Depending on the major, a student may be required to complete a directed study experience or may have the option of completing an elective directed study experience in his/her major under the guidance of a faculty member. The directed study may consist of independent reading and/or research, or travel with related study. Students design such an experience in cooperation with the supervising faculty member.

Students may engage in a directed study under the following regulations:

1. The proposed study must embody significant academic purpose and content, equal in quality to a regular course, yet be of such a nature that it cannot be obtained within an existing course. The amount and distribution of work should be similar to that of a regularly offered course of comparable credit.

2. Students must have demonstrated in program coursework that they have the capability and background to study independently. Students must have an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher as certification of this ability.

3. Students may take only one directed study per term and no more than a total of two directed studies toward graduation. A faculty supervisor may direct no more than two study projects (directed studies and courses by arrangement) per term.

4. Upon fulfilling the agreement, students receive credit on their transcript for the course as titled. A directed study is graded based on an A–F grade mode, not S/U, and therefore is included in the student's cumulative GPA.

5. Complete the following procedures to obtain approval of a directed study proposal:

   1. The Directed Study Agreement form is available through My.Bethel.edu (Student Academics > Registration > Forms > caps-gs-directed-study-application).

   2. The student meets with the faculty member who will supervise the study. They jointly prepare the electronic Directed Study form, which includes submitting a syllabus with the objectives of the study, the study's relationship to the student's overall program, the specific content and procedures of the study, the definition of student and faculty roles, the product or response to be made by the student on which his or her learning will be evaluated, and the number and frequency of regular contacts between the student and supervisor. Students doing research off campus will contact their supervisor by phone at regular intervals at the student’s expense.

   3. When the student submits the electronic Directed Study form, it is automatically sent to the Office of the Registrar and to a designated dean, who confers with the student success advisor, the program director, and the divisional dean to determine approval.

   4. If approved, the Office of the Registrar coordinates the creation of the course, registers the student, and notifies the student and instructor that the course was approved and the registration is complete.

   5.  Processing of the agreement by the Office of the Registrar validates the agreement.