Credit Hour Policy

This policy describes how the School of Law determines the credit hours that it awards for coursework, in line with the ABA Standards for the Program of Legal Education.

Per ABA Standard 310(b), a “credit hour” is an amount of work that reasonably approximates:

(1) not less than one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and two hours of out-of-class student work per week for fifteen weeks, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or 

(2) at least an equivalent amount of work as required in subparagraph (1) of this definition for other academic activities as established by the institution, including simulation, field placement, clinical, co-curricular, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours. 

Based on the fifty minutes of classroom or direct faculty instruction and two hours of out-of-class student work per week over the fifteen-week (or its equivalent) period required by the Standard, at least 42.5 hours of total in-class instruction and out-of-class student work is required per credit. The School of Law may award credit hours that extend over any period of time, if the coursework entails no less than 42.5 hours for the minimum total amounts of classroom or direct faculty instruction and of out-of-class student work.