| University Undergraduate Advising Handbook | |
PART-SEMESTER COURSES
Not all courses offered in a semester or session follow the time frame established on the Academic Calendar. A part-semester course may be scheduled to meet during any portion of a semester or session. For example, a course may meet for the first or second half of a semester or it may meet for two full days during a semester. The number of hours of classroom instruction and out-of-class work for a part-semester course is commensurate with the number of credits awarded for the course (Senate Policy 42-23).
Part-semester courses may be helpful for students who want to maintain a certain credit load or need flexibility during a portion of the semester. For other strategies, see Maintaining a Certain Credit Load.
DEADLINES
Part-semester courses have deadlines that vary depending on the course's time frame. Deadlines such as late drop, scheduling a course as an audit, and withdrawal change depending on a course's time frame. The drop/add period also changes; however, the $6.00 drop/add fee applies to courses added or dropped after the drop/add deadline for the course.
Other deadlines, such as deferred grade, no grade, and satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading, are the same for full- and part-semester courses. If additional information regarding processing dates is needed, contact your campus Registrar's office.
Determining Deadlines
Using the Course Drop Dates application on eLion, students can check drop and late drop deadlines for courses they have scheduled. Advisers also have access to this application. To determine drop/add and late drop deadlines before a student schedules a course, authorized advisers can use ISIS screen ARIRP and enter any start and end dates.
IDENTIFYING PART-SEMESTER COURSES
In the Schedule of Courses a start and end date is listed under the title of every course. To find part-semester courses, use the "Start Date" feature in the "Advanced Course Search."
Information on the start and end dates of courses is available to authorized advisers on ISIS screen ARUAC. The drop/add screen, ARURD, does not indicate the start and end dates of the courses that a student has scheduled. However, when F11or F12 is used to print a schedule, the hard copy includes an asterisk and footnote designating any course that is part-semester. The ARUSEI screen does not indicate whether a course is part semester.
The eLion Student Schedule application, available to advisers and students, identifies any part-semester courses on a student's schedule. (Although part-semester courses are not included in the weekly calendar format, they are listed in a note below the calendar.)
SCHEDULING PART-SEMESTER COURSES
A student can schedule a part-semester course on eLion prior to the drop/add deadline for a semester or session. After this deadline, the add must be processed on ISIS by an adviser, the department offering the course, or the Registrar's office at the student's campus.
The University may make changes in policies,
procedures, educational offerings, and requirements at any time. Please
consult a Penn State academic adviser for more detailed information.
This page is part of the University Undergraduate Advising Handbook, which is maintained by the Division of Undergraduate Studies, DUS@psu.edu.
Reviewed: June 2007
Last Update: April 2005