In a potentially historic shift, UC San Diego says it might stop teaching courses in 10-week quarters and move to a longer, more conventional semester system to produce a less stressful learning environment for students.

The campus has been on the quarter system since 1966, when it was enacted throughout the University of California system.

The arrangement has frequently been criticized by students who say that the fall, winter and spring quarters are too short, making it hard for someone to catch up if they fall behind academically.

Officials at the UC’s Berkeley and Merced campuses agree. Those campuses are now on the semester system, which is used by the majority of colleges and universities nationwide. Other UC campuses, including UC San Diego, are now considering making the same move.


Elizabeth Simmons, UC San Diego’s executive vice chancellor, said, “Factors favoring a semester system include better alignment with timing of summer internships; easier articulation for courses transferred from other higher education institutions, including the majority of California Community Colleges that use the semester system; and a more measured pace to the academic term, which may reduce stress on students.

“No decision has been made. It is anticipated that the process for such a transition would take time and require approval by the systemwide Academic Senate and UC Regents.”

The semester system typically involves 15-week terms, the first occurring during the fall, the second occurring in winter-spring. Universities also offer summer sessions. But undergraduates typically take most of their courses during the fall and spring.

“I think a great number of UCSD students would welcome the change to semesters if it were to happen,” said Daisy Scott, editor of the Guardian, a campus newspaper.


“The quarter system often makes it difficult to delve deeply into more specific topics and themes. For instance, in some of my courses we’ve had to cover whole decades in one history lecture or an entire book in one literature lecture to compensate for only having 10 weeks.”

But Scott added, “Some students might stress more if we switched to semester. The quarter system does let students take more classes every year, and for some students that’s seen as an asset.”

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