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4-Year HONOURS BIS This page was last reviewed on May 6, 2010   

We are excited that IS can offer a four-year Honours BIS in addition to our long-standing three-year General degree program. IS has a forty-year history on campus, almost as long as uWaterloo itself.

IS students work on-campus or they can work off-campus or 'at a distance' with special arrangements. Many travel abroad for their research.

 

Is Independent Studies for You?

Yes… if you have a passionate interest in a topic not offered through other university programs, have a unique learning style, and if you want to explore and connect interests to develop a multi-discipline perspective.

Studies in IS are in-depth and focused, reflecting unique areas of interest including experiential-based learning. Due to the self-directed, independent nature of the program, your skills in the following areas are invaluable:

•             Written and verbal communication

•             Inherent curiosity for research and documentation

•             Time management

•             Commitment, responsibility, and leadership

 

As a result of completing the IS program, you will graduate with enhanced organizational skills, self-discipline, and resourcefulness – essential skills for leadership roles in the future.

 

 “The program is innovative, creative and practical, and the research process becomes an important part of your education… you actually DO what you LEARN.”

~ Jeffrey Charles, BIS 2006

 

Academic Plans

Both the three-year General and the four-year Honours Independent Studies academic plans are divided into two phases: 1) the Pre-Thesis Phase and 2) the Thesis Project Phase.  

1) In the Pre-Thesis Phase, for the four-year Honours plan, students must successfully complete a minimum of 15.0 academic course units (30 courses) including IS 100, IS 200, and IS 330 and maintain a 75% or greater cumulative average.

You can choose to work entirely as self-directed study units (IS courses) or you can select a mix of IS courses and regular university courses. As an Independent Studies student, you may take almost any course at the University of Waterloo, except those restricted by their own programs.

Library privileges for IS students are similar to those of graduate students and include term loans. 

The unique structure of Independent Studies allows you to pursue studies in any area where the University of Waterloo has professors with academic expertise and where community experts can support your work: the emerging digital media fields, community and international development, environmental studies, the sciences, computer science, fine and performing arts, spirituality, and these areas in any combination – a truly interdisciplinary approach.

If you can conceive it and shape it within an academic perspective, it can be considered for pursuit.

 

“My interest didn’t fall into one discipline and IS allowed me to design a program unique to me, enabling me to draw on all the incredible assets of UW.”
~ Justin, Pre-Thesis Student

 

Students must be in good standing in Pre-Thesis Phase to apply for Thesis Project Phase. The thesis project proposal (IS 330) must include clear evidence of plans for rigorous academic research and the student's academic performance should indicate good potential for further post-secondary studies.

Anticipating a “thesis” can be daunting, and it is made manageable with the support of advisors and potential thesis supervisors. Many students discover an increasing sense of enthusiasm as they prepare their proposals knowing the thesis project represents a culmination of their academic exploration and expression of their studied points of view. 

2) In the Thesis Project Phase, students in the four-year Honours program must successfully complete the designated thesis courses (full-time or part-time), which consist of 5.0 academic course units, the equivalent of 10 courses.  

Degree Requirements

 

"As BISers, we're trained to train ourselves."

~ Spencer Rupert, BIS 2009

 

IS Graduates

The unique skill set IS graduates develop is highly adaptable for either employment or further studies. IS graduates have a diverse range of careers, such as: educators, authors, journalists, artists and composers, entrepreneurs and management consultants. A large proportion of BIS students go on to graduate school in Canada and abroad.  Check out the advice from recent BIS grads.

 

Interested? Here’s How to Apply...

You can begin your IS studies in September, January, or May.

http://is.uwaterloo.ca/apply.htm

If you want to transfer into Independent Studies from another program at the University of Waterloo, complete the PLAN MODIFICATION form found at the web site for the UW Registrar's Office.

http://www.registrar.uwaterloo.ca/forms/index.html

 

Curious... Want to enhance your current academic plan?

The BIS program allows for IS courses to be taken as electives by students in other programs and faculties. Obtaining joint degrees and concurrent degrees are other options to consider with IS.

http://ugradcalendar.uwaterloo.ca/?pageID=10893

 

Further details are available in the UW Undergraduate Calendar.

http://ugradcalendar.uwaterloo.ca/?pageID=10458

http://ugradcalendar.uwaterloo.ca/?pageID=10459

http://ugradcalendar.uwaterloo.ca/?pageID=10460