Even though exceptions may be necessary, guidelines are still useful in assigning a measure of the student’s academic experience. Consistency in measuring the effort of students and faculty contributes greatly to reliable reporting and evaluation. These guidelines also help a student to understand the amount of effort that must be expended to complete a course or receive a degree. At most institutions on a semester credit hour system, a four-year degree usually requires 120-140 semester hours of credit, implying that the full-time student would earn 15 to 17 semester credit hours for each of eight semesters. If each semester credit hour represents about three hours of study.
