Senior Individualized Project (SIP) Deadlines and Guidelines
Office of the Registrar – March 2008

The Senior Individualized Project (SIP) is a Kalamazoo College graduation requirement. The SIP is usually completed in the major department after completion of the junior year; however, a SIP may be completed in another area with the approval of that department and a faculty supervisor within that department.

Each department sets the requirements for senior projects, 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 the project. 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.

Questions about departmental requirements, including grading criteria, formatting of the paper, and acceptable topics should be directed to the individual department.

Registration Information

All SIP Registration Forms are due in the Registrar’s Office by Friday of week 10 of the previous quarter of intended enrollment. Summer, summer/fall, fall and fall/winter SIP registration forms are due by 5:00 p.m., Friday of week 10 in the spring. Winter registration forms are due by 5:00 p.m., Friday of week 10 in the fall. Individual departments may require you to submit your SIP proposal earlier than the Registrar’s Office’s registration form deadline.

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

The College reserves the right to archive your SIP within academic departments, the Upjohn Library and/or an online digital archive.

NOTE: Choose your quarter of registration and units carefully. Only students with extraordinary circumstance beyond their control or an unforeseen opportunity to expand their project may be allowed to change their original registration, and a SIP Registration Change Form is required. SIP Registration Change Forms must be received in the Registrar’s Office no later than Friday of week one of the quarter of registration. 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.

Quarter/Unit Information
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; however, does not count toward your quarter load.

Summer* 1 or 2 units
Does not count toward fall credit load or Dean’s list, but is included in Fall tuition.
Note: 2-unit SIPs are not available in all departments. Contact the chair of your intended SIP department for more information.


Summer*/Fall. 2 units only.
1 unit will be credited in the summer and 1 unit in the fall. Both units are included in Fall tuition.
Only the fall quarter unit will be used to calculate credit load and Dean’s list eligibility.
Students may not overload in the fall quarter.

Fall 1 unit 2 units
Students may not overload in the fall quarter.

Fall/Winter 2 units only.
1 unit will be credited in the fall and 1 unit in the winter quarter.
Students may not overload in either quarter.

Winter 1 or 2 units
Students may not overload in the winter quarter.

Spring – Students may not register for their SIP in the Spring.

*Beginning Fall 2008, summer SIP units will not count toward the fall load. Students may not overload in any quarter they are enrolled for a SIP unit.

Changing Units, Dropping or Withdrawing from Your SIP

Students are allowed to change their SIP registrations with special permission from the faculty supervisor and registrar. Only those students with extraordinary circumstance beyond their control or an unforeseen opportunity to expand their project are allowed to change their registration. Students are not allowed to change SIP registrations to avoid quarter overloads 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 Registration Change Forms are due in the Registrar’s Office no later than 5:00 p.m., Friday of week 1 of the quarter. Change forms (typically drops or change in units) received from Week 2 through Week 8 will be processed as withdrawals (a ‘W’ grade on the transcript). Students who change from a 2-unit to 1-unit SIP during the withdrawal period will receive a grade for 1 unit and a ‘W’ for the 2nd unit.

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

Completing your SIP

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). 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.

Grading

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. The difference between a CR or H grade is determined by evaluators within the academic department, in consultation with any outside mentors the student may have consulted.

Course Work SIP

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.

SIP Registration for Non-Graduates

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.