The Scheduling of Courses

The following is a list of course times approved by Faculty vote on April 23, 1968 (amended on December 15, 1987 and again on May 3, 2011). 

Course scheduling generally follows a pattern of either three days a week or two days a week. You can see the patterns below.

We also allow seminars to be offered one day a week for a minimum of 2.5 hours. 

When scheduling courses, consider the days of your department's schedule overall. If you schedule a Tuesday seminar, consider offering a Thursday class. If your discussions are on Monday, that same room can be used for discussions or seminars on Wednesday. This is an efficient use of space and you are more likely to find a room that best suits your needs.

Please avoid the use of the TTH 11:30-12:50 time slot in the fall term for seminars and small classes as this is the time the First-Year Seminars are held. All rooms of 35 seats or less will be in use at that time.

Monday-Wednesday-Friday  

  • 50-minute classes may be scheduled on the hour: 9:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00.  (A 9:00 class may start anytime between 8:30 and 9:00.)  
  • 80-minute classes may be scheduled at 8:30, 12:30, and 2:00 on Monday-Wednesday, Wednesday-Friday, and Monday-Friday. (A 2:00 class may start anytime between 2:00 and 3:00.)   

Please note that MW 12-1:20 has been removed from the schedule time-blocks per approval of the CEP Spring 2014.

  • Longer classes of up to 110 minutes may be scheduled at 8:00 or at 2:00 or 2:30.

Classes of two hours* may be scheduled at 2:00 or 2:30. Laboratories, studios, and class meetings of longer than two hours may be scheduled at 2:00. On Fridays, any class longer than 80 minutes may begin as early as noon. 

*Note: The CEP asks that seminar classes be offered for a minimum of 2 ½ hours. Courses offered as 2½  hours which have a scheduled break should be listed as 2¾ hours. If the class is held for only two hours the CEP requires that an explanation be included in the description of their new courses as to how the additional instructional time will take place.

Tuesday-Thursday

  • 50-minute classes* may be scheduled as follows: 9:00, 10:00, 11:30, 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30. The following alternative start times are acceptable
    •  a 9:00 course may start at any time between 8:30 and 9:00
    • An 11:30 course may start between 11:30 and 12:00
    • A 1:30 course may start between 1:00 and 1:30
  • 80-minute classes may be scheduled as follows: 8:30, 10:00, 11:30, 1:00, 2:30.  

Classes and laboratories of more than 80 minutes may be scheduled as follows: starting at 8:00 or later, and finishing by 11:20. Two-hour* meetings may start at 2:30. Meetings longer than two hours may start at 1:00 or 2:30.  

*Note: The CEP asks that seminar classes be offered for a minimum of 2 ½ hours. Courses offered as 2½  hours which have a scheduled break should be listed as 2¾ hours. If the class is held for only two hours the CEP requires that an explanation be included in the description of their new courses as to how the additional instructional time will take place. Also, the 50 minute class time should be part of a multi-part meeting pattern such as a discussion section or a fourth hour.

Classes may be scheduled at times other than those provided above by permission of the Dean of the Faculty. The Dean should consider whether the course time creates new scheduling conflicts for students and whether alternatives to that course are available. (Classes that meet at least two times a week create new conflicts if the requested meeting times are split across distinct time slots, for example a class that meets Monday and Thursday morning or a class that splits between standard and nonstandard times.) Requests that create significant scheduling problems, and for which no alternative sections exist, should be turned down. As much as possible, classes should avoid unnecessary conflicts with courses in regular blocks. Classes scheduled to start after 4:30 should, in general, be second (or higher) sections of multi-section courses, so that students have alternatives within the standard schedule.  

If the Registrar discovers that there are too many classes and not enough classrooms for a given time slot, he or she should consider the best way to match room capacities, configurations (lecture versus seminar), and technologies to class requirements. Priority may be given to classes scheduled within the standard schedule over classes scheduled at nonstandard times. If necessary, the Registrar may contact departments to suggest alternative times, and/or alternative rooms, for individual courses. The Registrar should report to the Faculty annually about course scheduling, assessing the College’s efforts to balance its schedule and providing information about peak and non-peak times.

Departments have the authority to schedule classes into any regular slots, subject to the availability of classrooms. They should strive to use the possible course times as fully as possible. In general, they should avoid reusing slots until they have used all the available slots for classes of that particular length. When possible, they should schedule large-enrollment courses (more than 80 students) at non-peak times. Departments that use fourth hours should avoid scheduling them at peak times. Classes that meet five days a week should avoid using two blocks of peak times. Instructors should give advance notice when a course has required events and meetings outside scheduled times, such as evening exams, film screenings, and field trips. If possible, notice should appear in the course description (e.g., “this course requires occasional attendance on Wednesday evenings.”), but in any event should be announced on the first day of class.

*Revised 2-25-15 per the CEP, Revised 3-1-19 per the CEP.