Waynesburg University’s definition of a credit hour has been acquired through Middle States Commission on Higher Education’s Credit Hour Policy and it is compliant with the US Department of Education.
A credit hour for a lecture or seminar is defined as one class hour a week (50 minutes) throughout a semester per credit with an additional two hours of preparation for each credit (1:2 ratio). A three-credit course could entail three 50-minute sessions, two 75-minute sessions, or one 150-minute session per week will meet this requirement for 3-credit course.
Lecture, Seminar, and Discussion: Classroom /Faculty Instructor and Outside Work
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Semester credits
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Minimum instructional time/week
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Student preparation time/week
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Total minimum instruction time/14 weeks
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2-hour final exam in 15th week
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1 Credit
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1 Hour
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2 Hours
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14 Hours
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16 Hours
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2 Credits
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2 Hours
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4 Hours
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28 Hours
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30 Hours
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3 Credits
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3 Hours
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6 Hours
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42 Hours
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44 Hours
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4 Credits
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4 Hours
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8 Hours
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56 Hours
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58 Hours
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Middle States Commission on Higher Education stipulate that an equivalent amount of work is required for other academic activities including laboratory work, internships, practicum, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours. Since laboratory, studio, and internship credits focus on experimental, the minimum instructional time per credit is twice that of a lecture (2:1 ratio), with two hours of instruction and one hour of preparation. However, the total learning hours are equivalent.
Total laboratory, studio, or clinical field experience hours/credit requirements
Semester Credits
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Minimum instructional time/week
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Student preparation time/week
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Total minimum instructional lab time/14 weeks
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Clinical, SLR, Internship minimum experiential hours/15 weeks
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1
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2
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1
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28 Hours
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30 Hours
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2
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4
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2
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56 Hours
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60 Hours
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3
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6
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3
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84 Hours
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90 Hours
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4
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8
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4
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112 Hours
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120 Hours
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Credits involving internships, practicum, or clinical/field experience also must be taught on the same 2:1 ratio (see chart above). These courses must entail a minimum of 30 experiential hours per credit over a 15-week semester (including finals week).
Courses scheduled in shorter sessions (e.g. Summer Sessions; Degree Completion; Graduate Business; Online programs, etc.) must meet for an equal amount of time over the shorter period. The expectation for student effort is the same in all formats of a course whether they be fully online, hybrid, self-paced, or one delivered in lecture or seminar format