American System of Education

The study programs of Schiller International University conform to the academic system used throughout the United States. The academic year consists of 15-week Spring and Fall Semesters and a 7-week Summer Session. Students may enroll up to 6 courses (subjects) during fall and spring semesters and up to 3 courses in the summer.

The American educational system provides a broader and more varied education than many other systems by giving its students 3 kinds of courses:

· General Education Courses: required for all students, regardless of their specialty
· Required Courses within their chosen field, and
· Electives Courses which students may choose from any discipline, which interests them.

The American system also assesses its students continuously from the beginning, by assigning grades at regular intervals through class work and examinations given by the instructor who know each student's strengths and weaknesses, rather than by impersonal external boards of examiners, as in other systems. Thus, students are always informed about their own progress.

The American system measures this progress in credit hours, of which the student must earn 124 to graduate with a Bachelor's degree, the standard US university degree. 1 credit equals 15 hours of classroom instruction.
For instance, a student attending history class 3 hours a week for a full 15-week term and earning a passing grade will receive 3 credits for the course.

Americans enter the university after 12 years of schooling at about the age of 18. At this point the students are called freshmen. After earning 30 credits they become sophomores, after 60, juniors, and ater 90, seniors. Traditionally Americans have earned their Bachelor's degree by attending Spring and Fall semesters for four years, spending summers at home. Increasingly, however, students today attend summer sessions as well, in order to complete their studies as quickly as possible.

Students who have completed their 4-year Bachelor's degree may choose to undertake 1 to 2 years of graduate study to earn a masters degree in the same field or a different one, right after completion of their Bachelor degree or after some years of work experience.