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I'm an international student who will become freshman this fall. I'm confused about credits and hours ? Just don't get it. How many credits for one course ? And how was it calculated ? What does "hours" mean ?
Thanks a lot.

By Serene (Serene) on Friday, August 08, 2003 - 04:49 pm: Edit

It all depends on college.

By Rockerlinda (Rockerlinda) on Friday, August 08, 2003 - 04:53 pm: Edit

one year courses are usually worth 1 credit, and half year courses are usually worth 1/2 a credit.
The number of credits a course is worth should be on the course selection booklet for your school.
Once you pass a course, you will receive the number of credits the course is worth. You need a certain number of credits to graduate high school and receive a diploma. Depending on which diploma you want, you should aim for that many credits. For example, the standard diploma for my school only requires 20?? credits, and the advanced diploma requires maybe 24 credits. If you want the standard diploma, you won't have to worry about the extra 4 credits.

By Rockerlinda (Rockerlinda) on Friday, August 08, 2003 - 04:54 pm: Edit

oooh...you mean college credits. lol...sorry. i just did another dumb thing to add to the list. just forget everything i said then.

By Zerg_Vvins (Zerg_Vvins) on Friday, August 08, 2003 - 04:55 pm: Edit

are u talking about high school or college?

My college requires 120 unit to graduate

my high school required 24 unit to graduate

By Serene (Serene) on Friday, August 08, 2003 - 04:57 pm: Edit

Rockerlinda: Actually as I said it depends on college. The way you said is exactly how Harvard does its credits (I think ^^). Though some colleges would look at how many hours the course takes per week I think (and hence the hours). But usually 4 classes/semester is the norm.

By Rockerlinda (Rockerlinda) on Friday, August 08, 2003 - 05:02 pm: Edit

Serene: heh heh heh....i'm so braindead right now i'm not surprised i even read your thing wrong

By Xerox (Xerox) on Friday, August 08, 2003 - 05:03 pm: Edit

thanks all.
My college requires 120 credits to graduate too.
But I don't understand. One course is designed for one full year, right ? But one counts 4 credits. So does it go as quarter system like highschool ? By the way, full time study requires 12-18 hours/week, what does it mean ? i'm not allow to take exceed 18 hours ? (what's on earth is "hours" ? time I spend for classes ? ) Just curious, I know I can't but I heard a guy took triple complete different majors before.

By Serene (Serene) on Friday, August 08, 2003 - 05:11 pm: Edit

I think full time study is like a ... threashold sort of. And beyond that any class you take will not add to the tuition. Am I right?

Don't correlate 1 credit with 1 semester. That simply means if you've finished the class you get 4 credits. Either you get 4 or you get 0 I think.

By Xerox (Xerox) on Friday, August 08, 2003 - 05:19 pm: Edit

Is it right ? So why they define 4 credits for one course ? It doesn't make sense. Oh, do you know what the differences are between B.A and B.S of a same major ?

By Serene (Serene) on Friday, August 08, 2003 - 05:20 pm: Edit

I think that's their way of weighing different courses. Like some courses get more credits than others.

Really? There are BA and BS of the same major? I never knew that heh....

By Xerox (Xerox) on Friday, August 08, 2003 - 05:32 pm: Edit

Yeah, I'm sure about that. My college lists it. Computer Science B.A and another B.S. Confusing...

By Drusba (Drusba) on Friday, August 08, 2003 - 07:03 pm: Edit

Typically a college that goes on the semester system (most colleges) does it like this:

1. A course can be anywhere from one to five hours of credit per semester. It really mainly depends on how many hours a week a course meets. If you are in a course for which you will get 3 credits for the semester that means you will go to class three hours a week (and an hour is really 50 minutes in college, thus you will go three times a week 50 minutes each or alternatively two times a week 75 minutes each). Some exceptions are labs where you may go 2 hours or more a week but get only 1 credit.

2. A typical student may take 15 hours of credit per semester -- meaning he is taking most often 4 to 5 courses that add up to 15 hours of class a week -- for example, the student may take five 3-hour courses and thus go to each course three times per week for an hour a shot. If he passes all the courses at the end of the semester he gets 15 hours of credit towards the requirements for graduation, which often range between 120 and 130 hours; thus if you take 15 hours a semester for 8 semesters you end up with 120 credit hours.

3. In that system there is no true one year course. Everything is by semester. Even if you have a course that may take one full year to complete, they will divide it up into two courses, one each semester.

4. Many colleges have a stated range of hours you can take per semester -- often 12 to 17 or 12 to 18. That range usually does not bar you from taking more although you may need special permission to do so which a beginning freshman with no college track record is unlikely to get(because 17 or 18 is a lot when you assume you may be studying 2 hours out for every hour in). What that stated range of hours does determine is: (a) if you are below the lowest part of the range you are no longer considered a full-time student which can have a number of ramifications including impact on financial aid; (b) the school may have a tuition rate per hour, say $200, however it will usually have a set rate for that range -- if you take 12 hours it is $2400 (using the $200 per hour figure) but it also remains at $2400 if you take 13, 14, 15, 16, or 17 hours; (c) if you exceed the range of hours then you have to pay the hourly rate for hours in excess of the range.

5. As to having either a BS (sciences)or BA (Arts) degree in the same named major, like computer science, the difference is usually that you take far more science and math courses for that BS degree than the BA which may require far more liberal arts type course work requirements. Sometimes it is the difference in which school the major is in -- for example the school may have Computer Science divided between its Arts & Sciences and Engineering/Technology school and if you pursue the degree through the A&S school you may get the BA and if through the engineering school the BS.

By Xerox (Xerox) on Wednesday, August 13, 2003 - 05:43 pm: Edit

Wow, big thanks to you. One more thing is that someone told I should choose B.A. Because study B.A will be easier if I wt to double , triple majors or maybe change major completely whatever etc... And B.A is more advantage to gain admission in graduate study than B.S (Ivies League for eg). I'm very doubted it but dunno which way to choose either.