By Stepahanie Vosk
The Semester Conversion Bible, better known as the Semester Course Equivalencies Handbook, will become available to students on the Internet by November 22.
The handbook will include course outlines for every major, including the way quarter-length classes are being changed into semester-length classes. Some classes will be combined, while others will be dropped, altogether.
“We’ve been pushing for the last year to get students to get on track,” said Executive Vice Provost Coleen Pantalone, “If students are pretty much on track, [the transition] should be very smooth.”
While students will be able to take less courses throughout their five years under semesters, only 128 credits will be needed to graduate, as opposed to the average 176 currently required.
In addition to the change in courses, the year-long calendar will be changing as well. No longer having one of the last graduations in Boston, Northeastern’s class of 2004 will hold their commencement May 1 of that year.
When the semester conversion finalizes, classes will begin after Labor Day each year. The December holiday break will remain consistent and second semester classes will continue to begin just after New Year’s Day. Spring Break will be the first week in March, and students will be awarded off Patriot’s Day and Presidents Day, two holidays on which classes were previously held.
The new semester schedule will also change the look of student’s financial aid packages.
“[The student’s total package] is going to remain unchanged,” said Communications Manager Ann Comer. “What will change is when they get the aid.”
Pantalone and Comer agree that the most important thing students can do now is meet with their academic advisors.
“We want them to manage their education anyway, and especially now,” Pantalone said.
Semester Conversion is an on-going three year project that was approved by the Faculty Senate in June 2000.
“A smaller and smaller number of universities are on the quarter system,” Pantalone said. “The bulk of the world is on semesters.”
Northeastern will follow the trend beginning Fall 2003.
