Calendar

Academic Calendar   (pdf)     Academic Calendar (Google calendar)

Definition of the Academic Year

The academic calendar consists of a fall and spring semester lasting approximately 15 weeks and multiple summer sessions lasting 6 to 12 weeks. Semesters may include several shorter sessions. The University considers critiques, juries, and examinations instructional time.

University Credit-hour Ratio

The University of the Arts awards credits in semester credit hours.  As the number of semester credit hours awarded for a course increases, the number of contact hours and amount of work required increases. The catalogue includes specific credit and contact hour totals for each course . While fall and spring semesters are 15 weeks in length, courses scheduled during condensed terms (i.e. summer terms) meet for approximately the same number of contact hours. 

Typically lecture and seminar courses award one credit per 15 hours instruction.  During a traditional 15-week semester, one credit is earned at the ratio of one credit per class contact hour per week. For example, a three-credit lecture or seminar course typically meets for three contact hours per week. Lecture and seminar courses generally require two hours of student preparation outside of class per contact hour per week.

Studio courses vary in the College of Art, Media & Design , the Ira Brind School of Theater Arts , the School of Dance , and the School of Music .