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Academic Programs at Greyson University
With regard to academics, Greyson is much like any other school. It follows a two-semester schedule, with the fall semester commencing just after Labor Day and ending with winter break, which typically starts in the afternoon of the Friday between four and seven days before Christmas. Spring semester then begins approximately two weeks after New Year's Day. Most courses meet only one or two times a week, with the more labor-intensive classes, upper-level seminars and other such courses meeting between two and four times a week. Grading follows standard academic patterns. Fall and spring midterms fall in early November and early March, respectively; finals in late December and mid-May. Commencement takes place at the end of May each year. And so it goes: more or less typical patterns for a more or less typical American school.
Of course, there are any number of ways in which Greyson is not so typical. Chief among these are the undergraduate parapsychology and occult studies programs, fairly unique in American schools of higher education - while some accredited schools might offer graduate programs in parapsychology, most do not give undergraduate students the opportunity to study such a controversial and deeply specialized field. In fact, Greyson is truly unique in that it actually requires undergraduate students to pursue this opportunity, including an occult studies, parapsychology or folklore requirement in its Core Curriculum. There is also an optional summer session, offering a scaled-down selection of courses and a number of internships for undergraduate credit, for those students who want to cram in as much academic work as possible in order to graduate that much sooner or for the sheer joy of learning, or for those students who need the extra credit to make up for poor performance in previous semesters. Lastly, there is the Keystone Project, a special independent academic work which must be completed by each and every student, ranging from theses to research projects to special installations, exhibitions or inventions, depending on the student's area of interest and academic focus. The goal of the Keystone Project is to teach students to take their own initiative and think creatively, preparing them for the real world, and based on the success enjoyed by many of the university's alumni, it may just be one of the school's success stories - or perhaps all those students have simply applied their work in the occult to negotiating deals with the devil.
The Core Curriculum at Greyson University - the list of courses that all students are required to take - includes the following (with one credit typically representing one course):
Most students who have previously taken courses for undergraduate credit in any of the applicable subjects at other accredited schools are able to transfer those credits to Greyson, cutting down on their core requirements for graduation. The typical student at Greyson will generally take between three and five courses per semester (a select few will even take six), with the administration advising most to take on a courseload that gives them at least four credits for each semester of work. Undergraduate students must earn at least thirty-two credits to graduate, completing both the Core Curriculum and the specific requirements of their individual majors and minors, and all students must declare their majors and minors by the end of their sophomore years.
Undergraduate Programs at Greyson
The graduate programs, as might be expected, offer somewhat more depth and specialization, though most of the choices available are fairly obvious - the School of Law and the School of Medicine offer all the courses and opportunities that would be expected of similar institutions at any other school. Most of the graduate programs are based in and around Greyson's North Campus, but as might be expected, there's a good deal of interaction between the main campus and its satellite locations. Some undergraduate courses find a home on the North Campus, some graduate courses end up being held on the Main Campus, and the offices of the professors seem to be placed almost at random, though some consideration is given to each faculty member's focus - whether they teach primarily undergraduate or graduate courses. The graduate programs are, as might be expected, somewhat different in their academic expectations, focusing primarily upon thesis work; though grades naturally remain important, and some semblance of a two-semester schedule is maintained, each student's curriculum is tailored to their individual needs, as determined by their advisors.
Graduate Programs at Greyson (Non-Law, Non-Medical)
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