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Motion: Definition of an Undergraduate Credit Hour
BFA-X-M-9-0105

Boulder Faculty Assembly Executive Committee Motion to Approve Definition of an Undergraduate Credit Hour

BFA-X-M-9-0105

MOVED that the Boulder Faculty Assembly unanimously approves the following definition of an undergraduate credit hour:

An undergraduate student should expect to spend approximately 3 hours per week outside of class for each credit hour earned.

In order to complete, for example, 120 credits in 8 semesters, a full-time student must average 15 credits per semester. A 15-credit load implies that full-time undergraduates should expect to spend as much as 60 hours per week on their education.

It is clear that the effort that an individual student expends on a given course will vary, according to the nature and level (lower division or upper division) of the course. Students must understand that class attendance counts for only a portion of the effort required in order to be successful. Professors must understand that they can demand only a portion of the students' time.