Following the last day of classes for the Fall 2019 semester, the Kennesaw State winter break was shorter than in previous years — due to the timing of the Fall 2019 semester.
The difference in the length of winter breaks between this year and last year was a result of when the Fall 2019 and Fall 2018 semesters started, said KSU Executive Assistant to VP Enrollment Services Division and Interim Director of Enrollment Customer Service Center Cindy Gillam.
“The academic calendar and specifically the timing of the winter break is primarily dictated by the timing of when the semester starts,” Gillam said. “Starting later pushed the end of the semester six days.”
The Fall 2019 semester began Monday, Aug. 19, while the Fall 2018 semester began Monday, Aug.13, according to the 2019 and 2018 academic calendar archives.
Despite rumors, the timing of the KSU winter break is not dependent on the winter break schedule used by Cobb County schools, Gillam said.
The Fall 2019 semester ended Monday, Dec. 16, while the Spring 2020 semester began Monday, Jan. 6. Fall 2019’s winter break was 20 days long, seven days shorter than Fall 2018’s winter break, according to KSU’s academic calendar archives.
The archives also show that KSU’s 2017 winter break was 26 days long while the 2016 break was 27 days long, making the 2019 winter break the shortest for the last three years.
Each spring and fall semester is required to consist of 15 weeks with a minimum of 750 minutes of instruction per credit hour, according to the Board of Regents. The BOR policy is reflective of federal regulations put in place by the United States Department of Education. Because of this policy, a three-credit-hour course requires 2,250 minutes.
The 15 weeks of instruction — which is spread across sessions consisting of Monday, Wednesday and Friday classes, and Tuesday and Thursday classes — meet the minimum instructional minutes requirement, Gillam said.
The last day of class for the Fall 2020 semester is Monday, Dec. 7, according to KSU’s 2020 academic calendar.
Gillam said that this year’s academic calendar is based on what days Christmas 2020 and New Year’s 2021 fall on, which are both Fridays. The Spring 2021 semester will begin Monday, Jan.11 — making Fall 2020’s winter break 35 days long.
