School-year division is a TERM used to describe the way in which academic years are divided into smaller parts. The two most common divisions are semesters and terms. A SEMESTER is typically 8 months long and is divided into two 4-month periods. A TERM is usually 4 months long and is divided into two 2-month periods. Both semesters and terms are used to break up the academic year into more manageable chunks, allowing for more efficient teaching and learning.