credit hour
Học thuậtThân thiện
A student checks her schedule to see she needs three more credit hours to graduate.
Definition
- Noun:
- A unit of academic credit: A "credit hour" is a standard unit used to measure the amount of academic work represented by a course. It typically corresponds to one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction per week over a standard academic semester (approximately 15 weeks), plus a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work each week.
Usage
- Noun:
- A "credit hour" is used to quantify a student's course load and progress toward a degree. Most university courses are worth three or four credit hours.
- The total number of "credit hours" completed is a key factor in determining academic standing and graduation eligibility.
Examples
- Noun:
- This introductory physics course is worth four credit hours.
- Full-time students typically enroll in 12 to 15 credit hours per semester.
- You need 120 credit hours to earn a bachelor's degree.
Advanced Usage
- "To take [a number of] credit hours": To enroll in courses totaling a specific number of credit units.
- She is taking 18 credit hours this term, which is a very heavy load.
- "Credit hour requirement": The mandatory number of credit hours needed for a program or degree.
- The credit hour requirement for the Master's program is 36.
Variants and Related Words
- Credit (n): Often used interchangeably with "credit hour" in an academic context (e.g., "a three-credit course").
- Semester hour (n): A synonym for "credit hour," emphasizing the semester-based system.
- Contact hour (n): Refers specifically to the time spent in scheduled instruction, which forms the basis for calculating credit hours.
Synonyms
- Semester hour: A unit of academic credit equivalent to one hour of instruction per week for one semester.
- Academic credit: A broader term for the recognition of course completion, often measured in credit hours.
Related Terms and Concepts
- Full-time enrollment: A status typically defined by being registered for a minimum number of credit hours (e.g., 12 credit hours per semester).
- Part-time enrollment: A status for students taking fewer credit hours than the full-time requirement.
- Credit load: The total number of credit hours a student is taking in a given term.
A student checks her schedule to see she needs three more credit hours to graduate.
Noun
- a unit of academic credit; one hour a week for an academic semester