Academic Credit and Course Load
Unit of Academic Credit
The State University of New York at Fredonia defines the credit hour in accordance with United States Department of Education regulations, USDE Guidelines for Preparing/Reviewing Petitions and Compliance Reports, January 2012, p. 74.
Credit hour: A credit hour is an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally established equivalency that reasonably approximates not less than-
- One hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out of class student work each week for approximately 15 weeks for one semester or trimester hour of credit, or 10 to 12 weeks for one-quarter hour of credit, or equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or
- At least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph (1) of this definition for other academic activities as established by the institution including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.
Course Load
The maximum course load for a full-time graduate student is 15 credit hours per semester during the academic year, 6 credit hours in each summer session, and 4 credit hours during J-Term. Graduate assistants normally carry a course load of 6 to 9 semester hours during the fall and spring. These limits may be waived; please contact the Graduate Studies Office for more information at graduate.studies@fredonia.edu.