Semester Credit Hours

In the catalog course descriptions, the three numbers following (to the right of) the course title indicate the: (a) hours per week the class meets for lectures, (b) number of laboratory hours required per week and (c) credit hours awarded for successful completion of the course. One semester hour of credit represents one hour of lecture time per week for 16 weeks; one semester hour of credit also represents two to four hours of laboratory time per week for 16 weeks. Lecture and lab proportions may vary depending on the nature of the course.

For example, BIOL-1406 Biology for Science Majors I, 3-3-4, has three hours of lecture per week conducted over 16 weeks and three hours of laboratory per week conducted over 16 weeks with four hours of credit awarded for successful completion. This weekly requirement is adjusted to compensate for terms/sessions/ semesters with lengths other than 16 weeks. For instance, 3-0-3 for an eight-week term would require six hours of lecture per week and 2-4-3 would require four hours of lecture and eight hours of lab per week.