Academic Definitions

Academic Sessions

Semesters. The Messiah College 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 early May.

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 and Spring term together compose the second 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. Students interested in courses other than cross-cultural studies should enroll in the Summer Session.

Summer Session. Undergraduate online courses, taught by Messiah College 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 College degree for current Messiah College students and may fulfill General Education or major requirements.

In addition to General Education courses, a variety of independent/directed studies are available to Messiah College students during the summer months. Internships offer students an opportunity to combine full-time employment with academic components to receive credit.

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.

Classification of Students. The following guidelines are used to determine class level:

First Year—satisfaction of entrance requirements;
Sophomore—24 earned credits completed;
Junior—57 earned credits completed;
Senior—87 earned credits completed.

Full-Time Status. Degree-seeking students who carry an academic load of 12 or more credit hours are considered full-time students, charged at the full-time student rate, and eligible for financial aid as full-time students. Students taking more than 18 credit hours must first obtain the approval of faculty advisors and the Registrar. The typical load is 15 or 16 credit hours per semester. Overload tuition will be charged per credit hour beginning with the 19th credit.

Part-Time Status. Students who carry an academic load of less than 12 credit hours are considered part-time students, charged at the part-time student rate per credit hour, and 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.

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. All completed concentrations will be noted in the student’s transcript. See department listings for requirements.

Course Coding. The courses listed in the College 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 50 minutes of instructional time, or two or three such periods of laboratory work per week, throughout the standard 15-week semester. In addition to the in-class work, the student is expected to spend at least two hours outside of class. For terms other than the standard 15-week semester, an equivalent amount of instructional time is required.

Emphasis. A prescribed set of courses in a subdiscipline of a major or closely related discipline consisting of a minimum of 12 credits of requirements. Emphases will not be noted in the student’s record or transcript. See department listings for requirements.

Independent Study. Independent study is available to students who wish to explore a particular area of study outside a classroom setting. Projects must be carefully designed and directed toward a specific goal under the direction of a qualified faculty member who meets regularly with the student during the study.

Individualized Major. The College provides an opportunity for qualified students to pursue an individualized major. A student with earned credits between 30 and 72 and who has a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or higher, is eligible to apply. The application process requires the student, with the assistance of a primary and secondary academic advisor, to produce a detailed proposal for consideration. Contact the Registrar for additional information.

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.

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. A student has the option of declaring a minor during the third semester of attendance or later. 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.