Francais | English | Espanõl

Academic term

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Redirected from Academic year)
Jump to: navigation, search

An academic term is a division of an academic year, the time during which a school, college or university holds classes. These divisions may be called 'terms', 'semesters', 'quarters', or 'trimesters', depending on the institution and the country.

Institutions often have two semesters (four-month terms, though it literally means "six months") in an academic year, each lasting between 15 and 18 weeks. A quarter or trimester (three-month term) lasts between 8 and 12 weeks, and there are typically three per year. Other permutations are sometimes used – for example, two semesters each divided into two quarters, four quarters, or even three semesters.

In contrast to a calendar year, in most countries an academic year ends at the start of the summer, and starts again at the end of the summer. This is because it follows the medieval agricultural pattern of the year in northern Europe, in which July and August were when able-bodied young people were needed on the farms.

Contents

[edit] Australia and New Zealand

In most of Australia and New Zealand, the school year lasts from January to December, and is split into four terms. The exact dates vary from year to year, as well as between states, and for public and private school. In Tasmania, the school year is split in to three terms, the first one being the longest and including an extended Easter holiday.

Australian universities have two semesters a year, between February and November. Many universities offer an optional short summer semester.

[edit] Brazil

In Brazil, the beginning of an academic year is typically placed after the Carnival, which often occurs in February. The school year is divided in four terms. There is also a 2-week long winter break in July. The Brazilian school year ends in December.

In Brazilian universities academic terms are defined as 6-month periods (período, semestre). The majority of undergraduate courses are 8 semestres (four-year-) long.

[edit] Canada

Generally in Canada, high schools run on a two-semester arrangement (often with a between-semester school holiday including Christmas and New Year's Day), also known as fall and spring semester, the first semester starting from September to January and the second running from February until June. The semesters are often divided into two terms each. Some schools in Canada run on a three-term system (trimester), the first running from September to January, the second from January to March, and the third from March until June. The trimester is more common in elementary schools(K-8) than in high schools (9-12). In Canada the school year for elementary and high school consists of 190 days. There are a few school boards in Canada experimenting with a year schooling.

Universities usually run from early September until the end of April or early May. Often this winter session is split into two terms running September to December and January to April. Various forms of summer studies may be offered May to August.

Ontario Ministry of Education Academic School Year Information

Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada

[edit] Czech Republic

In the elementary and high schools in the Czech Republic, the school year usually runs from 1st of September to 30th of June of the next year.

[edit] Estonia

In Estonia, elementary and high school begin at the 1st of September and end in the beginning of June. Universities start on the first Monday of September and usually end in the middle of May or in the beginning of June.

Estonian Ministry of Education and Researchismail soytürk

[edit] India

In the elementary and high schools in India the school year is usually from June to March, while in universities generally it is from June to April.

[edit] Japan

In Japan, almost all schools run a three-term school year. Most schools have a first term from April 1 to mid-July. The exact date of the beginning of the summer break and its duration vary across regions, but commonly the break lasts for about one or two months. The break originated to avoid the heat in summer, so elementary and middle schools in Hokkaido tend to have a shorter summer break than the rest of schools in Japan. A second term lasts from early September to late December with a winter break at the end of the year. The term is followed by a third term from early January to early March and a brief spring break lasting several weeks. The graduation ceremony occurs in March, and the enrollment ceremony in early April.

Some universities and colleges accept students in September to let those students from other semester systems enroll. In recent years a few colleges have begun experimenting with having two semesters instead of the traditional three with the break between two semesters in summer.

[edit] Korea, South

In South Korea, the school year is divided into two terms. The first term runs from early March to mid-July. The second term usually resumes at late August and runs until mid-February. In the second term, there is a long winter break from mid-December to early February.

[edit] Philippines

The Filipino school year runs for 10 months, and a school year must be at least 200 days as prescribed by law. The schoolyear begins usually at the first week to third week of June, to the last week of March. It is commonly divided into the quarter system, with every quarter is about two-and one-half months. Commencement ceremonies are often held in late March or late April. The summer break last for 2 months, from first week of April to last week of May. Christmas break usually begins in the third week of December, and class resumes after New Year's Day.

[edit] Poland

In Poland the academic school year begins in September 1st and ends in the last days of June. There is a Christmas break in December which lasts till the New Year's Day. There are also another two weeks of break after the Christmas break. Every province has the winter's break at a different time. Winter break divides school academic year into two semesters.

Most universities starts their courses in October 1st and ends first term in January. Before the second term begin there is a examination session. Second term starts just after the end of examination session and finishes in the first days of June. After it next, usually month long, session begins. In some facilities academic term begins several days before October 1st.

