College in 8-WEEK Terms
Effective Fall 2027, Westmoreland County Community College will transition to an 8-week course format for most fall and spring semester classes.
This format allows students to focus on fewer classes at a time while earning the same number of credits. For example, a student taking 12 credits in the fall might complete 6 credits during Term A and the remaining 6 during Term B, making it easier to manage coursework and balance competing priorities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Research demonstrates that 8-week terms improve student learning. Taking fewer classes at a time allows you to focus more intensely on the course material, making you likely to remember the material longer.
Most courses will be offered in 8-week terms, with the exception of clinicals and apprenticeships, as the companies and hospitals with whom we work may need to stick to the 16-week schedule. There also may be isolated cases in which availability or capacity of a given lab or facility prevents a shift.
Eight-week terms make it possible to complete a degree faster, particularly if you intend to enroll part-time. However, to get the most benefit from the compressed timeframe, you should take approximately half the number of credits each 8-week term that you would have taken in a semester.
It may seem that way at first because you will be completing the same course more quickly than you may be used to. However, it is important to remember you should only be taking half the number of credits at any given time, so your overall workload per term will be comparable to a semester.
You will break down your classes into two sets, Term A and Term B, and register for both at the same time.
Traditionally, enrolling in 12 or more credits had been considered full-time for financial aid purposes. As of 2024-2025, federal aid is calculated according to the number of credits enrolled rather than a full-time or part-time status.
Any student registering for 12 or more credits in Term A and Term B combined will be considered a full-time student.
Example Schedules:
Psychology, AA
- Term A
- First Year Semester - 1 credit
- Microcomputer Concepts - 3 credits
- College Writing - 3 credits
- Term B
- College Algebra - 3 credits
- General Psychology - 3 credits
Business Administration, AA
- Term A
- Excel for Business Environments - 3 credits
- College Writing - 3 credits
- Term B
- First Year Semester - 1 credit
- College Algebra - 3 credits
- Accounting I - 3 credits
Liberal Arts, AA
- Term A
- College Writing - 3 credits
- Humanities Elective - 3 credits
- Term B
- Tech Literacy Elective - 3 credits
- Social Science Elective - 3 credits
Questions?
Please let us know what questions you have, and we'll be happy to follow up! Simply fill out the form below and someone will get back to you.