The normal program consists of eight courses per year, with four courses in each semester. (Thus, a student will complete graduation requirements in four years of full-time academic work in the September-through-May academic year.) A minimum of sixteen course units must be taken at Gettysburg College or in an approved College program. The last full year of academic work must be completed as a full-time student. Unless given approval, students may not complete requirements as part-time students during their last semester of residence.
Students proposing to complete graduation requirements in less than four full years must have their programs approved by the Academic Standing Committee through the Office of the Registrar. Such approval should be sought at least a year before the proposed completion of requirements.
A full-time student for academic purposes is one carrying a minimum of three courses during a semester. No student who is a candidate for a degree may take fewer courses than this without permission of the Academic Standing Committee.
After the first semester, students may enroll in five courses in any two semesters without petitioning for the right to do so; after two such five course unit enrollments, students will have to petition to overload. For the purposes of determining a full load of four courses, summer internship credit recorded in a subsequent semester will not count. The four course load will apply to study abroad programs. In all cases, students will be allowed to pre-register for only four one-unit courses, and those eligible for an overload may add a fifth course unit during the start-of-term registration period.
Majors and minors in music must take quarter courses, in addition to the normal course load. Other students may take quarter courses in applied music, with the approval of the music department at an additional charge.
A student may audit informally any College course with the permission of the instructor. No charge will be made for such an audit and no record of auditing will appear on the student's transcript.
The College offers a limited opportunity for students to register for and complete a course of study during the summer. Primarily these are off-campus individualized study or internship courses and are arranged through academic departments.