If you are going to be here for the quarter to semester switch (Summer, 2012) you are a transition student, here’s what you should be doing now:

1. Get those science and math GEC’s done before the conversion if you’ve been putting them off.  The courses will be longer with more material covered under semesters.  That goes for any other course you’ve been dreading.
2. If you are thinking you might want to switch to one of the Sustainable Plant Systems specializations and have not taken biology yet, take Biol 113.  Biol 101 and Pl Bio 101 will not count in the new major.
3. Start preparing yourself mentally for taking FIVE 3 hour courses a semester instead of THREE 5 hour classes.  A common mistake for students moving from quarters to semesters is to not take enough classes. You’ll need a minimum of 121 hours to graduate under semesters, so if all courses were done under semesters that’s 121÷ 8 = 15.1 hrs/semester.
4. You will most likely have classes all 5 days a week.  It will be harder to schedule those Mondays and Fridays off.
5. About half of your courses will meet only on M, W, F and the other half of your courses only on Tu and Th so if you miss a M and/or W, you’ll miss 1/3 to 2/3 of those M,W, F courses.

For the past several months H&CS faculty and staff in consultation with students, alumni, industry personnel have been developing courses and majors that will be implemented at the time of the conversion. The H&CS semester majors and courses have been proposed and are now starting the review and approval process which starts with the department’s review and approval, followed by the College of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Science’s review and approval, then the University’s (course approval stops here), and ultimately the OSU Board of Trustee review and approval of majors.

The proposed majors are:

1. PROFESSIONAL GOLF MANAGEMENT (PGM)   The PGM major will look very much like the quarter version but with the semester version of courses. - Draft requirements
2. SUSTAINABLE PLANT SYSTEMS (SPS)

The SPS major will have 4 specializations that a student will select at the time of choosing the major:

• Agronomy - Draft requirements
• Horticulture - Draft requirements
• Landscape Design and Management - Draft requirements
• Turfgrass Science - Draft requirements

In planning and implementing its conversion from quarters to semesters for summer 2012, The Ohio State University is committed to protecting the academic progress of students. Students should find that the shift from quarters to semesters does not disrupt progress toward their degrees if they:

1. decide on their major and degree within a time compatible with four-year graduation;
2. meet the standards for progress defined by their academic unit and continue to complete appropriate course loads successfully; and
3. actively develop and follow academic plans in consultation with their academic advisors.