1-3 credits.

The "Special Studies in Marketing" course is designed to give capable students in marketing an opportunity to complete independent study under faculty supervision. Prerequisites include: COB 300, GPA of 2.80, recommendation of the marketing instructor and approval by the Academic Unit Head prior to registration. Students may be enrolled in other courses at JMU and still work part-time at an organization to earn 3 hours of MKTG 490. But there are very specific criteria for getting approval and moving through this course:  

Students must meet the following requirements prior to enrolling in MKTG 490:

• a cumulative GPA of 2.8 or higher.
• Identify a work experience with a set of specific marketing tasks for which you will be responsible. Only on rare occasions will a faculty or staff member at JMU approach a student with an independent study opportunity. The vast majority of independent studies must be found and developed by the students themselves, in conjunction with the immediate supervisor at the organization where the student will be working.
• Identify in writing the immediate supervisor of your independent study work experience.  This person will oversee your work on-site throughout the semester.
• Identify a marketing faculty member who is willing to work with you throughout the semester and serve as your independent study advisor. It is the student's responsibility to seek out a marketing professor. Faculty are not required to serve as advisors. They may not be able to work with you for many reasons -- administrative duties, current course workload, being on semester leave, already serving as an advisor to other students, etc.
• Submit the MKTG 490 Independent Study Approval Form to the Marketing Academic Unit Head no later than two weeks prior to the start of the semester to request permission to enroll in this course. This form must be signed by the marketing faculty member who will be supervising your study.  

Students doing an independent study must document their progress throughout the semester by doing the following:

• Develop a plan for accomplishing the specific marketing tasks comprising your independent study experience.
• Meet regularly throughout the semester with your marketing faculty advisor who is overseeing your progress. 
• Submit a written report to your marketing faculty advisor and client at the end of the semester, which details your work at the organization.