Independent Curriculum

Independent offerings are decidedly collegiate in structure and rigor, providing students multiple opportunities to distinguish themselves by engaging work beyond the core curriculum. (Students (1) self-direct their learning and authorship of curricula, (2) expand previous coursework within the context of the core academic disciplines, and/or (4) explore relevant, applied topics outside the scope of current EPS offerings. Independent options are one way in which our most engaged and self-motivated students distinguish their academic records.

Upper School Seminars

Using a unique time structure and a combination of teaching methods, seminars provide opportunities for students in the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grades to build and refine their approach to multidisciplinary thinking. With the aim of preparing students for the collegiate experience, seminars meet once a week, assigning research and production outside of that weekly meeting. Although expectations are high, seminars are ungraded. Varied topics allow for broader academic exploration outside our core curriculum. Each six-week experience is facilitated by a faculty member, faculty pair, and/or outside expert with guest presenters sometimes invited for particular discipline knowledge or experience.

Independent Study (70% research/30% production) | Independent Project (30% research/70% production)

The Independent Study and Independent Project are options for eleventh graders (spring trimester) and twelfth graders (all three trimesters) allowing students to extend their work beyond current EPS offerings.

Interested students work in partnership with a faculty facilitator to design and propose a ten-week course of study. Once approved, with the support of a faculty facilitator and content expert, each student engages and completes the ten-week experience in the following term. To earn final credit, students produce a final product and participate in a symposium.

Senior Thesis

The Senior Thesis is the most rigorous research option available in the EPS academic program, providing students both the time and support to build on the work of previous Independent Study and/or a new domain, to produce a substantive research product. The thesis is designed to be both a culmination in an individual academic discipline (or an interdisciplinary domain) and preparation for intensive research at the undergraduate level. Students are required to have completed a minimum of one Independent Study of exceptional quality as a prerequisite to propose a Senior Thesis.