Determination of Credit Hours for Coursework

The American Bar Association (ABA) and U.S. Department of Education require that law schools adopt, publish, and enforce written policies on the determination of credit hours. According to ABA Standard 310(b)(1), a “credit hour” is defined as follows:

an amount of work that reasonably approximates: (1) not less than one hour of classroom time or direct faculty instruction and two hours of out-of-class student work per week for fifteen weeks, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or (2) at least an equivalent amount of work as required in subparagraph (1) of this definition for other academic activities as established by the institution, including simulation, field placement, clinical, co-curricular, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.

The ABA stipulates that fifty minutes suffice for one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and that sixty minutes constitute one hour for out-of-class student work. Based on these numbers, the ABA requires at least 42.5 hours of total in-class instruction and out-of-class student work per credit [15 x 50 minutes + 15 x 120 minutes = 2,550 minutes (or 42.5 hours)].

In accordance with Standard 310, each course in the School of Law thus requires the equivalent of 42.5 hours of classroom or direct faculty instruction and out-of-class student work per credit hour. The School of Law adopts the following policy to determine the appropriate number of credit hours for coursework and to ensure law school compliance with this determination.

Appropriate Number of Credit Hours for Coursework

Traditional Classroom Courses

For traditional classroom courses, each course credit hour requires an amount of work that reasonably approximates at least:

Fifty-five minutes of classroom time or direct faculty instruction for thirteen weeks (or the equivalent amount over a different period of time);
Thirty hours students devote to out-of-class academic engagement; and
One hour students devote to taking a final examination, to completing a final assessment, or for additional instruction, as explained below.

This breakdown ensures that students devote at least 42.5 hours to complete the coursework per credit hour awarded.

Class time or direct faculty instruction:

The Fall and Spring semesters are comprised of (1) thirteen weeks of classroom instruction (plus makeup days for holidays); (2) a reading period; and (3) an examination period. The School of Law adds five minutes to the ABA-required minutes for each classroom session to allow for extended reflection on and discussion of professional formation themes. A one-credit course thus meets for one hour, not 55 minutes.

Out-of-class academic engagement:

Out-of-class academic engagement is considered in the aggregate over the semester (or term of the course). This engagement includes time students spend preparing for class, reviewing class materials, completing assignments and projects, and preparing for a final exam or final assessment.

Final examination or assessment:

For courses with an in-class final exam, the duration of the exam will normally match the number of credit hours for the course (e.g., a three-credit course will have a three-hour exam). For courses without an in-class final exam, students must use the time they would have devoted to taking a final exam (e.g., three hours for a three-credit course) in completing the course’s final assessment, such as a paper or final project; or the professor must provide additional instruction equivalent to this amount of time.

Clinics
- These courses require an amount of work reasonably approximating at least 42.5 hours of student work per credit, including time spent working on cases, projects, simulations, and attending a weekly classroom component.
Externships
- In accordance with the Legal Externship (LAW 8550) course description, students must complete 50 hours of work at the field placement for each credit hour received.
Other Academic Activities
- For the purpose of determining the credit hours awarded in other academic activities such as independent study, moot court, and other academic work leading to the award of credit, the faculty advisor must communicate the hourly expectation to students (that the students involved must work at least 42.5 hours per credit received).

Policy Compliance

The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs assigns the amount of classroom time for each course in compliance with this policy, and courses are then scheduled for student registration. Classroom times may be adjusted to account for out-of-class, supervised instruction. In such situations, faculty members are required to justify the deviation from the default time in their syllabi.

Professors are required to review their syllabi and their course assignments and expectations to ensure compliance with this policy. Professors will consider in this determination projected in-class time and anticipated time students will invest in out-of-class academic engagement. For all traditional classroom courses (as identified above), professors are encouraged to put in their syllabi language that explains that students are expected to spend at least two hours each week per credit hour in out-of-class academic engagement, which includes time preparing for class, reviewing class materials, completing assignments and projects, and preparing for a final exam or final assessment. For other courses (i.e., clinics, externships, and other academic activities), professors teaching those courses must establish a procedure to assess the time students devote to the course to ensure compliance with this policy.

In its course approval process, the Curriculum Committee considers this policy in approving the number of credits allocated to courses. Professors are required to submit their syllabi for courses they are teaching that semester to the law school administration, and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs will periodically review course syllabi to assess whether courses are complying with this policy. The law school Curriculum Committee may also periodically review the awarding of credit for other academic activities to ensure compliance with this policy.