Credit Hour Policy (Definition of Credit Hour)
The number of credit hours a course is assigned is determined according to the federal semester credit hour definition in which:
1 credit hour = 1 hour* of direct faculty instruction + a minimum of 2 hours out-of-class student work each week for ~15 weeks.
*50 minute class periods are sufficient to meet this requirement.
For the most commonly-offered 3-credit hour course, it is expected that a student will receive the equivalent of 45 hours of instruction and spend a minimum of 90 hours on assigned class work for a total of 135 hours. Please see the chart below for additional credit hour expectations.
| Credit Hours |
Hours of Direct
Instruction |
Hours to Complete
Additional Coursework |
Total Hours |
| 1 |
15 |
30 |
45 |
| 2 |
30 |
60 |
90 |
| 3 |
45 |
90 |
135 |
| 4 |
60 |
120 |
180 |
| 5 |
75 |
150 |
225 |
Determining Credit Hours in Different Delivery Modes
Trine University offers courses in multiple term lengths and through multiple delivery modes to meet the needs of various student populations. Definitions of those modes can be found elsewhere in the catalog. All courses, regardless of delivery mode, use a standard syllabus of record with standard learning outcomes. The assessment of these outcomes is one method by which the University ensures that instruction provided and student work produced is equivalent across delivery modes. The guidelines below are another.
Note on Laboratory Courses:
The policies below refer to standard, lecture or seminar-style courses. Laboratory courses and practica must meet a minimum of two hours per week, or require at least two hours per week of student work. Additional work may be required, as appropriate, at the discretion of the program supervisor.
Guidelines for Delivery Modes
- Face-to-face:
- 15 week courses: Adhere to the policy above.
- 8 week courses: Required readings, viewing of/listening to recorded lectures, or engagement in other online/electronic direct instruction methods is expected to equal 15 hours per credit hour. Students’ work, including the completion of assessment activities and other assignments is expected to equal 30 hours per credit hour.
- Online: These courses can meet for meet for 8 or 15 weeks. Required readings, viewing of/listening to recorded lectures, or engagement in other online direct instruction methods is expected to equal 15 hours per credit hour. Students’ work, including the completion of assessment activities and other assignments is expected to equal 30 hours per credit hour.
- Hybrid courses, distance learning courses, and those offered as independent study: regardless of term length, are required to meet the policy expectation of 15 hours of direct instruction per credit hour, using any combination of face-to-face instruction and methods utilized in online courses. These courses are also expected to require 30 hours of additional student work per credit hour.
Note on Undergraduate Summer Terms
During the summer, one 12-week summer term and two 6-week summer terms are offered. Face-to-face, 12-week courses meet for a minimum of 3 hours per week. Six-week courses meet a minimum 6 hours per week.
It is expected that faculty will engage students through live platforms (phone calls, email, discussion board postings, virtual meeting software, etc.) in order to reach the requisite 15 hours of direct faculty-student interaction per credit hour. A 3-credit hour course (either 6 or 12 weeks in length) will require an additional 9 hours of live-platform direct instruction.
Note on International Partnerships:
Classes taught with international partner institutions through the Office of Global Partnerships adhere to the term lengths of those institutions. Standard Trine syllabi of record are used and standard learning outcomes assessed to ensure that instructional time and student work is substantially equivalent.