semestrar

Semestrar is a verb in Portuguese that refers to the act of organizing, planning, or distributing a period—typically an academic year—into two semesters. The root semestral means related to a half-year term, and semestrar is formed with the typical verb ending -ar. Its use varies by region and institution; in standard Portuguese, more common constructions are to divide the year into semestres or to offer courses in semestres.

The term may appear in official documents, policy texts, or academic planning materials, but it is less common in everyday language. Because semestrar is not uniformly listed in major dictionaries, some authorities prefer alternative expressions such as dividir o ano letivo em semestres or oferecer as disciplinas de forma semestral. When used, it generally conveys the idea of organizing activities, curricula, or calendars around two half-year terms.

In educational contexts, semestrar a curriculum implies mapping courses and assessments to a first semester (primeiro semestre) and a second semester (segundo semestre). Scheduling decisions, prerequisites, and evaluation periods are often aligned with each semester to support workload distribution and progression tracking. Semestral planning, whether for a university, school, or training program, aims to create a predictable cycle and facilitate accreditation, budgeting, and reporting.

Outside education, the concept of semestrar can extend to any organization adopting a semiannual cadence, such as reporting cycles, funding periods, or strategic reviews. In these cases, semestrar denotes structuring activities or data collection to occur twice a year, corresponding to the two halves of the year.

See also: semestre, semestral, calendário acadêmico, planejamento curricular, semestralidade.