[edit] Portugal

The school year in Portugal runs from September to June and it is divided in three Terms (or Períodos, in Portuguese):

  • 1st Term: From middle September until middle December
  • 2nd Term: From the beginning of January until Easter (March-April)
  • 3rd Term: From the week after Easter (April) until the end of June (except for 9th and 12th grades, who finish early due to exams)

During the school year there are several breaks or holidays (interrupções or férias, in Portuguese):

  • Christmas Break: Usually beginning in the 3rd week of December and lasts for two weeks including Christmas and New Year holidays. The 2nd term then begins, often in the first Monday of January.
  • Carnival Break: Three days (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday) during Carnival. This break used to be one week long but in recent years it has been reduced.
  • Easter Break: Two weeks including Easter. It varies form year to year, but it is usually around late March or middle April.
  • Summer Break: Usually known as "Férias Grandes" (Big Holidays) it lasts during the summer from late June to middle September and it separates one school year from another.

[edit] Russia

The school year in Russia traditionally starts on 1 September - The Knowledge Day - and lasts until 25 May which is also known as The Last School-Bell day for the school graduates. The school year is divided into four terms, or 'quarters', separated by 1 or 2 week holidays (first week in November, first two weeks in January and last week of March). School summer holidays last for three months - June, July and August.

The academic year at universities also starts on 1 September. It consists of two terms (1 September - circa 20 December followed by five-week winter exams session and 7 February - circa 20 May followed by five-week summer exams session).

[edit] Thailand

There are two semesters in Thai academic year with an optional summer semester. From kindergarten to high school the first semester opens from mid May and continues until the end of September. The second semester lasts from November until end of February (or early March). The university academic year is slightly different, lasting from June to October and mid November to mid March.

[edit] United Kingdom

In the UK, an academic year — particularly in universities — usually runs from October of one year through to June or July of the following year, with the time split up into three terms. Most primary and secondary schools open on the first Monday of September and ends on the 2nd Friday of July.

[edit] Schools

Most schools run a three-term school year. They usually have a week's break half way through (half-term) and are structured as:

  • Autumn term: September to December (half-term, October)
  • Spring term: January to March (half-term, February)
  • Summer term: April to July (half-term, June)

The time between the end of school and the start of the next academic year is known as the summer holiday or, as was the traditional length of the break, the six-week holiday. Some counties and schools have recently experimented with different school year arrangements with the general idea of having shorter blocks of both school and non-school time.

In Scotland, school begins in late August, and ends around late June or early July, usually in eastern counties from the third Monday in August to the first Friday in July and in western counties from the second Monday in August to the last Friday in June. Pupils attend school for approximately 190 days a year.

Most schools run a four-term school year and are structured as:

  • Summer term: August to October (October Holidays: Two Weeks)
  • Autumn term: October to December (Christmas Holidays: Two Weeks)
  • Winter term: January to March (Easter Holidays: Two Weeks)
  • Spring term: April to July (Summer Holidays: Six Weeks)

[edit] Universities

Most universities run 10-week Autumn, Spring and Summer terms, though some use different names or a semester system, with the new semester beginning halfway through the second term. Some newer universities also have a "reading week", the equivalent of a school half term:

An exception is the Open University: most of its undergraduate courses do not coincide with the academic year used by universities in Britain and elsewhere. Instead, they largely coincide with the calendar year — they typically start in February, with examinations in autumn.

In England, academic and judicial institutions traditionally organised their year into four terms:

(Specific dates varied between institutions, and all except Michaelmas were determined by the date of Easter).

Over time, Cambridge dropped Trinity term and renamed Hilary to Lent, then Oxford dropped Easter term, thus establishing the three-term academic year.

[edit] United States

In the United States, a school's academic year usually consists of a fall and spring semester (often with a between-semester school holiday including Christmas and New Year's Day), although in some states (particularly western ones), the quarter system (three-term trimesters with optional summer term) is the dominant method.

The year usually begins in late August or early September (a common starting date is the day after Labor Day) and ends in late May or June. For K-12 schools, this includes about 180 school days, but college academic years are typically about three weeks shorter. Some school districts, especially in the southern United States, start and end earlier (sometimes starting as early as late July) than other areas; this is mainly due to the high heat in June and July in those areas.

[edit] See also

es:Año escolar he:שנת הלימודים ko:학기 ja:学期 pt:Semestre sv:Läsår

Retrieved from "http://en.wikivisual.com/index.php/Academic_term"
Personal tools