> The
Credit System
> Degree
Courses
> Grades
> What
Is a GPA?
The Credit System
Students at American universities complete their degrees when
they have accumulated a certain number of "credits."
It usually takes somewhere between 130 and 180 credits to
graduate. Sometimes the terms "semester/quarter hours"
or "units" are used instead of credits. Each individual
course you take each semester earns a specified number (usually
three or four) of credits/hours/units. Your academic adviser
will help you plan your course schedule for the academic year.
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Degree Courses
The individual courses that make up the degree program can
be divided into the following types:
- Core courses: These provide the foundation of the degree
program and are required of all students. Students take
a variety of courses in mathematics, English, humanities,
physical sciences, and social sciences. Some colleges require
students to take many core courses, while other schools
require only a few.
- Major courses: A major is the subject in which a student
chooses to concentrate. Most students major in one subject;
however, some colleges offer the option of pursuing a double
major with a related subject. Your major courses represent
one-quarter to one-half of the total number of courses required
to complete a degree.
- Minor courses: A minor is a subject in which a student
may choose to take the second greatest concentration of
courses. The number of courses required for a minor tends
to be half the number of major courses.
- Elective courses: These courses may be chosen from any
department. They offer opportunities to explore other topics
or subjects you may be interested in and help make up the
total number of credits required to graduate.
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Grades
American universities employ a system of continual assessment
and assign grades for each course taken. Almost everything
you do for a class will influence your final grade. Examinations
and tests, essays or written assignments, laboratory reports,
laboratory or studio work, class attendance, and class participation
may all be used to determine your final grade. This means
it is essential to keep up with the reading and course work
and to attend classes on a regular basis.
The following is a general percentage/letter grade scale
for classes taken at U.S. colleges:
100 – 90% = A
89 – 80% = B
79 – 70% = C
69 – 60% = D
59 – 50% = E
49 – 0% = F
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What is a GPA?
Each student completes his or her degree with a grade point
average (GPA). A cumulative grade point average is the GPA
for all courses taken throughout the degree program. Most
universities use a GPA scale of 4.0, but a few universities
use a scale of 5.0. To work out your GPA, take the numerical
value assigned to the letter grade you achieve for each course
(typically 4 points for an "A," 3 points for a "B,"
and so on), then multiply this number by the number of credits
each course is worth. Finally, add these numbers together
and divide by the total number of credits for all courses.
For example:
Letter Grade
|
Numerical Value
|
Number of Credits
|
Total
|
A
|
4.0
|
3
|
12
|
B
|
3.0
|
3
|
9
|
C
|
2.0
|
3
|
6
|
27 divided by 9 = 3.0 GPA
Most universities will also offer some sort of honors degree.
To qualify for an honors degree, you must fulfill additional
credits or write an honors thesis; precise details depend
upon the university and/or academic department. There may
be different levels of honors: summa cum laude, magna cum
laude, and cum laude, in descending order of distinction.
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