The Quarterm - Admission Guidelines | Mapúa University

As a move to improve its delivery of instruction, Mapúa pioneered in the country the quarter system or the Quarterm, which divides the academic year into four terms. Since 2002, the University has proven the increase in effectiveness of its instruction with the Quarterm through the students’ performance. Below is the comparison between the semestral system and the Quarterm.

 

Semestral

Quarter

Units Full Program (BS ChE)

208

208

Units per Term

22 max

15 max

Courses per Term

7-8

4-5

Units per Year

44-53

60

Hours per Week per Unit

1

1.5

Classroom Hours per Week

22

22.5

Terms per Year

2 plus summer

4

Weeks per Term

18

11

Years to Graduate 

5

4

Quarterm Calendar


Term

Start

End

Vacation

1

1st week of August

3rd week of October

1 week

2

4th week of October

3rd week of January

2 weeks Christmas

3

1st week of February

3rd week of April

1 – 2 weeks inclusive of Holy Week

4

2nd week of May

3rd week of July

1 week

Competitive Edge

Quarterm provides an opportunity to students to be in the mainstream of a productive career in the shortest possible time. The system allows a full engineering program to be completed in about four to four and a half years, and an IT program in about 3.25 years at no additional cost. Graduates have the option to pursue advance programs leading to an MS degree, or further take a specialized program to upgrade their academic credentials and enhance their competitiveness in a highly selective global job market environment.

Greater Focus

Instead of taking 7 to 8 courses per term (for semestral), a student will be taking fewer courses in any given quarter. While the examinations may be spaced at shorter intervals, the total number of examinations a student takes in any given term is less. Less “shifting of gears” will be required as a student juggles his study hours for the different courses.

Improved Performance

Mapúa’s implementation of the QuarTerm has shown improved performance among its students. Higher grades have been obtained with more students qualifying for academic scholarships. Mapúa graduates under the QuarTerm have also shown impressive performance in the board examinations.

Flexibility

Under the QuarTerm, students have the option to finish a five-year program in just about four to four and a half years, or a four-year program in just about three to three and a half years.



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