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The Senior Individualized Project is the capstone of Kalamazoo College's program of liberal arts education, offering you the opportunity to make use of all your experiences at the College. The SIP is an occasion for independent scholarship, often in conjunction with an internship or other creative activity, that results in a written report, performance, or exhibit. Rather than selecting only a subset of students to work on an honors project or thesis, the College considers such independent work a significant part of the education of all Kalamazoo College students.

Every student must complete a Senior Individualized Project of at least one unit. The SIP requirement is usually completed in the major department after completion of the junior year, although you may complete a SIP in any department of the College with the approval of that department and a SIP supervisor in that department. Creative work in the arts; library, laboratory, or field research; and internships are some of the forms these projects may take.

Each department sets its own requirements for senior projects done in that department, including the range of acceptable projects, the required background of students doing projects, the format of the SIP, and the expected scope and depth of projects. The amount of SIP credit (one or two units) is determined by the student and the SIP department at the beginning of the project. A student may also conduct a two-unit SIP split between two departments, with the approval of both departments. In consultation with the faculty member who will serve as your faculty SIP supervisor, and within the constraints set by relevant department, you will determine your project's form and the environment in which it is to be pursued.

During students' senior spring, a number of departments host symposia, recitals, exhibitions, or theatrical producetions in which results of research or creative work are featured.

Please Note:

• Every senior must complete a SIP in some department. Every SIP must have a faculty advisor (also known as the SIP supervisor) within that department.
• Each student must complete at least a 1-unit SIP. Departments have the option of allowing or requiring a 2-unit SIP.
• Students may conduct SIP work over the summer (as part of an extended fall term), during the fall quarter, or during the winter. Students may not overload while working on their SIP.
• The SIP does not necessarily have to be done in the major department, although most SIPs are done in the major or in one or both departments of a double major. Some majors strongly encourage their students to do their SIP in the major. Many departments have certain prerequisites that must be met before doing a SIP within that department.
• Most departments provide written guidelines or requirements for SIPs done within their department. Ask your department or faculty advisor for departmental guidelines early in the process.
• Departments and potential SIP supervisors do not have to approve every SIP proposal that is presented to them. You may have to meet certain prerequisites, or you may have to adjust your ideas or modify your proposal, before it gains the approval of a SIP supervisor. Enlist a SIP supervisor early in the process and then work with that person to develop a project that will be interesting, significant, and meaningful to you.
• A student may have more than one faculty SIP supervisor. A student may split a SIP between two departments, be it 1 or 2 units.
• The College reserves the right to archive your SIP within academic departments, the Upjohn Library and/or an online digital archive.
• The SIP quarter will be included in any financial aid package you already receive. A SIP is charged as part of a regular quarter load (2 to 4 units of course work carries the same tuition fee). A summer SIP will be included in the Fall tuition billing.

The SIP registration form should be turned into the Registrar's Office. Some departments may also require a SIP contract, which should be turned into your SIP department. The registration deadline for all SIPs involving work over the summer (as part of an extended fall term) is the last day of classes for the spring quarter (Friday of 10th Week). The registration deadline for Fall and Fall/Winter SIPs is Friday of 1st Week of the fall quarter. The registration deadline for Winter SIPs is the last day of classes for the fall quarter. Your SIP department may require you to submit your SIP contract earlier than that, though, and it is recommended that you turn in your registration form at the same time. Some departments require ALL SIP proposals be submitted in the spring. (See SIP Deadlines for more information.)

The registration form requires your signature and the signature of your faculty SIP supervisor (the person who will evaluate and grade your work). Many departments also designate a SIP coordinator. Find out from your department who your coordinator will be.

NOTE: Choose your quarter of registration and units carefully. Students are not allowed to change SIP registrations to avoid quarter overloads/underloads or due to poor planning and lack of progress toward completion of the project. Retroactive SIP registration changes (i.e. fall SIP to summer/fall SIP) will not be approved.

