Academics Affairs > Courses, Curriculum & Academic Calendar

 

Academic Calendar - 2010/2011

1st SEMESTER:
July 14th, 2010 August 16th, 2010: September 6th, 2010: September 20th, 2010: October 4th to 10th, 2010: November 18th, 2010: December 6th to 19th, 2010: Dec. 21st to Jan. 2nd: Holidays:	1st Day of Foundational Courses(1st semester Students) First day of classes Last day of Registration Add/Drop Deadline Mid Semester Examinations Graduation Ceremony End of Semester Examinations Christmas & New Year
2nd SEMESTER
January 3rd, 2011: January 3rd, 2011: January 18th, 2011: February 7th, 2011: February 21st to 27th, 2011: April 25th to May 8th, 2011:	1st Day of Foundational Courses(1st Semester Students) First Day of Classes Last day of Registration Add/Drop Deadline Mid Semester Examinations End of Semester Examinations
SUMMER SESSION
May 23rd, 2011: July 31st, 2011: July 31st – Aug. 14th, 2011 July 18th, 2011: August 15th, 2011:	First Day of Classes Last Day of Summer Semester Holidays 1st Day of Foundational Courses(1st Semester Students) First Day of Classes for the 2011/2012 Academic Year

 

The Academic Year

Semester and Course Credit System
Semester System
All Nations University College operates a Semester system. Each regular semester lasts 16-18 weeks and courses are designed such that there is sufficient time to complete a typical 3-credit course in a semester.

 

Structure of the Semester
Under normal circumstances the Semester is structured as follows:
13 - 15 weeks of Teaching / Learning
3 weeks of Examinations (one week each for Mid Semester &
Final examinations)

 

Semester Duration
The Academic Year consists of two semesters and a summer session (Long Vacation) as follows:
First semester – August to December
Second semester – January to May
Summer session – June & July
The 1st semester typically commences the 3rd week of August and ends the 3rd week of December. The 2nd semester starts in the 2nd week of January and runs until the middle of May, while the Summer Session (Long Vacation) starts the 2nd week of June and ends in early August.

 

The Summer session offers significant opportunities for students to make up for failed courses, or improve a grade. The summer will provide a venue for trailing students to complete subject(s) incompleted or failed during regular semester. Also, internships / attachments will be pursued during the summer session.

 

Courses

 

The Academic Board

Definition of Course
A course is defined as a unit of study, focusing on specific key concepts within its discipline.

 

Course Code
All Nations University College uses an alphanumeric course code system that begins with two or three letters signifying a course stream, followed by a four-digit number providing information as outlined below:
The first digit in each course number indicates the academic level at which the course is placed as shown below:
1 – First Year Level
2 – Second Year Level
3 – Third Year Level
4 – Fourth Year Level
The second and third digits combined together are the serial number of the subjects offered by the department in that level.
Example: HUM111 would indicate a first year course from the Humanities department.

 

Course Credits
Courses are assigned credit values determined by number of hours of work per week. One course credit is defined as ANY of one hour lecture, one hour tutorial, or one practical /laboratory session (of two or three hours).

 

Balanced Curriculum
Each semester, students are required to register for selected courses that combine to provide balanced learning from different perspectives.
The following are different areas of competency that guide departments in course prescriptions:

• Core Discipline
  
• Communication Skills
  
• Computing and Information Technology
  
• Mathematics and Quantitative Methods
  
• Humanities and Social Sciences
  
• Christian and biblical Studies
  
• Total Personality Development

 

Academic programmes are composed of combinations of courses from these areas to promote academic balance that prepares the student for the practical workplace. Core courses are mandatory, and ensure balance as discussed above. Elective courses may be selected from a prescribed pool of non-mandatory or optional courses.

 

Duration of Study
Normal duration of a degree programme is 8 semesters for fulltime students admitted into Level 100. The maximum period for completion of the full-time bachelor’s degree programme is 6 years.
Students admitted into Level 200 are expected to complete their programmes in a maximum of 5 years.

 

Majors and Minors
Degree programmes may be combined into three categories: Single Major, Combined Major, and Major with a Minor. Students should note that combined majors and major/minor programmes may require extra time for completion. Currently the only available combination is Biblical Studies with a Minor in Business Administration.

 

Single Major Programme of Study
A Programme of Study is described as Single Major when the courses taken are organized around a single discipline. At least 80% of the student’s total credits must be obtained from the department of major.

Major with a Minor Programme of Study
For a Major which combines with a Minor, at least 55% of the student’s credits required must be obtained from the department of major, and 25% from the department of minor.

 

Combined Major Programme of Study
A combined major allows a candidate to claim expertise in the subject areas covered by both major disciplines. To achieve this, a combined major student’s curriculum must comprise at least 55% of the core courses in each of the major programmes. It is normal to expect combined major programmes to require extra time to complete.

 

Programme Changes
Programme changes require the submission of a Change of Status form. These forms are vailable from the Office of the Registrar, and must be approved by affected Heads of Department. These hanges include:
• Changes in academic status (e.g. full time / evening /weekend)
• Changes in programme / department

• Changes to degree objective (e.g. single major to double major, major and minor)
• Interruption of study
• Termination of Study
• Students are not allowed to arbitrarily go from regular student to evening or weekend.

 

Please note that some of these changes MAY require an adjustment in semester placement for the applicant. For example, a change of programme from business Administration to Computer Engineering will most likely require that the student resume studies from Semester one, irrespective of how many semesters the applicant has already completed. Other rules apply.

Please check with your Heads of Department and/or Academic Advisor for guidance on academic changes.

 

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