College Continues to Require Minimum of Sixteen Credits to Graduate in Wartime

The following statement is made at the request of a Committee of the Student Council in an endeavor to clear up the confusion which the Committee reports as now existing in the minds of some students regarding the number of course required for the degree.

During the quarter of a century before the war a flexible set of requirements had been developed in Harvard College in such a way as to adjust instruction to the needs of the individual, allow sufficient time for independent study in tutorial work and strike a proper balance between regular course work and tutorial instruction. These arrangements have naturally been affected by the changes due to wartime acceleration. The tutorial system especially, which was predicated upon four academic years of college residence or a total of eight terms so as to permit a large measure of independent study, was bound to feel the stress and strain of the changes necessary to compress it into six or seven terms. Prior to the war only about 1 or 2 per cent of the degrees were awarded for less than four years of study. Now the situation has been reversed and it is the four-year degree that is the exception.

In former times, and before the full development of the tutorial system, sixteen or more courses were required for the bachelor's degree. When the tutorial system was installed, because of the large amount of time necessary for independent study under that program, the course requirements were reduced to fifteen for those men who took "tutorial." It was, however, understood that this reduction applied only to students in residence for four academic years. With the acceleration of the college course resulting from war conditions it was decided to return to the sixteen course requirements, with special provision for formal tutorial course credit for those civilian students who are able to carry on "tutorial." Thus men in the later group, according to a Faculty vote of 1942, may under certain conditions receive formal course credit in this way.

Since this provision for tutorial credit was made after the Class of 1945 had started its work in college, it became necessary to set up special requirements for the Class of 1945. This is the reason for the difference in course requirement for the Class of 1945 as compared with earlier and later classes. COURSE REQUIREMENTS CIVILIANS Class, and type of tutorial instruction  Terms  Maximum tutorial credit  Course requirements (with tutorial) 1945: Plan A (full tutorial)  7 or more  1 course (honors candidates only)  15 1945: Plan A (full tutorial)  6  1 course  16* 1945: Plan B, or no tutorial  6 or more  None  16 1946 and later classes: All men  6 or more  1 course (2 for honors candidates)  16 V-12 1945: Plan A (before entering V-12)  6 or more  None  15 1/2 1945: Plan B or no tutorial (before entering V-12)  6 or more  None  16 1946 and later classes: All men  6 or more  None  16

*Men in this category with especially high records may petition the Administrative Board for a reduction to 15 or 15 1/2 courses on the basis of evidence showing that they have done sufficient tutorial work to warrant a reduction.

*Men in this category with especially high records may petition the Administrative Board for a reduction to 15 or 15 1/2 courses on the basis of evidence showing that they have done sufficient tutorial work to warrant a reduction.