Semesters vs Quarters
Most high schools and colleges in the US operate using the semester system. The college semester system generally consists of three 15-week terms: one in the fall (followed by winter break) and one in the spring (followed by a summer break). The academic year starts in August and ends in May. Students may take an optional summer semester if they want to go to school year round. Full time students typically enroll in five courses per semester, which amounts to 15 credit hours.
The quarter system breaks the year up into four time periods. Each quarter is a 10 week session with classes that occur in the fall, winter, spring, and an optional summer. The academic year starts in September and ends in June. Students usually take 3-4 classes per quarter, which amounts to 9-12 credit hours.
Some community colleges offer a variation of the quarter system that gives students many of the advantages of short terms but allows them to stay in sync with their partner semester-based four year schools. They break the 15-week semesters in half and allow students to take two intensive courses in each seven or eight week section.
Semester Pros
Longer add/drop windows. Students usually have a few weeks to make adjustments to their schedule.
More time to study. Students have more time to learn and digest new material, complete challenging coursework and assignments.
Shorter class periods. Average time for semester based courses is 50-75 minutes per class. Often classes meet multiple times a week.
Easier to get to know your professor. The semester system gives students more time to learn and build rapport with their professors. These connections are really important when it comes time to ask for recommendations for internships and jobs.
Aligned calendars with traditional activities. More “in sync” with typical student employment and travel cycles as summer vacation is from mid May to the beginning of September.
Semester Cons
Harder to raise your GPA. When a student does poorly in class, it may be harder to rebound their GPA because there are fewer classes left to take to finish the degree. Semester courses are worth more credit units than quarter courses, so poor grades bring your GPA down further.
Courses you don’t like take longer to be over. Since classes last five weeks longer, classes a student might not like (required General Education for example) will take longer to be over and probably have more assignments to complete.
Quarter Pros
Lots of flexibility. Students have the flexibility to take more classes per year. By taking 12 classes a year (4 courses x 3 quarters) instead of 10 (5 courses x 2 semesters), full time students get exposed to eight additional classes during their four years at school.
More time to specialize. Students have the opportunity to explore a variety of disciplines to help narrow in a field of interest, engage in interdisciplinary study, add a minor, or add another major.
Smaller class loads. Students take fewer classes per quarter, which means that they only need to work on three classes of coursework instead of four or five classes per typical semester term.
Less time to worry about things. 10-week sprints are sometimes easier to handle, especially if the student doesn’t like the professor. If a student doesn’t do well in the class, it’s easier to take the class again.
Catching up may be easier. If a student needs to take time off, missing a term of school only means missing a third of the year, instead of half of the year.
Accelerated pace to graduation. Students can graduate early if they take classes every quarter, including the summer, which if they live off campus, and are paying for full year housing, could result in a cost savings for housing.
More class selection. By offering classes multiple times per year, colleges can increase the number of opportunities a student has to enroll in a particular class.
Quarter Cons
Very short add/drop windows. Students don't have a lot of time to drop a class they don't like, but the good news is that the class is over quicker.
Midterms come quickly. Courses can feel rushed and the fast pace of the quarter means that midterms occur five weeks into the term.
Easy to get overwhelmed. If a student falls behind they can easily get swamped as the term ends quickly.
Strict attendance requirements. Because classes cover more per class than in semesters, many schools have very strict guidelines related to attendance and automatically failing a class.
Books written for semesters. Textbooks and other course materials, particularly those for introductory courses, are often written with a semester length program in mind.
Many opportunities are structured around semesters. Businesses and study abroad offerings are often aligned with the semester schedule.
Timing is off for the job market. Graduates enter the job market later than their peers.
Transfers may face logistical issues. Credit hour conversions can be tricky if a student needs to convert from quarter to semester credit hours.
Here is a list of schools using the quarter system. (Though as with all lists, always verify the information.)
Dartmouth College
DePaul University
Drexel University
Eastern Washington University
Furman University
Louisiana Tech University
Mercyhurst College
Northwestern University
Ohio State University
Ohio University
Oregon State University
Portland State University
Santa Clara University
Savannah College of Art and Design
Stanford University
Union College
University of California (except Berkley and Merced)
University of Chicago
University of Denver
University of Oregon
University of Washington
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Wright State University