Credit Hour Policy

The semester credit hour is the unit of instruction at the University of Tennessee Southern. The University awards one credit hour for an amount of student work that reasonably approximates not less than one hour of classroom or direct instruction and two hours of out-of-class student work per week for a semester. Thus a 3 credit hour course entails an amount of student work that reasonably approximates 150 minutes of classroom or direct instruction per week (a total of 37.5 hours over a 15-week semester) and six hours of out-of-class student work per week for that semester. Courses that may be scheduled differently--such as online or hybrid courses, laboratory work, studio work, practica, internships, or independent study-- award credit based on amounts of faculty instruction and amounts of student work equivalent to those described above. This policy is consistent with Federal Guidelines established in 34 CFR 600.2.