How to approach a professor for an independent study course? I'm a first year masters student and I want to do an independent study with a professor, because I find some of the first year graduate level courses too easy (I got permission from my concentration advisor to do an independent study). How do I decide the topic for the independent study with the professor? If I just pick a topic I want to study, I doubt the professor would want to do it. Should I ask the professor if she has any topics she wants to do an independent study on?
Yes, at least in mathematics, beginning grad students often cannot make informed choices about worthwhile directions of study, and there can be advantages to getting more-expert opinion. This is not at all to say that you should not follow your own curiosity and intellectual impulses! But only that you should also be open to expert advice. So you might best view arranging your independent/directed study as an enterprise whose goals can be negotiated, hopefully with all parties thinking of your best (long-term?) interests.