Credit Hour Policy and Compliance

The New York State Education Department approves all credit-bearing degree and certificate programs at the University of Rochester.   All courses and degree programs at the University must comply with Section 50.1 (o) of the New York State Commissioner of Education Regulations.

Credit hour calculations for courses in these programs follow NYSED guidelines, which are consistent with the U.S. Department of Education’s definition of a credit hour.

Codes, Rules and Regulations of the State of New York, Title 8 – Education Department, Chapter II –Regulations of the Commissioner, Subchapter A – Higher and Professional Regulations, Part 50 – General, Section 50.1 (o) stipulates the following:

 Semester hour means a credit, point, or other unit granted for the satisfactory completion of a course which requires at least 15 hours (of 50 minutes each) of instruction and at least 30 hours of supplementary assignments, except as otherwise provided pursuant to section 52.2(c)(4) of this sub chapter. This basic measure shall be adjusted proportionately to translate the value of other academic calendars and formats of study in relation to the credit granted for study during the two semesters that comprise an academic year.

Section 52.2(c)(4) stipulates:

A semester hour of credit may be granted by an institution for fewer hours of instruction and study than those specified in subdivision (o) of section 50.1 of this Subchapter only: (i) when approved by the commissioner as part of a registered curriculum; (ii) when the commissioner has granted prior approval for the institution to maintain a statement of academic standards that defines the considerations which establish equivalency of instruction and study and such statement has been adopted by the institution; or (iii) in the event of a temporary closure of an institution by the State or local government as a result of a disaster, as defined in section 50.1(w) of this Title, when the commissioner has granted approval for the institution to maintain a statement of academic standards that defines the considerations which establish equivalency of instruction and study and such statement has been adopted by the institution.

Source: Westlaw; NYSED Commissioner of Regulations (NYSED)

The Credit Hour Policy and Procedures state that institutions may use different methodologies for determining the assignment of credit hours. The methodology for assigning credit hours should accurately represent the level of instruction, academic rigor, and time requirements of a course taken and educational programs should be of sufficient content, depth, and program length appropriate to the objectives of the degree or credential. Both within and between institutions, consistency in credit hour determinations has implications for the transferability of credit and minimizing the loss of credit for students. The definitions for clock hour and credit hour were updated to align with revised federal regulations in 34 C.F.R.  600.2.

As part of accreditation activities, the Commission will review an institution’s policy, procedures, and/or methodology for determining credit hour to determine if the methodology used appears to be a reasonable approximation of an amount of student work and is consistent with commonly accepted practice in postsecondary education.

Source: MSCHE July 2022

(updated December 2024)

This policy documents the College’s adherence to federal, state and university guidelines for the application of credit hours to undergraduate and graduate courses. It explains the history of the credit-hour system within the College (and its precursors) and the current break-down of in-class contact hours and out-of-classroom work associated with various types of courses.

History of the College Course System and Credit Hours

The credit-hour policy for the College has been guided by basic principles established over 50 years ago. The Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences approved the transition to a four-course system from the previous five- course system in January 1961, with final guidelines on the new system distributed later that year. The rationale for the system was that fewer courses per semester allowed students to develop a deeper understanding of course material, including working independently to increase their knowledge in these topics. The Faculty approved the following statement outlining the approved approach for allocating credit hours to courses.

“The ordinary unit of undergraduate instruction in the College is the course, which is defined as consisting of a coherent body of academic material requiring approximately 25% of the working time of the student during one term. Lecture and discussion courses normally meet for three fifty-minute or two seventy-five minute periods each week with the equivalent of a fourth period being made up of enriched independent study, lecture, or discussion. Laboratory courses ordinarily involve four fifty-minute class periods or their equivalent in laboratory sessions each week. For purposes of recording, computing grade averages, and reporting to the State Education Department, each course shall normally be assigned four hours of credit. This definition shall ordinarily apply to all courses in the College numbered between 100 and 399” (January 20, 1961, emphasis added).

In 1968, the New York State Education Department formally registered all majors within the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering and Applied Science under this new system. As such, the College expected students to enroll in four, four-credit classes, or 16 credits total, per semester.

Course credit has evolved in the intervening period due to changes in the curriculum and the need for specialized courses. The standard course remains four credit hours, but the College has also introduced one- and two-credit courses in a variety of disciplines. These latter courses typically focus on applied skills (music, dance, student leadership opportunities) or relate to technical laboratory or workshop activities (CAD, micro-electric devices). In recent years, five- and six-credit courses have been also added to the curriculum in certain disciplines (chemistry, modern and classical languages). The increased credit hours for these courses reflect the additional student effort (inside and outside class) necessary for students to master this material.

Current Policy

The College continues to operate on a four-credit per course system as outlined above, with credit hours allocated based on the University credit hour policy. The University credit-hour policy follows United States Department of Education and New York State Education Department policies regarding credit hours (see Appendix B). These policies delineate the number of contacts hours and supplementary work required per credit hour.

Combined, these policies mandate that each credit hour consists of one hour of faculty-led instruction and two hours of out-of-class supplementary work per week throughout the semester. In the case of a two-credit course, for example, the course would have two hours of faculty-led instruction and four hours of supplementary work (readings, assignments, projects) every week, for six hours total each week. A four-credit course would double these amounts, with four hours of faculty-instruction and eight hours of supplementary work, for twelve hours total. (Note that an “hour” of classroom-based instruction is defined as 50 minutes to allow for transit time between classes.)

