COS IW Requirements
Independent work requirements in the COS department vary based on degree type (AB versus BSE). Please see below for more information.
Requirements for AB Students (Class of 2028 and beyond)
Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts (AB) degree are required to complete one term of junior independent work (JIW) in addition to a senior thesis.
One additional term of junior independent work is encouraged and may count as one of the departmental elective courses.
Requirements for AB Students (Class of 2026 & 2027)
Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts (AB) degree are required to complete two terms of junior independent work in addition to a senior thesis.
AB students in the Classes of 2026 & 2027 were required to participate in a junior research workshop (JRW) in the fall of junior year, a separate term of independent work in the spring of junior year, and a two-term thesis in their senior year.
Requirements for BSE Students
Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) students are required to do at least one term of independent work at some point in their junior or senior year.
One additional term of independent work may count as one of the departmental elective courses. BSE students may take up to four terms of independent work in junior or senior years.
Types of COS Independent Work
There are three types of independent work available to BSE students: single-term independent work seminars, single-term one-on-one independent work projects, or a two-term senior thesis.
Independent Work Seminars
IW seminars are open to AB juniors and COS BSE juniors or seniors.
The independent work seminars allow a small group of students and a faculty adviser with shared interests to meet and work on related projects.
IW seminars are recommended for students who would like to have a bit more structure built into an independent work project. In the IW seminars, students meet weekly with their instructor/adviser and get regular feedback from peers.
Click here for more information about IW seminars.
One-on-One Independent Work Projects
IW seminars are open to AB juniors and COS BSE juniors or seniors.
Students doing one-on-one IW projects make arrangements with a Princeton faculty member for one-on-one advising, work on their own, and schedule meetings with an adviser independently.
We find that students are most successful in one-on-one IW projects when they are self-motivated, proactive, organized, responsible, resourceful, passionate about the project, and able to work independently.
Single-term one-on-one projects are available to juniors and seniors. Juniors interested in working on the same project in both fall and spring must complete the requirements for two separate terms of independent work.
Senior Thesis
A senior thesis is required for COS AB seniors and optional for COS BSE seniors.
As with single-term one-on-one projects, thesis students are responsible for making arrangements with a Princeton faculty member for thesis advising, working on their own, and scheduling regular meetings with their advisers independently.
Click here for more information about senior thesis projects.
Selecting a Project
Selecting a good project is usually the most important and trickiest part of the independent work process.
There are many types of projects: independent work in computer science may require a significant programming effort, a theoretical study involving the design and analysis of algorithms, or an applications problem in some other field. No one set of guidelines applies perfectly to projects of all types.
However, that said, here are some guidelines to consider when choosing your project:
- Choose something you are passionate about
- Choose a project with some aspect of novelty (a new app, a new algorithm, etc)
- Choose a project with easy, medium, and hard milestones
- Choose a project that you can complete in one semester even if things go wrong
- Think about how you will evaluate your results before starting the project
- Listen to your adviser when he/she suggests changes to the scope of your project
- Do not choose a project with unresolved dependencies (e.g., data sets, software licenses, etc)
For more details and sage advice, look at Brian Kernighan’s “unsolicited advice on independent work.”
Finding an Adviser
Every independent work project requires a faculty adviser. Most students will have an adviser who is a faculty member in the computer science department.
If you are doing an interdisciplinary project and your adviser is not a faculty member in the computer science department, then your second reader must be a faculty member in the computer science department.
Click here to learn more about COS advisers and research topics.
Grading Policy
Grades for independent work will be determined by assessing:
- The creativity, originality, thoughtfulness and impact of student ideas
- Evidence of research skills including analysis of research literature, the ability to learn new techniques and ideas individually, and the ability to accomplish research tasks, the ability to adjust to unforeseen obstacles during the course of research
- The quality, impact and originality of the project results
- The thoroughness of results evaluation
- The content, clarity and polish of presentations, including the final presentation
- The content, organization, clarity, quality and writing of the project proposal and final report
- Time management skills and on-time execution of checkpoints, presentations and reports
Final grades will be determined jointly by the adviser, second readers (for thesis writers) and the independent work coordinator. Additional Computer Science Department faculty may read student final reports and help assess presentations.
Getting Help
The McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning will have a representative in the E-Quad for Independent Work Learning Consultations. Sign up for a one-on-one session in the McGraw Center (328 Frist) or via email.