Academic quarter (year division)

Last updated

An academic quarter refers to the division of an academic year into four parts, which commonly are not all exactly three months or thirteen weeks long due to breaks between terms.

Contents

Historical context

The modern academic quarter calendar can be traced to the historic English law court / legal training pupillage four term system:

British academic term variants
MonthsPupillageCambridgeOxford
January–March Hilary LentHilary
April–May Easter EasterTrinity
June–July Trinity ——
October–December Michaelmas MichaelmasMichaelmas

This quarter system was adopted by the oldest universities in the English-speaking world (Oxford, founded circa 1096, [1] and Cambridge, founded circa 1209 [2] ).

Over time, Cambridge dropped Trinity Term and renamed Hilary Term to Lent Term, and Oxford also dropped the original Trinity Term and renamed Easter Term as Trinity Term, thus establishing the three-term academic "quarter" year widely found in countries with a lineage to England or the United Kingdom.

Charterhouse, an English independent school, still refers to its three academic terms as "quarters".

United States

In the United States, quarters typically comprise 10 weeks of class instruction, [3] although they have historically ranged from eight to 13 weeks. [4] Academic quarters first came into existence as such when William Rainey Harper organized the University of Chicago on behalf of John D. Rockefeller in 1891. Harper decided to keep the school in session year-round and divide it into four terms instead of the then-traditional two. [4]

Of the four traditional academic calendars (semester, quarter, trimester, and 4-1-4), the semester calendar is used the most widely, at over 60% of U.S. higher learning institutions, with fewer than 20% using the quarter system. [5] This number has stayed fairly constant since 1930, when 75% of U.S. institutions surveyed indicated they used a semester plan, with 22% on the quarter system. [6]

During the 1960s, a number of U.S. state university systems made a switch from a semester to quarter system, typically in an attempt to accommodate the large number of post-war "baby boom" students who had reached college age (sometimes called the "Tidal Wave I enrollment boom" [7] [8] [9] ). A prominent example of this trend was the University of California system. [10] Since then, UC Berkeley switched back to semesters in 1983, [11] the new UC Merced branch opened with the semester system, and some UC professional schools have switched back to semesters at various points. [10] In 2020, UC San Diego considered a switch to the semester system as well. [12] At various points since the 1960s, committees have been established and official discussions have taken place within the UC system to discuss a systemwide switch back to the semester system. [10] [13]

In recent years, a number of higher education institutions have considered or approved a switch to a semester system. The University System of Ohio, which includes Ohio State University, Ohio University, and the University of Cincinnati, converted to the semester system in 2012 to better align with other public and private institutions in the state, among other reasons. [14] [15] [16] Individual schools have also switched, like Georgia Tech in 1999. [17] Rochester Institute of Technology converted to semesters in Fall 2013, although the decision was highly controversial, overriding a student vote to remain with quarters. [18] [19] Other institutions and systems that have switched include California State University, Los Angeles, Auburn University, the University of Minnesota system, the Utah State system, and Northeastern University. [19] Southern Oregon University was required to study a switch to the semester system as part of state legislation on a possible merger with the University of Oregon. [20] [21] [22]

Arguments

Concerns over the quarter system include faculty dislike of the brevity of the term, the loss of faculty research and collaboration time, the end of the spring quarter overrunning the start date of many established summer internships which also leads to shorter internship periods, difficulties in recovering from illness-linked absence, and the heavy administrative workload. [5] [12]

A quarter system calendar also may put schools at a disadvantage in competing for prospective students, who wish to keep in-step with friends, and offer more opportunities for students to "disconnect from school." [5]

The quarter system can also make more difficult the process of transferring credits for past coursework completed in semester institutions, including from other universities or community colleges in the same state. [12]

Quarter systems do allow students to enroll in a richer variety of courses and school-coordinated internships and may encourage students to take on double majors, minors, concentrations, and the like. [5] A quarter system can maximize the use of college facilities in a time of enrollment growth, as it allows for four regular periods of academic instruction. [23] Also, quarters allow for faculty to engage in terms with a relatively light course load of teaching and greater opportunities for short sabbaticals. [10]

American universities on quarter system

American institutions of higher learning on the quarter system include seven of the ten University of California campuses and all but one of the public universities in Oregon and Washington each. [24]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of California</span> Public university system in California

The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, the system is composed of its ten campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz, along with numerous research centers and academic centers abroad. The system is the state's land-grant university.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of California, Los Angeles</span> Public research university in California, U.S.

