Independent Work BSE Senior

BSE students are required to complete at least one (1) semester of independent work. As a BSE senior, you have three options:

IW Seminar

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 their independent work project. In the IW seminars, students meet weekly with their instructor/adviser and get regular feedback from their peers.

Click here for more information about IW seminars.

One-on-One IW (Single-Term)

Students doing one-on-one IW projects work on their own and schedule meetings with their advisers 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.

Click here for more information about one-on-one IW projects.

Senior Thesis

The senior thesis project is intrinsic to a Princeton eduation and provides students the opportunity to take a deep dive into a research topic of particular interest.

Students doing senior thesis projects work on their own and schedule meetings with their advisers independently. Our COS faculty have a wide range of expertise and are excited to work with students who are excited to work with them. Students may also work with an adviser outside of the COS department on a multi-disciplinary project (though it must have a major COS focus, and there must be a secondary COS adviser).

Click here for more information about senior thesis projects.