Credit Hour Policy

Adopted 9/19/13 by UND Academic Policies and Admissions Committee:

Academic units are expressed in terms of semester credit hours at the University of North Dakota. For face-to-face courses, one semester credit hours represents one 50-minute class period (lecture or structured student/faculty interaction) or 2-3 hours of laboratory session for each week of the semester.

For online or distance courses, UND academic units are assigned according to the classification of the distance course:

• Type 1: Distance course sections taught synchronously with face-to-face sections with equivalent student learning objectives and expectations for student effort – The distance section is assigned the same credit hours as the face-to-face section.
• Type 2: Distance course sections taught asynchronously with face-to-face sections with equivalent student learning objectives and expectations for student effort – The distance section is assigned the same credit hours as the face-to-face section.
• Type 3: Distance courses not classified as Type 1 or 2 that share equivalent student learning objectives and expectations for student effort as face-to-face sections of the course at UND – The distance section is assigned the same credit hours as the face-to-face section.
• Type 4: Distance courses not classified as Type 1 or 2 that do not have corresponding face-to-face sections at UND for comparison – The department or unit providing the course must document the expected level of student effort, expected student/faculty interactions, course assessment plan, and student learning objectives for the course. This information will be reviewed by the appropriate Department, College/School, and University curriculum committees for assignment of appropriate credit hours.