into the subject matter in question. These additional assignments are graded on a "grant of Honors credit/no grant of Honors credit" basis and are not calculated into the final grade for the course. For the granting of Honors credit, students should produce work of a quality that would receive a B (3.00/4.00) or higher, and this will be noted on their transcripts. Students taking a course as an Honors Course also enjoy additional mentoring time with the instructor. Instructors for Honors Courses are chosen by the Dean of Academic Affairs in conjunction with the Department Chair, based on their expertise and teaching excellence.
With the approval of the sponsoring professor, the Department Chair, and the Dean of Academic Affairs, undergraduate students may register for independent study/research options (i.e., Independent Study 281 or 381 or Independent Research 481) that allow them to receive credit for academic work, supervised by a member of the faculty in a non-classroom setting. The Application for Independent Study or Independent Research Form must be submitted during the normal registration period. Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 and have earned a minimum of 60 credit hours (junior status) to apply for Independent Study or Independent Research credit.
Students may earn up to three credit hours when registered for Independent Study 281, 381, or Independent Research 481. The number of credit hours depends on the nature and extent of the project(s). One credit will be awarded for every 37.5 hours of projected work over the course of the semester, on the basis of documentation of the amount of work a typical student is expected to complete within a specified amount of academically engaged time. Factors considered in the calculation of academic credit can include the number of subjects covered, the depth of the examination, the scope of reading and writing assignments, and meetings with the faculty supervisor in furtherance of specific educational objectives.
Whether a project will be coded as Independent Study 281 or 381 or Independent Research 481 depends upon the level of the study to be undertaken, as determined by the sponsoring professor and the Dean of Academic Affairs.
Independent study/research may not be taken to satisfy core requirements in degree programs or other specifically- designated requirements. Courses offered regularly in the curriculum cannot normally be taken as independent study.
Independent study courses must be completed within one semester.
Acquire real-world experience, build your resume, and expand your professional network through an internship. We partner with companies and international organizations across a wide range of industries, offering placements that are carefully aligned with each student’s course of study. Internships may count toward academic credit, but can also be completed simply to gain experience.
Learn more about internships for JCU students
