Ann Comer is the communications manager for the office of the provost and answered students’ questions:
Q. How will we be affected as far as co-op goes? — Chigozie Opara, pharmacy middler
A. Co-op placements under the semester calendar will last about six months, running from January to June or July to December. Undergraduates will complete up to three 6-month co-ops over their five years at Northeastern. If you are currently in Division B or Y, you will be placed in Semester Division A (on co-op July-December). If you are currently in Division A or Z, you will be placed in Semester Division B (on co-op January-June). If you are planning to enter your first co-op or change your co-op division, meet with your co-op coordinator to determine which co-op division you will follow.
Q. Will we have a longer winter break? — Ronelle Helme, pharmacy middler
Winter break under the semester calendar will be about the same length as it was under the academic quarter system. During 2002-03, fall quarter exams ended on December 12 and winter quarter classes began on January 3. During 2003-04, fall semester exams will end on December 19 and spring semester classes will begin on January 7.
Q. What core categories are we going to lose? — Alain Castro, math junior
The Core Curriculum is shifting from a six-category quarter requirement to a five-category semester requirement. The new categories are: Language and Mathematics; Methods of Inquiry; Diversity; Historical, Ethical and Aesthetic Perspectives; and Analysis. Most of the courses in the present Core will continue to be offered in the new semester-based Core. Your dean’s office advisor will assist you in blending the old and the new Core. More information about the Core Curriculum is available on the College of Arts and Sciences’ website.
Q. What sort of help will we get from our advisors? — Virna Di Palma, political science sophomore
A. Your academic advisor will help you determine which courses to take during the spring and summer 2003 quarters to make sure you are on track with your college and major requirements and prepared for the semester conversion in the fall. Your advisor will also assist you in determining which courses to take next year so that you are not repeating material in a semester course that you already learned in a quarter course.
Q. How will the number of classes lost be compensated in the data presented in each class after conversion? — Michael Conlon, computer science senior
A. In most required courses, material that was previously covered in three 10-week quarter classes will be covered in two 15-week semester courses. Some electives under the quarter curriculum will be dropped but the material has been integrated into new semester electives. In individual quarter courses that expand into individual semester courses, new material has been added to the longer semester course. To see how your quarter courses convert to semester courses and what your major’s semester curriculum will look like, go to the Semester Course Content Equivalencies Handbook on the Registrar’s website.
Q. Who can I talk to [in order] to figure out how I can graduate on time and pay as little as possible? — Trina Bryant, journalism/history junior
First, you need to meet with your academic adviser to determine the courses you need to complete in order to graduate. Then, if you are changing your co-op pattern, you need to meet with your co-op coordinator to determine which co-op division you will follow. Finally, if you are receiving financial aid, you need to make an appointment with Student Financial Services to determine how your aid will be distributed under the semester calendar.
Q. Are we paying the same amount for less classes? — Paul Jankunas, electrical and computer engineering senior
Under semesters, students will take fewer but longer classes than under quarters. In fact, the average student taking all semester courses will spend slightly more time in class (approximately 1,455 hours) to earn a bachelor’s degree than the average student taking all quarter courses (approximately 1,430 hours). The total cost of the bachelor’s degree remains unchanged by the semester conversion, though, the university will continue to experience normal annual tuition increases.
Q. As a part-time grad student, if I take the same class load, can I expect to graduate on time? — Kyle Blackburn, MBA student
A. Part-time graduate students can continue to take one or two courses per term. In the part-time MBA program and some other part-time graduate programs, students will be encouraged, as they have been under the quarter system, to take a course during one of the summer terms to maintain progress toward their degree.
– Ann Comer can be reached at a.comber @neu.edu
