Beginning in the fall of 2011, Principia College will begin to operate on a semester system – two academic terms per year, instead of the currently-used system of three academic quarters per year.

To help facilitate this change, Academic and Career Advising (ACA) advisors have helped develop a number of tools to assist faculty and students in planning their academic programs so students can graduate on time.

Principia Institutional Pledge to Students

Principia is committed to making certain all students who meet necessary academic requirements WILL be able to complete their degree program within four years.  This is a copy of the official “pledge” regarding this commitment.

Student Strategies Checklist

Here are a few “check points” advisors and students will want to review to make certain their transition-to-semesters plans are as complete as possible.

Academic Advising Dates

This is a detailed calendar of advising activities, events, and deadlines for the transition process during the 2010-2011 academic year.

Transition Charts (Terms and Class Levels)

This chart clearly defines how quarter hours are converted to semester hours, and where each student stands as they progress towards graduation.

Transition Advising Plan (TAP)

This form will be completed by each student, along with his/her academic advisor to describe what courses are need to complete all graduation requirements in a timely way.  Here's a sample of a TAP form with much of the information completed.

Educational Planning Guide

This form is used by students and their Academic Advisors to plan courses to be taken each academic term.  It includes places for both quarter-based courses (academic year 2010-2011) and semester-based courses (beginning fall 2011) and gives a short description of distribution requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about the semester transition, as it applies to academic advising and related planning.