Summer Courses at The University of Washington Adopt Summer Sessions as New Name

Updated name assures summertime learning is not just an opportunity for matriculated students.

Going forward, summertime courses at the University of Washington will be called Summer Sessions. This change includes the full 9-week Summer Session as well as the month-long term A and B, which will now be Summer Session A and Summer Session B.

Renaming the UW’s summer academic term signals new and exciting goals to grow summertime learning at the UW in the coming years. “I made the original recommendation when we were doing some long-term planning for summer,” said Megan Lindell, Marketing Manager.

“Researching across U.S. higher education, we found Summer Sessions is increasingly the common language encompassing summer courses and programs. The renaming from Summer Quarter to Summer Sessions aligns UW with peer institutions on the West Coast, such as Stanford and UC Berkeley, and creates an umbrella brand for future programs,” she said.

Additionally, the “sessions” moniker shows that summer is not just another academic quarter with offerings only for current UW students.

“Changing the name will make the UW's summer courses more visible to nonmatriculated students who are more likely to search for Summer Sessions than Summer Quarter," said Durwin Long, Senior Director of Summer Sessions. “The new name will also assure diverse student groups, including high-school students and working adults, that summertime learning at the UW is not just an opportunity for our matriculated students.”

Read more about the types of courses that are a great fit for Summer Sessions and how Continuum College is helping partners build online courses for next summer.