Credit Hours

Policy 214

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to support Appalachian State University’s compliance with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges’ (SACSCOC or “Commission”) expectations regarding credits and federal regulations governing the award of financial aid.

Scope

This applies to all faculty, staff and students of Appalachian State University.

Definitions

Credit Hour

The unit by which an institution measures its course work. The number of hours assigned to a course is a measure of the outcomes expected, the mode of instruction, the amount of time spent in class, and the amount of work that is expected outside of class in order to complete all course objectives.

Semester Credit Hour

The most commonly used unit for reporting the credit earned in a class and is based on a sixteen-week calendar at Appalachian State University. Across the UNC system, a class must meet for a minimum of 750 minutes for every semester hour of credit.

Policy and Procedure Statements

Introduction

1. Accreditation Standards - All courses offered for credit at Appalachian State University (the University) must meet both internal and external accreditation standards for class contact hours and for expected out-of-class learning.
2. Out-of-Class Preparation - Students should expect to spend at least two to three hours of studying for every hour of class time. Hence, a fifteen hour academic load might reasonably require between 30 and 45 hours per week of out-of-class work.

Types of Credit Awarded by Appalachian State University

1. Regular Credit
   Credit earned for regularly offered collegiate courses of instruction that meet the requirements of a degree program.
2. Thesis Credit
   Students who are judged by the thesis or dissertation committee chair to be making satisfactory progress in the term of enrollment will be assigned a grade of IP (in progress) by the chair for that term. Students who are not progressing satisfactorily will be assigned a grade of U. This credit allows measure of the expected amount of work and the resources used, while the student actually earns zero degree credit hours.
3. Transfer Credit
   Appalachian State University students may earn transfer credit from a variety of sources, including but not necessarily limited to: hours earned at other regionally-accredited institutions with a grade of “C” (2.0) or better; credit by exam (e.g., Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Cambridge AS / A and CLEP); military coursework and experience; and international coursework. With respect to coursework completed at North Carolina Community Colleges, Appalachian abides by the North Carolina Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (CAA), which dictates that students who have earned an Associate in Arts (AA) or Associate in Science (AS) degree from any North Carolina Community College with a grade of “C” or better in all CAA courses have met the general education requirements of any University of North Carolina campus. For students not receiving an AA or an AS degree, up to 30 semester hours of Universal General Education Transfer Component (UGETC) coursework from a North Carolina Community College may be applied toward a University of North Carolina campus’ lower-division general education requirements. Courses not previously approved may be submitted to the appropriate department for equivalency review. All coursework over ten years old will be reviewed by academic departments to determine transferability. Appalachian does NOT accept remedial or developmental coursework. For more information on Appalachian’s transfer credit policy, please visit the Transferring Credits page, hosted by the Office of Transfer Admissions & Engagement.

Credit for Life Experience

1. Life Experience
   In exceptional cases, credit may be awarded for prior non-college-based learning if the credit sought is related to the student’s degree program (i.e. general education, major or licensure requirements). Assessment of prior learning will commence only after a student has been admitted to the University and has declared a major.
2. Assessment of Creditable Learning
   Anyone seeking credit for life experience must be either a candidate for an undergraduate degree at Appalachian or taking courses for teacher licensure. Credit for life experience cannot be used to repeat a course, nor can it be used to meet the University’s residency requirements for graduation.

Summary of Semester Credit Hours Guidelines
Instructional Type	Weekly Student Class Hours	Preparation Weekly per Class Hours	Semester Minutes Class/Prep	Number of Semester Credit Hours Awarded	Notes
Non-Laboratory Class Instruction
Lecture	1 to 4	Required	750-3,000/1,500-6,000	1 to 4
Seminar	1 to 3	Required	750 to 2,250/1,500-4,500	1 to 3
Web/Web Based	3	Required	2250/4,500	3
Majority/Web Based Hybrid
Lecture/Laboratory Class Instruction
Combined Lecture/Lab	3 to 5 class hours	varies	2,250-3,750/0	4
Combined Lecture/Studio	1-5 class hours	varies	750-3,750/0	2 to 4
Clinical	5.6 to 8.4 class hours (84 to 126 contact hours per course)	varies	750-3,750/0	3
Laboratory Class Instruction
Laboratory	1 to 3 class hours	varies	750-2,250/0	1
Studio	2 to 4 class hours	varies	750-2,250/0	2 to 3
Performance/Recital/Ensemble	2-5 rehearsal hours	varies	750-2,250/0	0 to 1
Physical Education/Outdoor/Activity based	3 hours	varies	750-2,250/0	1
Conversational Foreign Language	3 hours	varies	750-2,250/0	3
Independent Study
Instructional Assistant	0	varies		1
Lesson/Individual Instruction	1 to 3	varies	750 to 2250/0	varies
Practicum	0	varies		varies
Research	0	varies		varies
Student Teaching	0	varies		12
Thesis/Dissertation	0	varies		1 to 3
Field Experience	0	varies		varies
Independent/Individual Study	0	varies		varies
Internship	0	varies		1 to 12
Continuing Education- Other Credit
Study Abroad/Away	1 to 3 hours	varies	varies	1 to 6	Depends on length of trips
Individual Study	0	varies		varies
Short course/conferences/workshops	10 class hours		500/0	1 CEU

Appendices

Appendix A: UNC Policy Manual Statement on Credit Hours

Appendix B: Study Abroad, Study Away, and other Short Term Courses

Appendix C: Approval Process for Short-Term Study – Away Courses (Includes any short-term course offered within U.S Borders)

Appendix D: Examples of Classes That Meet Appalachian State University Credit Hour Guidelines

Additional References

1. Appalachian State University Undergraduate Bulletin
2. Appalachian State University Policy on Internet/Web-Based Courses
3. AOEP Proposal Form

Contact Information

Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education| Academic Affairs | 828-262-7660

Original Effective Date

August 30, 2012

Revision Dates

January 24, 2022

September 29, 2022