Role of independent study in creating an effective graduate-level program in electronic packaging

The Whiting School of Engineering at The Johns Hopkins University runs one of the largest part-time graduate engineering programs in the nation. The current enrollment is approximately 7,000 students and, in the 2001-2002 academic year, over 425 master's degrees were awarded. While not a degree specialty at Johns Hopkins, electronic packaging and related courses are none-the-less key elements in the electrical engineering curriculum. Because of the limited number of advanced electronic packaging courses and the infrequency of some of the offerings, independent study is utilized to meet student needs. This paper describes the mechanism for the implementation of the independent study option as an important adjunct to the regularly scheduled electronic packaging courses. Details of the approval process, project selection (course of study), mechanics of course operation, progress monitoring, and independent study course grading are presented below. In addition, details of typical independent study projects and their technical results are discussed.