January Program Requirements

January Program (Jan Plan) options include courses for credit, independent study, internships, noncredit courses, and faculty-led courses abroad.

Selected courses offered in January may be used to fulfill the January Program requirement, which is described in the Academic Requirements section. A complete list of offerings is available using the Course Selections for Registration option in Student Workday in October, shortly before students elect a course for the January term. Some Jan Plans, such as those that involve travel or other special arrangements, have early information sessions and application deadlines or may require a deposit. Enrollment is limited to 30 or fewer students in nearly all courses. First-year students are required to take an on-campus course in their first year and often have priority in noncredit and 100-level courses.

A more complete description of the January Program with information about previous Jan Plan activities is maintained at colby.edu/janplan. An online list of Jan Plan courses there is updated each year during the fall semester.

Many courses offered in January are described under the sponsoring academic department or program in this catalogue along with the regular semester offerings (a “-JP” following the course number indicates a January Program course). Some courses, however, are independent of any specific department and are listed with the Subject “JP” in Workday.

Examples of Jan Plan courses in recent years include Introduction to Animal-Assisted Interventions; Furniture Making; Blacksmithing; The Business of Sports Teams; Writing and Illustrating a Picture Book; The Art of Maine; Pre-health Academy; and The Art and Challenge of Leadership.