• SIP registrations are due no later than Friday of 10th Week of the quarter before. Fall SIPs are an exception; registration for Fall SIPs will be accepted until the end of the first week of the Fall quarter. (Your SIP department may, however, have earlier deadlines than this.)
• There are NO Spring SIPs. SIPs may only be registered in the Extended Fall, Fall, or Winter quarters of your senior year.
• Overloading is not permitted during a SIP quarter. The SIP unit (or both units, if taken during the same quarter) counts toward the normal load of 3 units. Work completed over the summer as part of an extended fall SIP is the exception; the unit for work completed before the normal fall term begins does not count toward the normal course load for the Fall.
• A student may not take 1 unit of SIP as their only course during a quarter unless that is the only unit they need to graduate, in which case they should speak with the Dean of Students. College policy does not allow students to enroll in just a single course without the express permission of the Dean of Students (see the College Enrollment Policy).

SIPs must be added or dropped using the SIP Registration Change form, with the signature of the faculty SIP supervisor.
• If you intend to drop a registered SIP, it must be done before drops and adds for that particular quarter are over, i.e. a Winter SIP must be dropped by Friday of first week, Winter quarter. After the drop/add period ends, you may withdraw from a SIP as you might from any other class. The SIP will appear on your transcript with a grade of W.
• Students who register for a 2-unit SIP but only complete enough work to earn 1 unit will receive a grade of CR for one unit and a grade of NC for the other unit.
• Incompletes will only be issued in consultation with the faculty SIP supervisor, and only in the event of a verified serious illness or family emergency. An incomplete will not be granted for poor or neglected work.
• Students who drop a SIP, withdraw from a SIP, or receive an NC grade for a SIP, must register for a new SIP, submitting a new SIP registration form. SIP registrations are not allowed in the Spring quarter.

SIP registrations or registration changes are due by the end of the drop/add period in the quarter in which you will work on it, i.e. Fall SIP registrations are due by the end of first week of Fall quarter. Extended Fall SIPs (Summer or Summer/Fall) should be registered by the end of 10th Week of the Spring quarter, although registration changes may be made through the end of the first week in the Fall quarter.

The drop/add and withdrawal periods for SIPs are the same as for normal courses.

All final SIP projects are due by the first day of the subsequent quarter (i.e., the first day of the quarter after which you were registered for the SIP). Departments are asked to stick to this deadline, so that students are not still working on a SIP while undertaking a normal load of 3 courses. Students should have all revisions done by this time and will be turning in the final product. (In some departments, though, there is a SIP presentation, exhibit, or performance that occurs at a later date.) If a SIP is not submitted by the deadline, a NC grade may be awarded.

All SIP grades are due to the Registrar by Friday of Sixth Week of the quarter following when the student was registered for the SIP.

Questions about departmental requirements, including grading criteria, formatting of the paper, and acceptable topics should be directed to the individual department. If your department does not provide formatting criteria of its own, you should use the College's SIP Style Guide.

Many departments specify the formatting and style guidelines expected of SIP reports written in their departments. For those departments that do not, however, use the Style Guide provided here.

The SIP will receive a grade of Honors (H), Credit (CR) or No Credit (NC). If you complete a SIP in two departments, you may be graded separately by each department. The SIP grade is not included in the cumulative GPA calculation, though it is recorded on the academic transcript along with the title of the project. There are no collegewide rules regarding length or breadth of paper that determine the difference between a CR and an H; the grade is determined solely by evaluators within the academic department, with the input of any outside mentors the student may have consulted.

The course work SIP is an exceptional alternative and should be considered only after other SIP formats have proven unworkable. The chair of the SIP department and the Academic Standards Committee must approve the SIP proposal. Course work done at another institution may be completed during the summer quarter only, unless the SIP is the only remaining graduation requirement. Students completing a course work SIP, must also register for a 1 or 2 unit SIP and pay by the unit. The units earned at the other institution do not transfer to the Kalamazoo College academic record and may not be used toward the 38 units required for graduation; however, the SIP units will count toward required units for graduation.

Students who do not successfully complete their SIP during their senior year are permitted to register in a future fall or winter quarter. Students must register by the SIP registration deadlines outlined above and pay the current Catalogue’s per unit tuition rate.