Semester Credit Hour

Semester Hour and Expected Coursework

Semester Credit Hour is the quantitative unit used to measure coursework. The number of semester credit hours assigned to a course reflects the outcomes expected, the mode of instruction, scheduled in-class time, additional formal meeting times, and the amount of outside preparatory work expected for the class.

Faculty members expect students to work an average of two hours outside of class for every hour spent in the classroom. Therefore, if a student were to take the standard 15-hour course load, the student would be expected to spend approximately 15 hours in the classroom and approximately 30 hours outside of the classroom, for an average total of 45 hours of classroom work, study, writing, research, etc. each week. For a 15-week semester, this translates into 135 hours of work per semester per course and 675 hours per semester for a full course load.

Please see guidance from the Office of Online Education on credit hours and calculations for online/hybrid courses.

Wake Forest University degree programs may also include courses in degree requirements for which 0 credit hours are awarded. These courses may meet one of two criteria: 1) courses considered supplemental to a primary course, such as laboratories, discussion, recitation, or practicum sections or similar courses, where the supplemental sections are scheduled separately and where their appropriate credit hours have already been calculated in the primary course credit awarded; or 2) co-curricular or other engagement activities outside of traditional classroom, studio, or laboratory instruction (such as experiential opportunities, internships, external exam completion, etc.) may be transcripted as 0-credit hour courses to track participation and co-curricular degree requirements. 0-credit hour courses are offered only in pass/fail or satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading modes. In exceptional circumstances, the College, graduate, and professional schools may define additional criteria for assigning 0 credit hours to specific courses, as published in their Academic Bulletins or Student Handbooks. The determination of appropriate course credit hours for all courses is made through curriculum and course approval processes in each school and the College.