Semester (term)
A semester or term is a session within the academic year in which courses are offered. Students may register for more than one course in a semester.
The ADP academic calendar at Messiah consists of three semesters: Fall, Spring and Summer.
Fall semester. The Fall semester begins in late August and ends mid-December. The semester is divided into two 8-week terms, with different courses offered during both 8-week terms. There is a one-week Fall break mid-semester in addition to a Thanksgiving break.
Spring semester. The Spring semester begins in mid-January and ends late April/early May. The semester is divided into two 8-week terms, with different courses offered during both 8-week terms. There is a one week Spring break mid-semester in addition to an extended weekend for Easter.
Summer semester. The Summer semester consists of two 6-week terms, with different courses offered during both 6-week terms. There is a one-week Summer break mid-semester, in addition to an extended weekend for Memorial Day.
Part-of-Term
A part-of-term is a condensed term contained within a semester and provides the flexibility for accelerated courses to be offered. Typical models include 6-week, 8-week or intensive parts-of-term. All parts-of-term are confined within the published beginning and ending dates of the semester. Students may register for more than one course in a part-of-term.
Classification of Students.
The following guidelines are used to determine class level:
- First Year—satisfaction of entrance requirements;
- Sophomore—24 earned credits;
- Junior—57 earned credits;
- Senior—87 earned credits
Full-Time Status. Degree-seeking students who carry an academic load of 12 or more credit hours in a semester are considered full-time students and are eligible for financial aid as full-time students.
Part-Time Status. Students who carry an academic load of fewer than 12 credit hours in a semester are considered part-time students, and are eligible for any financial aid open to part-time students.
Students admitted for limited or special programs designed to meet their particular needs but not leading to graduation are considered non-matriculated, unclassified, or visiting students, depending on the nature of their program.
Methods of Course Delivery
Courses at Messiah University may be delivered through a variety of methods, including the following:
Face-to-Face: Students meet at a physical location during scheduled meeting times for the duration of the course.
Synchronous Online: Students participate remotely in a live class session at a specified date and time, typically through use of a learning management system and other technologies that deliver real-time online content and discussions for students at remote locations.
Asynchronous Online: Students participate remotely, typically thorough use of a learning management system and other technologies, to access recorded online lectures and materials that have been provided for students to access at remote locations at any time.
Hybrid: A combination of face-to-face meetings and online synchronous and/or online asynchronous class sessions.
Prerequisite Course
A prerequisite is a course which must be completed prior to beginning another course(s), due to the fundamental content or knowledge required through the progression of study. Prerequisite requirements are included in course descriptions and are typically enforced through the course registration process.
Co-requisite Course
A co-requisite is a course which must be taken in the same part-of-term as another course. Typically, a lecture and lab/clinical combination, registration for co-requisite courses must be performed in the same registration transaction. Co-requisite requirements are included in course descriptions and may be enforced through course registration.
Concurrent Course
A concurrent course is a modification of a prerequisite requirement, where it can be taken in an earlier part-of-term or in the same part-of-term as the course in which registration is attempted.
Degrees and Majors
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Degree conferred for completion of a program with focus on broad and liberal education in the humanities, arts, social sciences, and sciences. Curricula leading to the B.A. emphasize ways of knowing and approaches to understanding consistent with the liberal arts. B.A. requirements typically promote broad preparation within the discipline and among related fields.
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Degree conferred for completion of a program with focus on in-depth education in the sciences, social sciences, or professional fields. Curricula leading to the B.S. emphasize ways of knowing and approaches to understanding consistent with the sciences and/or professional or pre-professional preparation. B.S. requirements typically promote depth of preparation within a discipline and/or related disciplines.
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) Degree conferred for the completion of a program with focus and in-depth education in the sciences, social sciences, communication, and leadership as applied to the nursing profession. Curricula leading to the B.S.N. emphasize ways of knowing and approaches to understanding consistent with preparation for professional nursing practice.
Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) Degree conferred for the completion of a program that provides a broad knowledge of the functional areas of business and their interconnection, while also allowing for specialization in a particular area.
Major. A prescribed set of courses and other requirements recommended by the department and approved by the Community of Educators as a valid representation of the area of study. Generally, these courses focus on a specific academic discipline; however, there are some interdisciplinary majors which include work from two or three disciplines. Satisfactory completion of this prescribed set of courses leads to a degree in that area of study.
Students may complete more than one major within the normal timeline and requirements for each baccalaureate degree. A student pursuing a double major must determine which major is the primary major and which is secondary. The primary major determines whether a B.A. or a B.S. will be granted. Each major must have 24 unique credits. Unless additional requirements are met (see “Dual Degree”), a student completing a double major receives only one diploma and one degree representative of the primary major. The primary major is also the standard by which General Education, other requirements, and the degree are determined.
A dual degree is the concurrent awarding of two different majors each with a different baccalaureate degree type, e.g., a B.A. and a B.S. In order to graduate with dual degrees, the following conditions must be met: each major must have 24 unique credits; the student completes the general education requirements related to each major; and completes at least 30 additional credits beyond the larger baccalaureate degree program. Since Messiah’s baccalaureate programs range from 120 to 128 credits, anyone completing two degrees must complete 150-158 credits. Students who complete these requirements will be issued two diplomas, one for each degree earned.
Undergraduate Certificate. A credit-bearing certificate is a prescribed set of courses leading to a credential that should be focused on a defined set of skills or structured expertise. Often a certificate reflects an emerging area of expertise in demand in the marketplace, or professional development requirements that are necessary to stay current. A certificate does not constitute an entire degree program, but it is a separate credential. As such, certificates are accessible to both degree and non-degree seeking students. Certificates should not be confused with the process of professional certification awarded by governmental and professional agencies for teaching and other fields.
Concentration. A prescribed set of courses in a sub-discipline of a major or closely related discipline consisting of a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 36 credits. Students may complete the requirements for more than one concentration, as long as there is a minimum of eight unique credits in each concentration. Up to four credits can count both toward the core of a major and a concentration. All completed concentrations will be noted in the student’s transcript. See department listings for requirements.
Course Coding. The courses listed in the University Catalog are coded as follows:
- Courses numbered 100 to 299 are rated as lower division courses.
- Courses numbered 300 to 499 are rated as upper division courses and are generally restricted to juniors and seniors.
- The credit value of each course appears parenthetically following the course title in the course descriptions. The unit of credit is the semester hour.
Credit Hour. A credit hour is a unit of academic work consisting of a minimum of 14 hours of instruction and approximately 30 hours of homework. For example, a 3 credit course would consist of approximately 42 instructional hours and approximately 90 hours of homework. In a typical 8 week course, this breaks down to approximately 16.5 hours per week.
Directed Study. Directed study is available to junior and senior status students who need to complete a catalogued course at a time other than when it is offered. Each department has designated which courses may be offered by directed study. Each directed study must be done under the supervision of a qualified faculty member who will meet with the student from three to five hours per credit hour of the course. An additional fee applies for directed study courses.
Minor. A minor is a prescribed set of courses which focuses on a particular academic discipline or area of study. The goal is to allow the student to develop some depth of understanding in that discipline or area of study. Students are not required to complete a minor. To earn a minor, a student must attain a minimum grade point average of 2.0 for the courses listed as meeting requirements for the minor, and at least 12 credits must be unique to the minor. A student may complete more than one minor. At least one third of the course work must be taken at Messiah. More information and the appropriate forms are available through the Office of the Registrar.