course system

College courses are assigned a value in what are called units.The number of units


assigned to a course corresponds to the number of hours that a student will attend class for

that course. For example, a course that consists of three class sessions per week, and where

each class session last for 50 minutes, will be assigned a value of three units. Typically,

colleges require that students complete a minimum number of units in order to graduate, rather

than a minimum number of courses. This gives students more flexibility in what courses they

decide to take to complete their graduation requirements.



Most colleges and universities follow either a quarter-based calendar system or a semesterbased

calendar system. In a quarter system, the academic year is divided into three sessions called

quarters. Each quarter lasts about There is usually an additional quarter in the

summer, where registration is optional. Foreign students are not required to attend courses

in the summer to maintain their status. In a semester system, the academic year is divided

into two sessions called semesters. Each semester lasts 16 weeks. Again, there may be an

optional session during the summer.



Students who have registered for at units in a session are said to be students. Students who

have registered for fewer than units in a session are called students. Foreign students must

maintain a course .