EDUCATION IN FORESTRY. 



21 



tory work, the use of 2$ hours as the equivalent would reduce the total credits 

 by about 6 units, giving approximately 200 units. The variation between col- 

 leges as to length of term and equivalents used is apparently not sufficient to 

 require the use of reduction factors to obtain a common standard or weight. 

 The next factor is the size of the load per term or year. See Table 1. 



TABLE 1. Grouping of subjects in 4 and 5 year courses. 



1 In all courses except at Yale and 5-year proposed about 9 credits are omitted for military drill, hygiene 

 and physical training. 



* Supplemented by electives: not listed in published outline of courses. 

 1 Or more. 

 4 Credits for summer field work not included would add 10 to 15 credits. 



Here there is considerable variation between colleges. Yale evidently re- 

 quires a standard of about 20 hours or units per term, while Pennsylvania 

 State even exceeds this. In each case the course permits of practically no 

 electives; so these represent the maximum requirements and greatest rigidity. 

 The standard set by Cornell, California, and Michigan is 16 to 18 hours per 

 term, or a total of about 130 hours for four years. To this in each instance 

 can be added the summer work or term, whether this be one or two seasons. 

 These add from 10 to 20 hours. The additional year brings the total available 

 units to 200 in case of Yale and 175 at California. Cornell, by crediting one 

 term in individual field work with a reasonable number of hours (15), has a 

 total of 159 credits. Pennsylvania State by crowding the load shows 170 credits 

 for four years. To all but Yale 9 credits are added for military drill, hy- 

 giene, and personal health. Yale presumably devotes an equivalent time in 

 extracurriculum activities along similar lines. 



The effect of an overload is to deprive the student of time which should be 

 devoted to reading and reference work, thoroughness of preparation, and initi- 

 ative or original thinking, but which may of course in undergraduate work be 

 wasted. Recreation is required, at least by the undergraduate, and for the 

 postgraduate, research, and independent work require a light fixed schedule. 

 There is serious danger, therefore, in endeavoring to crowd into four years 

 a course which should require five years for its completion, or in overloading 

 a five-year course with too great a specialization in any line, if its purpose be 

 not distinctly to specialize. 



Assuming a standard of 180 credits for a five-year course, which is 20 less 

 than given by Yale (26 on basis of two hours laboratory for one hour class), 

 how should such a course be balanced for a general professional training? No 

 course can be proposed which will be acceptable to all institutions, even for the 

 purpose outlined, but a standard will serve to call attention to overweight 

 or deficiencies, as well as to emphasise the advantages of five years of training. 