In addition, these policies allow for “equivalent” academic activities to replace faculty-led instructional time. An equivalent academic activity can include formally defined activities such as recitations, studios and laboratory sessions; however, it may also include additional independent academic work completed outside of class in less structured settings. In this case, the faculty-led instructional time, equivalent instructional time and supplementary work must equal the hours per week associated with the course credit hours.

*For most courses, this will consist of a series of lectures provided in the classroom. These are based on a 50-minute “hour” as defined in the credit-hour policy.

**For laboratory-based courses, equivalent activities and out-of-class student work will be met in part through instructional time and/or independent work in the lab.

Supplementary student work refers to standard “homework” activities for students, which might include reading assignment, papers or essays, problem sets, group-work assignments, etc. Courses within the College utilize a combination of faculty-led instruction, equivalent academic activities, and supplementary student work to meet the credit hour policy. The chart below outlines the typical distribution instructional and supplementary work for courses by credit hour.

(updated December 2024)

• Most Simon graduate-level courses follow a calendar based on two 7-week “mini-semester” terms per semester. To maintain compatibility with the semester calendar followed by most units at the University of Rochester, Simon uses semester-based credit hours to denominate credit hours for its courses.
• The typical course offered in Simon’s MS and MBA (full-time, part-time, and executive) programs bears 2.5 credit hours. Based on the above definitions of a credit hour, such courses require 37.5 instructional hours of 50 minutes each (i.e., 25 actual hours of 60 minutes). Instructional hours consist of instructor- led lectures, instructor-created videos, and “equivalent academic activities” that can include required recitations, “lab” sessions, and independent academic work completed outside of class.
• In addition to these instructional hours, a course worth 2.5 credit hours also requires 75 hours (of 50 minutes each hour) of supplementary student work outside of class (i.e., two hours per instructional hour). Supplementary work refers to standard “homework” activities for students, which might include reading assignments, papers or essays, problem sets, group-work assignments, etc.
• The sum of instructional hours and supplemental work outside of class for a course bearing 5 credit hours must be at least 112.5 hours of 50 minutes (i.e., 93.75 actual hours).
• The total of 93.75 hours per 2.5-credit course is achieved differently for daytime, evening, and weekend classes. Daytime classes meet for 2 hours 10 minutes twice per week for 7 weeks, totaling 30.33 hours. Evening classes meet for 3 hours 50 minutes once per week for 7 weeks, totaling 26.83 hours. Weekend classes meet between 18 to 22 hours per course, supplemented with instructor videos bringing total instructor-led instruction to at least 24 hours. Accordingly, to attain 31.25 instructional hours, equivalent academic activities per course are approximately 1 hour for daytime courses, 5 hours for evening courses, and 7.25 hours for weekend courses. For all courses, supplementary student work outside of class totals 62.5 hours over the term.
• PhD classes entail more equivalent academic activities and are accordingly 3 credit hours as opposed to 5 for non-PhD classes. Most Simon PhD classes meet for 2 hours 10 minutes twice per week for 7 weeks.
• Some classes with projects require more weeks for students to complete the projects and are therefore offered on a full-semester These “semester” classes meet for 2.5 hours per week for 14 weeks and augment the 35 hours of instructor-led instruction with 15 hours of equivalent academic activities.
• A couple of Simon graduate courses are worth only 1 credit hour and accordingly meet less as reported in the table below.
• Undergraduate courses offered by Simon Business School adhere to the College Credit-Hour Policy specified above.

Credit-Hour Calculations for Graduate Courses at Simon Business School

Credit-Hour Policy on Course Syllabi

All Simon course syllabi should state how the course meets the total instructional hours specified in the Simon credit-hour policy through the scheduled course sessions with the instructor (e.g. lectures, discussions) and equivalent academic activities.

The following is recommended syllabus language for Simon graduate courses:

“This course follows the Simon credit-hour policy for 2.5-credit courses (as specified in the University document available online). This course meets [once/twice] weekly for [# of hours] hours per week and students.”

Because all Simon courses have less classroom time than the required total instructional hours, the syllabus must also state the nature of the “equivalent academic activity” that will bring the total instructional hours up to the required amounts specified in the table above.

For courses that require viewing instructor-created videos or attendance at recitations, labs, or workshops the language below should be added:

“The course also includes [recitations/labs/workshops/videos] for [# of hours] hours per week of instructional activity.”

For courses that require independent out-of-class assignments to serve as “equivalent academic activity”, the language below should be added:

“In this course, students will complete [independent study/group activities] using readings and other course materials. These activities include [generally specify activities and/or assignments to be completed over the course of the semester] with feedback and guidance from faculty and/or TAs.”

Instructors using this language may draw on the examples below to specify how students will meet the requirement for additional out-of-class independent activities.

Examples of Independent Activities and/or Assignments Expected of Students Outside of Class:

• Additional non-class time with instructor and/or teaching assistants (e.g., required office hours)
• Student-led discussion groups or workshops
• Team-based work on a project or assignments
• Community activities (e.g. participant observation with community group, participation in an activity, interviewing staff or researching a topic)
• Special events (preparation for and participation in poster sessions, presentations, colloquia, panel discussions, etc.)
• Special assignments (e.g. thesis or capstone project, student-led instruction in the class)

If an instructor feels the course has too little or too much material to justify the assigned credit hours, the instructor should undertake a thorough evaluation of the course. This review should include consultation with the faculty dean and program dean as needed, to ensure that credit hours and course materials are adjusted appropriately.