Legislators hear pros, cons of semesters vs. quarters in university system

ATLANTA – Georgia lawmakers heard the pros and cons Tuesday of the University System of Georgia’s current semester system compared to the quarter system the state’s public colleges and universities used until 1999.

The university system made the switch from quarters to semesters primarily to align Georgia schools with most universities across the country, Dana Nichols, the system’s vice chancellor for academic affairs and student success, told members of a House study committee meeting on the campus of Georgia Southern University in Statesboro.

Besides making transferring to a Georgia university easier for the growing number of out-of-state students, the switch helped graduating students looking to enter the workforce, Nichols said. While students in other states were graduating in May, Georgia students under the quarter system typically weren’t completing their degrees until June, she said.

“The semester (system) graduates were getting to the job market before our graduates were,” she said.

Nichols said converting to the semester system also allowed students to spend more time on each course, increasing the depth of their learning.

On the other hand, the quarter system lets students take more courses during an academic year, making it easier for double majors. Three terms of 10 weeks rather than two terms of 15 weeks also meant fewer breaks, Nichols said.

“There’s no lengthy breaks to disrupt the learning,” she said.

On the con side, the quarter system can make students feel rushed to meet more frequent deadlines, Nichols said.

Another advantage to the semester system is it allows universities to offer “mini-mesters” to students with courses that offer longer instructional periods over fewer weeks. It’s an option that is becoming increasingly popular, particularly among non-traditional students looking to complete two or more courses within a semester, Nichols said. All 26 institutions in the university system offer mini-mesters, she said.

House Speaker Jon Burns urged members of the study committee to keep an open mind when weighing the advantages and disadvantages of the two systems.

“The semester system has served us well,” said Burns, R-Newington. “(But) we need to be open to new solutions, new ideas.”

Rep. Shaw Blackmon, R-Bonaire, the committee’s chairman, said the panel will focus on the schools that make up the Technical College System of Georgia at its next meeting in September.

This story available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat, an initiative of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.