Academic Sessions
The Messiah University academic program is based on a two-semester calendar. The fall semester begins in late August or early September and extends through part of December. The spring semester begins with the January term and extends through May term, which ends in mid-June. Due to federal and state financial aid regulations, students should register for J-term and Spring Term OR Spring Term and May Term. Students should not register for all three parts of term (J-term, Spring Term, May Term).
January term (J-term). An integral part of the second semester, J-term gives students an opportunity to concentrate on a single course for three weeks. Transcultural travel programs are among the innovative courses offered. Students may also enroll in an approved J-term at another institution. The academic load for the spring semester is the sum of courses taken during J-term and Spring term. Therefore, students normally earn three or four credits in January and 12 or 13 credits during the Spring term, for a total of 15 to 17 credits in the second semester.
While all students are expected to register for a course during J-term each year, first year students and sophomores are required to do so. Since J-term, Spring term, and May term together compose the Spring semester, all fees are applied accordingly. No discounts for tuition or room and board are given to students who do not enroll for a J-term course.
May term. May Term is a three-week term immediately following Spring term and is reserved exclusively for cross-cultural studies courses. Since May term is considered a part of the Spring semester, students are charged additional tuition at the overload rate only for each credit above the 18 credits allowed for the second semester.
Summer session. Undergraduate online courses, taught by Messiah University faculty with special training in online instruction, cost less than courses taught during the traditional academic year. Course credit from summer online courses applies toward the Messiah University degree for current Messiah University students and may fulfill General Education or major requirements. University policy limits summer online registration to two summer online courses per summer.
In addition to summer-online courses, a variety of internships and practicums are available to Messiah University students during the summer months. Internships offer students an opportunity to combine full-time employment with academic components to receive credit.