On-Campus, School-Year Options

Field Courses
Qualified students, who have exhausted the related course offerings in a particular discipline, may petition to add a tutorial or field course as part of their program. Field courses involve advanced, and in appropriate measure, independent study in a field of special interest and competence. Such work earns one credit per term. Field courses are graded and meet in a regularly scheduled format. Students must obtain a form from the Director of Studies and secure written approval from their academic adviser, field course instructor, and Chair of the academic department in which the course will be offered. Seniors should consult with their college counselors. Field courses are approved only when petitioning students have persuaded the Chair that their field course promises desirable educational results that traditional instruction might not provide. A department reserves the right to approve or deny any field course proposal; staffing constraints or other considerations may override the worthiness of a particular petition. Petitions for field courses must be approved before mid-term of the term preceding the desired course placement.

Senior Projects
The faculty affirms its belief that education takes place outside as well as within traditional classrooms. Thus Seniors may design individual or joint projects of comparable value and scope to those of an academic course. If such learning replaces formal instruction, however, it requires the same kind of preparation, evaluation, support, and supervision that classes demand. For this reason, instructors will ordinarily be advisers for no more than one project per year. Seniors may take only one project during the year.

Projects are approved only when petitioning students have persuaded the faculty that their projects promise desirable educational results that traditional instruction might not provide.
Although projects are student-initiated, they are not approved as a matter of right, but remain subject to the educational control of the faculty. In general, one-year Seniors are not eligible.

Approval and completion of Senior Projects are governed by the following understandings:

In either the second or third term of the school year, a Senior may substitute one project for one formal course.

Projects are graded on a pass/fail basis and earn one academic credit, but may not be substituted for a course required for the diploma.

Failure to fulfill the project will ordinarily cause the loss of the diploma.

Project advisers will write a comment for the student’s report card at the end of the term.

Students must design their own projects and present a clear statement of goals on the senior project application form. Students must also secure the approval of their academic advisers and project advisers. If the project falls within the jurisdiction of an academic department, it requires the approval of the full department and the heads of academic departments; if outside, it requires the approval of the heads of academic departments and the full faculty.

Students must observe the following schedule:

Within the first three weeks of the term preceding the project term, every Senior who intends to propose a project must meet with the Director of Studies and receive a form for approval signatures.

A Senior proposing a project outside of a department should see the Director of Studies as early as possible.

By the end of the fourth week of the term preceding the project term, a Senior must present copies of the final written proposal, with required signatures, to the appropriate department head and to the Director of Studies.

At the last faculty meeting of the term, printed lists of all projects will be presented to the faculty.

Students with approved projects must meet for conferences with project advisers at least one period per week throughout the term.

Students are required to present the final results of the project in some tangible form such as written report, reflective essay, lesson plans, journals, portfolio, videotape, public performance, or exhibition. When possible, a record of the project will be included in the Academy’s archives.

At the end of the term, Students will make summary presentations of their work to members of the community in a public showing of Senior Projects.

Advanced Placement Program

The Advanced Placement (AP) Program of the College Entrance Examination Board certifies college-level work undertaken by students in secondary schools. The tests, three-hour examinations in 14 academic disciplines, are administered at Exeter in May. There are several advantages in taking the examinations. Students may earn college credit, exemption from college distribution requirements, and/or exemption from lower-level requirements of specific disciplines. At certain universities, students may earn immediate sophomore standing. The grade scale is from one to five; grades four and five are designated as honors scores. Usually the examinations are taken by Seniors who have already been accepted by colleges, but a growing number of qualified Uppers and Lowers are taking the tests as they complete the required courses.

Several colleges are granting one year’s credit for strong AP scores in three or more content areas. Parents and students should consult the catalogs of prospective colleges for policies regarding the Advanced Placement Program. Uppers or Lowers should consider taking AP tests in disciplines in which they may be completing study before the Senior year: biology, mathematics, or American history, for example. Only students with consistently superior academic performance in a specific subject should consider taking a test before the Senior year or taking multiple exams during the same testing period.