Scope

The credit-hour policy applies to all courses taught at Hampden-Sydney College for which students are awarded academic credit. This policy includes guidelines for zero-credit-hour courses.

Purpose

The credit-hour policy ensures the College is in compliance with credit-hour requirements promulgated by the United States Department of Education and the College’s institutional accrediting body, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. This policy standardizes the College’s method for calculating and awarding course credit.

Definitions

The College’s definition of the credit-hour and related terms align with policies issued from the United States Department of Education (34 C.F.R. 600.2) and SACSCOC’s Credit-Hours Policy Statement:

  1. Credit-hour: 1 credit-hour is 1 hour (50 minutes) of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of 2 hours of out-of-class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks per semester or equivalent.
  2. Direct faculty instruction: Direct faculty instruction occurs when there is direct engagement between the faculty member and the student to facilitate student learning. For instance, direct faculty instruction includes live interactions between the faculty member and student, such as traditional face-to-face instruction, synchronous instruction via an internet meeting platform (e.g., Zoom), one-on-one meetings, guest lectures, and instructor-guided activities, such as small group activities. Other forms of direct faculty instruction do not require the faculty member and student to meet in real-time, such as recorded lectures, discussion forums facilitated by the faculty member, and email communication.

Policy Statement

H-SC uses the credit-hour as its primary method for determining students’ progress toward degree completion. Faculty must apply the credit-hour definition applicable to the course(s) they teach to determine the amount of course time and out-of-class work to award for academic work. Faculty can exceed the minimum out-of-class work requirement.

The following credit-hour standards apply to all class types, including lectures, labs, internships, performance studies, directed readings, independent studies, and senior thesis courses:

  1. Face-to-face class: 1 credit-hour is awarded for 1 hour (50 minutes) of in-class lecture or discussion time and a minimum of 2 hours of out-of-class work each week for approximately fifteen weeks per semester.
  2. Laboratory classes: 1 credit-hour is awarded for 150 minutes of laboratory time each week for approximately fifteen weeks per semester.
  3. Performance studies:
    1. Ensembles: 1 credit-hour is awarded for 150 minutes of class time each week for approximately fifteen weeks per semester.
    2. Lessons: 1 credit-hour is awarded for 30 minutes of lesson time each week and a minimum of 120 minutes of out-of-class work each week for approximately 15 weeks per semester.
  4. Off-Campus courses:
    1. Cultural Engagement in Study Abroad: In 1 credit-hour study abroad courses, out-of-class work expectations and direct instruction are combined with cultural engagement activities.
    2. Pre-professional: In internship and shadowing EL courses, students are expected to complete at least 140 hours of supervised work or 45 hours in the workplace per credit in addition to related directed instruction.
  5. Other: For directed reading, independent study, and senior thesis courses, credit is awarded in accordance with the time commitment required for the expected product.

Zero-Credit-Hour Courses

The Rhetoric Proficiency Exam (or, alternately, Rhetoric 200) is the only formal degree program requirement for which students receive zero credit-hours. Departments that want to propose additional zero-credit-hour degree requirements must follow the procedures outlined in the Policy on the Management of the Academic Catalogue and achieve approval via the faculty governance process. Proposed zero-credit-hour courses must be formal degree program requirements and not optional, co-curricular achievements.

Responsibility

Faculty within each department are responsible for implementing the credit-hour policy.

Related External Policies

Code of Federal Regulations: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-34/subtitle-B/chapter-VI/part-600/subpart-A/section-600.2

SACSCOC Credit-Hours Policy Statement: https://sacscoc.org/app/uploads/2019/08/Credit-Hours.pdf

Policy History

  1. Approved by Faculty: December 2, 2024
  2. Implemented: July 1, 2025
  3. Next review scheduled: September 1, 2028