Burlington College

Distance Learning

The Independent Degree Program (IDP) is a brief-residency, guided independent study program designed for individuals, who can’t or don’t want to attend campus classes. IDP appeals to the adult learner, who is returning to school to finish a degree and/or those, who want to complete their B.A. degree through a progressive college. Self-directed, mature individuals, who have clear ideas about how they want to design their course of study find this program exciting and challenging. Applicants must have already earned at least 45 credits from accredited college programs.

The residency is the heart and soul of the IDP. It is at the residency that students will meet individually with their advisor and faculty, discussing their courses of study for the semester ahead. Students will have communicated with both their advisor and faculty prior to the residency in preparation for their meetings; typically, arrangements to complete the design of each learning module (course syllabus) together at the residency, or alter what has been developed thus far, are made. Some of the beginning learning modules are designed ahead of time by the faculty, with the majority of the learning modules co-designed by student and faculty.

The nature of study is often interdisciplinary, which rewards the student with a breadth of learning across diverse disciplines as well as a deeper understanding of the topic being studied.