When registering for courses during your first year you should consult with the Graduate Director, after your first year you should have a committee formed and submitted a PhD plan on GradPlan. Every year after your initial one you should consult your GradPlan as to which courses you need to take, if you need to make changes to your Plan please do so accordingly.
If you and your committee decided that you need to take an independent study courses (HST 890 or 990) you will need to decide which level 890 or 990 and how many credits (this should all be decided when you file your GradPlan). You are only allowed to take 6 credits of any 890 course and 12 credits in an 990 course, this means that if you don’t have an MA you will be required to register for 1 credit of HST 890 the semester you plan on completing the MA equivalent paper. To enroll in an independent study you need to fill out the Independent Study Form, fill in all the questions, have the professor, and your advisor sign off then turn it into the Graduate Secretary. The GS will get the final signature (Chair/Grad Director) and enroll you in the course.
All PhD students are required to complete 24 HST 999 credits to graduate, you may start registering for these credits once you complete you required course work. To register for 999 credits email Elyse Hansen hanse119@msu.edu, in the email please include your PID, the number of 999 credits you would like to take, and which semester you would like to take them.
Cheat Sheet for Graduate Program