Distinction Candidates May Graduate With 15 Courses

By a vote of the Faculty passed January 19, and made public last might it has been decided that those candidates for the degree with distinction whose work in their first two years at college has been satisfactory may be given the privilege of dropping tow of the courses usually required and be allowed to carry only three courses in their Junior and three in the Senior year. This vote comes as an extension of the privilege passed by vote of the Faculty in May 1924, which provided that candidates for the degree with distinction might, under certain conditions, drop one of their required courses in their Senior year.

The conditions under which both of these votes operate are as follows:

Conditions are Cited

1. The privilege will be awarded only to candidates who are students is a field or department which requires a general final examination for the degree.

2. The privilege will be awarded only to those candidates, "who by their work in courses and with their tutors during the first two years have given the Dean of Harvard College reason to believe that they have the ability and the will to secure the degree with distinction."

3. The Privilege will be granted only on the recommendation of the Division, Department or Committee under which the candidate is concentrating.

4. The privilege will be granted only in order to give the candidate an opportunity to do additional work under the direction of his tutor, and the tutor may require the student to attend any lectures that the thinks advisable.

Not Applicable to Early Graduates

Any candidate who has not taken advantage of his privilege of dropping a course in his Junior year will be allowed to work at the rate of only two courses in his Senior year.

Practically the new system as it will be inaugurated in the next college year, 1926-27, provides that a candidate for the degree with distinction whose work has been of a high quality can be awarded this degree with less than the 17 full courses previously required. He may drop a course in his Junior year thereby having only 16 courses in case the privilege is not given him in his Senior year, end if it is given him again he can drop still another course and obtain his degree with distinction on only 15 points or courses,

Under the modus operandi of the privilege any candidate who has dropped a course in the first half year may be required to work at the regular rate in the second half year if his tutor reports that insufficient work has been done outside of class.

Since the privilege is established only in order to make possible more work outside of the lecture room, any student who wishes to graduate in three or three and half years must fulfill the regular requirements and obtain 17 full points for his degree.