Class Load, Credit Hour, and Clock Hour Equivalency

Class load refers to the number of credits a student carries in a semester. For degree and career programs a student may carry a load of 17 credit hours maximum per semester. One credit hour equals 15 clock hours of lecture, 30 clock hours of Lab., 45 clock hours of externship/internship/practicum/clinical, or 100 clock hours of pre-clinical or clinical journal. One clock hour (or contact hour) is equivalent to 50 minutes of lecture and a 10 - minute break.

Utilizing the definition that an hour of work is the equivalent of 50 minutes of class time (often called a contact hour), the university policy requires at least 45 contact hours of work by each student for each unit of credit. Contact hours required for specific types of courses are as follows:

• At least 15 contact hours of lecture as well as a minimum of 30 hours of student homework are required for each unit of student credit.
• Laboratory courses must maintain a minimum of 30 contact hours per unit of credit.
• Each unit of externship/internship/practicum/clinical, must require a minimum of 45 contact hours of work.

Certificate Programs: Since courses within a certificate program are not acceptable for credit toward a degree program within the institution, the conversion formula for certificate programs is as follows: one credit hour equals 30 clock hours of lecture, 30 clock hours of Lab., or 30 clock hours of externship.