University Senate

Policy 305.1

POLICY ON HALF-SEMESTER COURSES
(Proposal 4-00)
(Proposal 10-03)
(Proposal 34-25)

Senate Policy 305.1

Half-semester length courses are those courses offered in either the first half or the second half of fall or spring semester. To facilitate student scheduling and efficient use of classroom space, courses must meet at least one of the following criteria to be offered as a half-semester course: 

  • Graduate-level courses may be offered in a half-semester format with department approval.
  • Courses offered through Global Campus may be offered in a half-semester format with department approval.
  • .5 credit undergraduate-level activities and wellness courses may be offered in a half-semester format with department approval.
  • 1 credit undergraduate-level courses may be offered in a half-semester format with department approval.
  • 2 credit undergraduate-level courses may be offered in a half-semester format with department, college, and provost approval under one or more of the following circumstances:
    • The course's primary role is to provide students with specific skills that will be used immediately thereafter in another course.
    • The course's primary role is to serve as an "on track" course, offered in the second half of a semester, for students who have withdrawn from a required fundamental course.
    • The course's primary role is to offer elective, specialized education.
    • The course’s learning outcomes are dependent on the course being held in certain weather or during a specific season.
  • 3 credit undergraduate-level courses may be offered in a half-semester format in exceptional circumstances with department, college, and provost approval.  Examples of exceptional circumstances may include:
    • The course is tied to a scheduled event that students are required to prepare for and participate in as part of the course.
    • Access to specialized equipment is limited to a specific time frame
  • Undergraduate-level courses that are 4-credits or more may not be offered in a half-semester format. 

To ensure that half-semester courses do not negatively impact undergraduate students' progress toward their degrees by either limiting the number of credit hours they can earn during one semester or requiring them to take excessively heavy loads of credits in a given half-semester, the following rules will apply:

  • Courses offered in pairs must be scheduled at the same time and on the same days for each half of the semester.
  • Pairs may consist of courses from different departments, but they should be addressed in a common proposal. 
  • Only "on track," activity, wellness, weather- or season-dependent, or event-related courses may be offered unpaired in the second half of a semester.  

 

The effective date for this will be Fall 2026.  However, the registrar's office will work with academic units to facilitate incremental implementation to the extent possible for the 2025-26 academic year. 

 

Proposal 4-00:
Adopted by Senate: 10 November 1999
Approved by Administration: 20 January 2000

Proposal 10-03:
Adopted by Senate: 12 February 2003
Approved by President: 18 February 2003

Proposal 34-25:
Adopted by Senate: 17 April 2025
Approved by President: 12 June 2025