The courses given by a COLLEGE or university are called its curriculum. The PROSPECTUS of the
institution OUTLINES the complete CURRICULUM. It gives the REQUIREMENTS for entry to each
course, as well as the credits given for the COURSE.
Each course is designated as giving a SPECIFIED number of credits. These are usually equal to
the number of CLASS HOURS devoted each week to the course. For example, a course that meets
three times a WEEK usually gives THREE credits towards graduation. Schools using the semester
CALENDAR require about 120 credits for GRADUATION. Between 30 and 40 of the required credits
must be in the student's MAJOR subject.
Schools vary considerably in the AMOUNT of freedom given students in SELECTING their courses.
Almost all schools have a certain NUMBER of required SUBJECTS. Students can also usually
choose non-required courses called ELECTIVES. Liberal-arts colleges usually give students more
OPPORTUNITY to choose than do TECHNICAL schools.