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the California State Normal School which later evolved into San José State University. The branch was transferred to the University of California to become the Southern Branch of the University of California in 1919, making it the second-oldest of the ten-campus University of California system after the University of California, Berkeley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California State University</span> Public university system in California, US

The California State University is a public university system in California, and the largest public university system in the United States. It consists of 23 campuses and seven off-campus centers, which together enroll 457,992 students and employ 56,256 faculty and staff members. In California, it is one of the three public higher education systems, along with the University of California and the California Community Colleges systems. The CSU system is officially incorporated as The Trustees of the California State University, and is headquartered in Long Beach, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of California, Riverside</span> Public university in Riverside, California

The University of California, Riverside is a public land-grant research university in Riverside, California. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The main campus sits on 1,900 acres (769 ha) in a suburban district of Riverside with a branch campus of 20 acres (8 ha) in Palm Desert. In 1907, the predecessor to UCR was founded as the UC Citrus Experiment Station, Riverside which pioneered research in biological pest control and the use of growth regulators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of California, Merced</span> Public university in Merced, California, U.S.

The University of California, Merced is a public land-grant research university in Merced, California. It is one of the ten campuses in the University of California (UC) system. Established in 2005, UC Merced is the newest campus within the UC system. The primary campus is located around five miles north of Merced and sits adjacent to Lake Yosemite. The main campus is around 1,026 acres in size. Large swaths of protected natural grasslands surround the university.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brigham Young University–Idaho</span> Private college in Rexburg, Idaho, US

Brigham Young University–Idaho is a private college in Rexburg, Idaho. Founded 136 years ago in 1888, the college is owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Previously known as Ricks College, it transitioned from a junior college to a baccalaureate institution in 2001.

An academic term is a portion of an academic year during which an educational institution holds classes. The schedules adopted vary widely. Specific synonyms are commonly used to denote the duration or a term. In most countries, the academic year begins in late summer or early autumn and ends during the following spring or summer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert J. Birgeneau</span> Canadian physicist

Robert Joseph Birgeneau is a Canadian-American physicist and university administrator. He was the ninth chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley from 2004–13, and the fourteenth president of the University of Toronto from 2000-04.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California State University, Sacramento</span> Public university in Sacramento, California

California State University, Sacramento is a public university in Sacramento, California. Founded in 1947 as Sacramento State College, it is part of the California State University system.

"Public Ivy" is an informal term that refers to public colleges and universities in the United States that are perceived to provide a collegiate experience on the level of Ivy League universities. There is no trademark for the term, and the list of schools associated with the classification has changed over time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Community Colleges</span> Public higher education system in California

The California Community Colleges is a postsecondary education system in the U.S. state of California. The system includes the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges and 73 community college districts. The districts currently operate 116 accredited colleges. The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the United States, and third largest system of higher education in the world, serving more than 1.8 million students. Despite its plural name, the system is consistently referred to in California law as a singular entity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. John Bosco High School</span> Private school in California, United States

St. John Bosco High School (SJBHS) is a Salesian all-boys college preparatory high school located in Bellflower, California, and is operated by the San Francisco Province of the order.

The Carnegie Unit and the Student Hour are strictly time-based references for measuring educational attainment used by American universities and colleges; the Carnegie Unit assesses secondary school attainment, and the Student Hour, derived from the Carnegie Unit, assesses collegiate attainment.

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) traces back to the 19th century when the institution operated as a teachers' college. It grew in size and scope for nearly four decades on two Los Angeles campuses before California governor William D. Stephens signed a bill into law in 1919 to establish the Southern Branch of the University of California. As the university broke ground for its new Westwood campus in 1927 and dissatisfaction grew for the "Southern Branch" name, the UC Regents formally adopted the "University of California at Los Angeles" name and "U.C.L.A." abbreviation that year. The "at" was removed in 1958 and "UCLA" without periods became the preferred stylization under Chancellor Franklin D. Murphy in the 1960s. In the first century after its founding, UCLA established itself as a leading research university with global impact across arts and culture, education, health care, technology and more.

The University of California, Irvine has over fourteen academic divisions.

The University System of Ohio is the public university system of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is governed by the Ohio Department of Higher Education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of California, Riverside academics</span>

The University of California, Riverside, is organized into three academic colleges, two professional schools, and two graduate schools. These units provide 81 majors and 52 minors, 48 master's degree programs, and 42 PhD programs. It is the only UC campus to offer undergraduate degrees in Creative Writing and Public Policy, and one of only three UCs to offer an undergraduate degree in Business Administration. Additionally, UCR's doctoral program in the emerging field of Dance theory, founded in 1992, was the first program of its kind in the United States. UCR's various academic units are as follows:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Student governments in the United States</span> American organizations representing high school or college students

Student governments in the United States exist in both secondary and higher education. At the collegiate level, the most common name is Student Government, according to the American Student Government Association's database of all student governments throughout the United States. The next most common name is the student government association. Other names are student senate, associated students, or less commonly students' union. There was one instance of a government of the student body, at Iowa State University. At Yale University, the undergraduate student government is known as the Yale College Council. High school student governments usually are known as Student Council.

