Credit Hour Policy

Adopted 9/12/18 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) and a minimum of two hours of out-of-cass student work each week, or 2-3 hours of laboratory session for each week of the semester or at least the equivalent amount of work.

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.