Credit Hour Definitions and Repeat Codes

Regulations of the U.S. Department of Education require institutions of higher education to define “credit hour” and to develop policies and procedures for assignment of credit hours to courses and other types of academic work consistent with the institution’s definition.

Credit Hours

Credit hour information is listed in policy AP 303-35 Chapter 4.

Mode of InstructionOne (1) Credit Hour Definition
Face-to-face traditionalOne (1) hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two (2) hours of out-of-class student work for each week of instructional time.
Distance and Online LearningThree (3) hours of instruction and/or student work per week that leads to equivalent learning outcomes required for an on-campus course.
Field application, Internship, Practicum, Clinical rotationAt least thirty (30) hours of supervised work each quarter.
LaboratoryA minimum of two (2) class hours of work each week in a laboratory under the supervision of a lab supervisor/instructor and an expectation of one (1) class hour of additional out-of-class student work each week.
Individual study,
Thesis, Research report
A minimum of three (3) class hours of direct instruction and/or individual work each week.
StudioA minimum of two (2) class hours of instruction per week for each credit hour and an expectation of one (1) class hour of additional out-of-class student work each week.
Ensemble (Music)A minimum of two (2) class hours of instruction per week for each credit hour and an expectation of one (1) class hour of additional out-of-class student work each week.
HybridThis mode of instruction is a combination of face-to-face traditional and distance learning. For a hybrid course, one (1) credit hour should reasonably approximate the combination of face-to-face traditional credit and distance learning credit that is proportional to the percentage of the instructional time for each of the two modes.

Course Repeat Codes

The repeat code must be entered on the CIM form if the Course is Repeatable box is checked as Yes. A repeatable course allows students to earn credit and grades for each enrollment.

  • NE–Pre-University Course
  • RC–Repeat with Credit Limitation: limits the repeats to a total number of credits for the individual course.
  • RP–Course may be Repeated: may be repeated with no limitations
  • RT–Repeatable Topics Course: used for Topics courses that may be repeated for credit under a different title or topic.
  • RV–Repeat Variable Credit: used for courses that have variable credits and can be repeated for credit.

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Contact

Undergraduate
Mark Ward
509.359.6807
mward59@ewu.edu

Graduate
Scott Eubanks
509.359.6566
sreubanks@ewu.edu

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