In the United States, community colleges are primarily two-year public institutions of tertiary education. Community colleges offer undergraduate education in the form of an associate degree. In addition community colleges also offer remedial education, GEDs, high school diplomas, technical diplomas and tech certificates, and occasionally at some colleges, a limited number of 4-year bachelor's degrees. After graduating from a community college, some students transfer to a four-year college or university to continue their studies leading to a bachelor's degree. Community college is tuition-free for selected students in 47 states, often under the name College Promise. Most community college instructors have advanced degrees but serve as part-time low wage employees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenn Dumke</span>

Glenn Schroeder Dumke was an American historian, educator, university president, and chancellor of the California State University system. Dumke was the 6th President of San Francisco State University, serving from 1957 to 1961. He served as the second chancellor of the California State University system from 1962 to 1982, for most of its first twenty years. He developed common standards for the colleges and universities in the system, supported affirmative action to recruit women and minority students, and assisted the establishment of four new campuses.

References

  1. ↑ "University of Oxford - History". University of Oxford. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  2. ↑ "University of Cambridge - History". University of Cambridge. 2013-01-28. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  3. ↑ "Practice Resources, NAFSA: Association of International Educators". Archived from the original on 2008-05-03. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
  4. 1 2 Kemp Malone, 'Semester' , American Speech, Dec. 1946, p. 264
  5. 1 2 3 4 Report of the 1998-99 ad hoc Calendar Committee, Northeastern University, July 30, 1999 [ permanent dead link ]
  6. ↑ H.W. James, The Semester versus the Quarter, Journal of Higher Education, Oct. 1930, p. 38
  7. ↑ "Ensuring Access with Quality to California's Community Colleges". The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. Archived from the original on 21 February 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. ↑ Lum, Lydia (2 June 2004). "Too Fast, Too Furious? As community colleges grow in enrollment and appeal, some question their ability to serve disadvantaged students". Diverse Issues in Higher Education. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  9. ↑ "University proposes master plan". The Daily Aztec. 21 October 2004. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Debate: Semesters or Quarters, UCLA Faculty Senate Voice, Apr. 2003 (iss. 3) Archived February 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  11. ↑ Harlan Lebo, Semester vs. quarter?, UCLA Today, 2002 Archived August 7, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  12. 1 2 3 Robbins, Gary (February 19, 2020). "UC San Diego might switch to semester system to ease stress on students". San Diego Union-Tribune . Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  13. ↑ Chris Ziegler, Faculty Considers Switch from Quarter to Semester, (University of California, Santa Barbara) Daily Nexus, Jan. 29, 1990 (reprinted Jan. 29, 2007) Archived May 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  14. ↑ Farkas, Karen (May 30, 2012). "State universities, community colleges switching from quarters to semesters". Cleveland.com . Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  15. ↑ Rich Rouan, OU Ready to Consider Switch to Semesters, Columbus Dispatch, June 26, 2008
  16. ↑ University of Cincinnati planning switch to semesters, Business Courier of Cincinnati, Apr. 29, 2008
  17. ↑ Hoyt Coffee, Regents Set Semester Switch, Georgia Tech Alumni magazine, Spring 1996
  18. ↑ "RIT Semester Conversion". Archived from the original on 2010-07-25. Retrieved 2010-07-14.
  19. 1 2 Kestler, Jessica L.; Johnson, Marcus Lee (Summer 2014). "Transitioning from Quarters to Semesters: Changes in College Students' Predicted and Perceived Motivation". College and University. 89 (4). Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  20. ↑ Darling, John (June 4, 2010). "SOU considers switch to semesters". Mail Tribune . Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Tony Boom, SOU studies semester switch, Mail-Tribune, Apr. 3, 2001". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
  22. ↑ Relating to university consolidation and declaring an emergency (Chapter 801). House Bill 442, section 1. Oregon Legislative Assembly. 2009. p. 1.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  23. ↑ Sarah Mohajeri, From Semesters to Quarters, in UCLA in the sixties, May 24, 2005 Archived September 12, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  24. ↑ Poe, Mariya. "Semester vs Quarter System Explained & Full List of Colleges," College Transitions, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.