J-Term Opportunities

Winter break traditionally has been a time when college students head home for a month. After celebrating the holidays with their families, they often work for a few weeks to earn some money or just take it easy after the rigors of fall semester. Today, however, more and more students are returning to the classroom in early January to take advantage of J-term courses.

J-term is a three-week period of compressed study held in January. First offered at St. Norbert during the 2008-09 school year, SNC’s J-term originally consisted of more niche courses, such as travel-and-study opportunities. Today’s expanded course offerings, most of which are offered online, include core curriculum classes that students may need to squeeze in, such as classes in biology, finance or communications. There are also more travel options, which are ideal for those who aren’t able to commit to an entire semester studying abroad.

How do you know if a J-term class is a good option for your student?

Savings. J-term 2025 courses cost 60 percent less than those offered during the spring and fall semesters — or just $545 per credit.

Travel opportunities. Many students can’t afford the cost or time involved in spending a full semester abroad. But J-term offerings always include Global Seminars, where students study in an off-campus locale. J-term 2025, for example, offers a global seminar on interfaith relations between Italy and Jordan. (While the application period for the J-term 2025 global seminar has passed, students will be able to register for 2026’s J-term global seminars in spring 2025.)

Focused study. Students who find a particular subject difficult often have more success studying it during J-term. With just one course on the docket, they can put all of their efforts into this single, challenging subject, which can be the key to better understanding.

Progress toward degrees. J-term courses offer students the opportunity to get ahead or to catch up.

Convenience. Some students find it handy to squeeze in another class over winter break, or try one that sounds interesting.

More than 200 SNC students typically take advantage of J-term classes each year. This academic year, J-term is Jan. 2-24, 2025. Students can find a list of course offerings by logging into KnightLine.

Last updated Nov. 12, 2024.