Credit Hour Definition

LCSC's Credit Hour Definition policy (Policy 2.127 Credit Hour Definition) defines and describes the term "credit hour". The definitions used in the policy are based on historic Carnegie definitions, as noted in federal regulation and the Northwest Commission on College and Universities Credit Hour Policy (Credit Hour Policy).

A credit hour is an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that reasonably approximates not less than:

• One hour (50-60 minutes) classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester (15 hours per lecture credit); or
• At least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph (1) of this definition for other academic activities.  See Guidelines for Establishing Credit for Common Course Types below.

Further delineation and guidelines for Credit Hour definition can be found on this PDF document.