1. The basic rule to keep in mind is the Chancellor's general statement that semester conversion should not cause any student undue harm. This principle, therefore, should serve as the first premise in arguments for decisions concerning problematic areas of semester conversion.

2. The first step in developing a student's program evaluation is to determine which catalogue the student wishes to follow for graduation. As the catalogue states, students "may choose to meet the degree requirements of the current catalogue or of any catalog within six years prior to graduation, provided that the candidate was enrolled in the degree program during the year of the catalogue chosen" (page 137).

3. If the student wishes to graduate under a quarter catalogue, fill out the evaluation sheet as always, first, listing all the courses completed in the quarter system and, then, filling in the remaining sections with semester equivalents. For a full listing of semester and quarter course equivalents, see the following web site:

4. If the student wishes to graduate under a semester catalogue, fill out the program evaluation by converting the previously taken quarter courses to match semester equivalents, and then fill in the remaining requirements with the appropriate semester courses.

5. In both cases, guide the student to completing degree requirements on a course-by-courses basis and don't worry as much about the total number of hours. The course requirements should take precedence over total hours where possible, for a slight shortfall of total hours will be waived if all of the course requirements have been met. To check for the latest equivalencies of courses see the charts on the web at this address:

CORE AREAS

6. In general, the equivalency charts will answer most questions here, but there are some areas that have not converted well in the semester program; in these instances, just try to match the categories as closely as possible. For more detail on Core advising for semester students, see the following sites on the web:

7. The English requirement of the Core is complicated because ENG 101 and ENG 102 do not translate as equivalents of ENGL 1101 and ENGL 1102; however, taking the courses ENGL 1101 and 1102 will satisfy the basic ten-hour English requirement for the quarter Core. If the student has taken ENG 101 in the quarter system, that student may be eligible to test out of ENGL 1101 and then take ENGL 1102. If the student has taken ENG 101 and ENG 102, the student can take either 1102 or any 2000-level English course to finish the Area I requirement.

8. In the semester Core, there are several classes with the prefix of XIDS. These are interdisciplinary courses, and, in at least one instance, they are required in the new semester Core. For transition students who want to graduate under a semester catalogue, you should point out to the student that an XIDS class may be required, but most likely the student has already taken a class that will serve as an acceptable substitute. See the lists of courses accepted as XIDS substitutes at this address:

9. For students completing the quarter system Core in a semester system, the Area II lab-science sequence requirement is not always easy to fulfill. The best match is a two-semester lab sequence like CHEM 1151 and CHEM 1152. The next best thing would be a lab-science and a non lab-science in the same discipline like BIOL 1010 and BIOL 1011. Finally, two lab-sciences from different disciplines would be acceptable. For more detail on sequences, see the following:

10. The PE requirements in the semester catalogue vary by college, so you will need to advise accordingly. The general theory is that the 3-hour health and wellness class, PER 105, is matched by the 2-hour health and wellness class, PWLA 1600. Also, one-hour semester credit activity classes equal one and a half hours of quarter credit activity classes. So to complete the quarter system PE requirement, a student needs a health and wellness classes and at least two activity classes. If the student has taken three in the quarter system that is fine, but since the semester classes are longer than the quarter classes, two activity classes taken in any combination of quarter or semester will satisfy this part of the requirement.

11. In areas where a course-by-course rule does not apply so easily (as in the case wherein a certain number of electives are required), divide the total number of quarter electives by 2/3rds and round down to the nearest total that a student can complete using three-hour courses.

12. The Office of Academic Affairs is in the process of developing a Semester Conversion Advisory Committee composed of members of the original University Semester Conversion Committee. This committee will be called to render decisions on disputed issues of Semester Conversion advice.

13.More questions can be answered and posted here for future reference, just email your questions to mcrafton@westga.edu