Starting this semester, Tarleton State University has scheduled Saturday finals. According to Dr. Larry Dwayne Snider, Associate Provost and Academic Affairs Liason to University Calendar Comittee, this isn’t something that is new to Tarleton.

“This is not the first time for Tarleton to have part of the final exam schedule on Saturday,” Snider said. “As recently as 2008-09 there was a full slate of final exams scheduled on Saturday.”

The ultimate decision to have final exams on certain dates falls on the Board of Regents of the Texas A&M University System to approve the calendar and many other items as Tarleton has presented to them.

According to Snider, the schedule for final exams is part of the calendar and the calendar originates with the Calendar Committee.

“The Calendar is presented at Academic Council and upon approval moves forward to get TAMUS approval. The final exam schedule itself was discussed with Student Government in early Spring 2016,” Snider said. “There was a vote of support, but I cannot remember if it was for a specific schedule for final exams or if it was a vote in general support of the concept.”

Depending on which classes you have is when you have certain finals on certain days.

“There are uniform test times for Freshman English and two advanced Education classes on Thursday, Chemistry classes on Friday, and Math 1314 on Tuesday; other final exams are scheduled based on the start time for the section,” Snider said.

Tarleton plans to keep Saturday finals.

“The final exam schedule for 2017-18 is likely to be much as for 2016-17, but that can be changed in the calendar approval process,” said Snider.

When the schedule is made, the concept was to keep the schedule as close to students’ schedules.

“There have been some concepts used in setting the final exam schedule. Those are to try to keep night classes with late afternoon or night final exams; to try to keep Monday and Wednesday with as many Monday, Wednesday, Monday Wednesday , or Monday Wednesday Friday classes as possible;  to try to keep Tuesday with as many T, R, or TR, classes as possible; to accommodate a few approved requests for uniform test dates; to have sections that have met early in the day have final exams early in the day; and to then slot remaining finals into available test slots as reasonably as possible,” Snider said.

The final exam schedule is available well in advance of the start of the semesters and is typically available when students are choosing and registering for sections.