Credit Information

1. A CREDIT HOUR: shall be the equivalent of one (1) hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work each week for 15 or 16 weeks. 
2. A SEMESTER CREDIT HOUR: shall be comprised of the following: 
   1. Direct Faculty Instruction (face-to-face or online contact) 
   2. Laboratory or studio
   3. Clinics
   4. Practicum, Fieldwork, etc.
   5. Internships*
   6. Co-ops**
3. ASSIGNMENT OF CREDITS: A credit hour shall be allocated based on the below:

4. INSTRUCTIONAL HOUR DESIGNATION

One instructional hour is equal to fifty (50) minutes of classroom/direct faculty instruction or laboratory/studio, or sixty (60) minutes of clinical, practicum or fieldwork, internship or co-op. 

Next to each course is the course credit breakdown, shown in three numbers.  The first number represents the number of lecture hours per week.  The second number represents the number of lab, clinical, co-op, internship, or practicum hours per week.  The third number represents the total number of credits.

The academic instructional semester consists of no less than 15 weeks and no longer than 16 weeks, or their equivalent, including final exams.  Courses that are delivered in alternate schedules including summer semester (8 weeks, 12 weeks, etc.) will be shown the same as above, and will be scheduled to reflect the equivalency of the total number of hours.  For example, PSYC110G offered on an 8week schedule meets 6 hours per week and earns the same 3 credits.

1. INTERNSHIP DEFINITION:  A capstone educational experience that allows a student to independently apply skills and knowledge acquired in major field courses in a workplace setting.  While the goals and expected outcomes of the internship experience are determined by faculty, specific daily work activities are assigned by the on-site supervisor, and students are supervised and evaluated on-site by an employee of the company hosting the internship.  Individual departments must approve internship sites, determine assessment requirements, and set minimum standards for eligibility.  Faculty will typically visit (in person or virtually) students and supervisors at the internship site a minimum of 1-3 times per semester and will collaborate with the on-site supervisor in the assessment of student performance.  Internships may be paid or unpaid, and one credit is awarded for every 3-6 hours of internship per week for a 15/16-week semester (prorated accordingly for shorter semesters).
2. PRACTICUM DEFINITION:  An educational experience that allows a student to work with professional practitioners, typically in an education or social work setting, while concurrently enrolled in a course that meets regularly to help groups of students assigned to different practicum sites integrate their experiences with learned theory.  Students work collaboratively with on-site professionals to observe and perform activities under the guidance of on-site staff.  Faculty work with on-site professionals to determine the appropriate types of activities to ensure that students gain experience that meets specified program goals and outcomes.  Individual departments must approve practicum sites, determine assessment requirements, and set minimum standards for eligibility.  Faculty will typically visit (in person of virtually) students and supervisors at the practicum site a minimum of 1-2 times per semester and will collaborate with the on-site supervisor in the assessment of student performance.  Practicum experiences are typically unpaid, and one credit is awarded for every 3 hours of practicum per week for a 15/16-week semester (prorated accordingly for shorter semesters).
3. CLINICAL DEFINITION:  An educational experience that allows a student to develop skills in applying theory to practice in a patient care setting.  Students are supervised directly on site by college faculty, who work collaboratively with on-site staff at the facility, and are directly assessed by college faculty in accordance with published evaluation criteria.  Individual departments engage the clinical site through a legal Memorandum of Understanding, which defines criteria for student participation at the site.  Clinical experiences are unpaid, and one credit is awarded for every 3-5 hours of clinical experience per week for a 15/16-week semester (prorated accordingly for shorter semesters).
4. CO-OP DEFINITION:  A co-op is an educational program involving paid, productive work experience in a field related to the student’s major or career.  The student is a full-time employee of the site and is not required to take classes during the duration of the co-op.  Depending on the length of the co-op and criteria established by the sponsoring academic department, up to 4 credits may be awarded.  Each college department will set standards for credit allocation and student eligibility to participate in a co-op.  Individual departments must approve co-op sites and will determine requirements (papers, journals, etc.) that must be met during the co-op.  The co-op will be graded using the college’s grading system and credit will be awarded accordingly.