Credit Hours In College Career
English 11
15 Oct. 2012
What are Credit Hours?
There are many important things to be gained while at college; one thing that reflects what you have gained is the number of credit hours you have. Credit hours are helpful and necessary during a student’s college career. Credit hours serve many purposes. There are varying opinions on how many credits a student should take per semester. Credit hours are important during a student’s college career because they serve as a measurement, determine if a student is part or full time, determine how much a student pays in tuition, and count toward graduation.
In order to fully understand the importance of credit hours, one must understand what a credit hour is. A credit hour is a basic unit of measurement …show more content…
that counts toward a degree: either a Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree (“What Are Credit Hours & Courses in US Universities? Full time vs. Part time?” par. 2). The number of credit hours assigned to a course is based on the work load out of class and the time spent in class (Purdue 1). “Credit hours are a part of scheduling,” says Doug Lizak, a junior at Otterbein University. “Each college or university has a credit hour limit. At Otterbein there is a cap of eighteen credit hours per semester” (Lizak 2012). Scheduling your credit hours wisely can help you successfully graduate college. “Credit hours can help determine how much you pay a semester,” says Megan Zahorec a graduate from Baldwin-Wallace (Zahorec 2012). Credit housr are an important part of college life. They help you balance your class work load and your college life. A credit hour varies from forty-five minutes to an hour (Purdue 1). Most are based on semester courses. (Purdue 1) Credit hours are very important to one’s success during college.
There are two different types of students: full time and part time. Typically, for an undergrad student, twelve credit hours a semester is considered full time (“What Are Credit Hours & Courses in US Universities? Full time vs. Part time?” par 5). For graduate programs, generally nine or more credit hours are considered full time (“What Are Credit Hours & Courses in US Universities? Full time vs. Part time?” par 5). “I am considered a full time student; you are considered a full time student at Otterbein University if you take twelve or more credits,” said Doug (Lizak 2012). Full time students typically take anywhere between twelve and eighteen credit hours. “I was considered a full time student, and I took an average of sixteen credit hours a semester,” said Megan (Zahorec 2012). There are several advantages to being a full time student. A full time student is generally able to finish college in four years. Full time students typically view college as their “job.” Although there are some advantages to being a full time student, taking a full course load may have its downsides as well.
Taking too many credit hours can cause students to become burnt out and even cause them to become sick. Most universities put a limit or “cap” on the number of credit hours a student can register for (Lizak 2012). Students may take more, but it will cost extra in tuition. Schools can limit one’s credit hours in different ways. Some limit by the total of credit hours one has, some go by semester, and others go by department. For example, if a student goes over 170 credit hours at Texas A and M University, he must pay extra (“Registrar: Excess Credit Hour Rule.” Par 1). Some schools, such as the University of Washington, limit their first year undergrad student to nineteen credit hours per semester (“UAA Advising: We know How College Works.” Par 6). However, second year or above students can pay to take more (“UAA Advising: We know How College Works.” Par 7). The University of Iowa limits students by only letting them take fifty credit hours total in their major; the rest have to be in something that does not apply to your major ("Credit Hour Requirements & Policies." Par 3). Choosing the right amount of credit hours and work load can make or break one’s college career.
To graduate from college, a student needs a certain number of credit hours.
Although the amount of credit hours needed to graduate varies on the major, the number of credit hours needed to receive a Bachelor’s degree generally ranges 110-140 (“What Are Credit Hours & Courses in US Universities? Full time vs. Part time?” par 2). For most Master’s degree programs, thirty to thirty-nine credit hours are generally required. The number needed to graduate from the University of Iowa is 120 (“Credit Hour Requirements & Policies” par. 3 ). “I need 120 credit hours to graduate,” said Doug (Lizak 2012). Each college has different graduation requirements. Megan said, “I needed 124 to graduate and forty of these had to be in my major” (Zahorec 2012). Since most college classes are three to four credit hours, it is understandable that it can take a lot of time to graduate; in most cases, for undergrad students it takes around four years (“What Are Credit Hours & Courses in US Universities? Full time vs. Part time?” par 3). In most graduate programs, classes are also three to four credit hours, but it generally takes about two to three years because a student only needs thirty to thirty-nine to graduate (“What Are Credit Hours & Courses in US Universities? Full time vs. Part time?” par 6). Therefore, the number of credit hours a student needs to take to graduate will depend on what major and what courses are
taken.
Overall credit hours are a significant part of college life because they are used to measure one’s time spent in school, they define if a student is part time or full time, they may help decide how much a student pays in tuition, and credit hours also count towards graduation. Overall, credit hours are used as an easy way to track a student’s progress during college. Signing up for credit hours wisely during scheduling, and being a full time student can help a student finish faster. If a student takes too many credit hours he/she can become overwhelmed and fall behind. Colleges have attempted to put a stop to overscheduling, requiring that students pay more if they go over a set limit of credit hours. Finally, the number of credit hours is how colleges find out if students have taken enough to graduate. It is important to know that credit hours are a helpful tool throughout a students’ college career.
15 Oct. 2012
What are Credit Hours?
There are many important things to be gained while at college; one thing that reflects what you have gained is the number of credit hours you have. Credit hours are helpful and necessary during a student’s college career. Credit hours serve many purposes. There are varying opinions on how many credits a student should take per semester. Credit hours are important during a student’s college career because they serve as a measurement, determine if a student is part or full time, determine how much a student pays in tuition, and count toward graduation.
In order to fully understand the importance of credit hours, one must understand what a credit hour is. A credit hour is a basic unit of measurement …show more content…
that counts toward a degree: either a Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree (“What Are Credit Hours & Courses in US Universities? Full time vs. Part time?” par. 2). The number of credit hours assigned to a course is based on the work load out of class and the time spent in class (Purdue 1). “Credit hours are a part of scheduling,” says Doug Lizak, a junior at Otterbein University. “Each college or university has a credit hour limit. At Otterbein there is a cap of eighteen credit hours per semester” (Lizak 2012). Scheduling your credit hours wisely can help you successfully graduate college. “Credit hours can help determine how much you pay a semester,” says Megan Zahorec a graduate from Baldwin-Wallace (Zahorec 2012). Credit housr are an important part of college life. They help you balance your class work load and your college life. A credit hour varies from forty-five minutes to an hour (Purdue 1). Most are based on semester courses. (Purdue 1) Credit hours are very important to one’s success during college.
There are two different types of students: full time and part time. Typically, for an undergrad student, twelve credit hours a semester is considered full time (“What Are Credit Hours & Courses in US Universities? Full time vs. Part time?” par 5). For graduate programs, generally nine or more credit hours are considered full time (“What Are Credit Hours & Courses in US Universities? Full time vs. Part time?” par 5). “I am considered a full time student; you are considered a full time student at Otterbein University if you take twelve or more credits,” said Doug (Lizak 2012). Full time students typically take anywhere between twelve and eighteen credit hours. “I was considered a full time student, and I took an average of sixteen credit hours a semester,” said Megan (Zahorec 2012). There are several advantages to being a full time student. A full time student is generally able to finish college in four years. Full time students typically view college as their “job.” Although there are some advantages to being a full time student, taking a full course load may have its downsides as well.
Taking too many credit hours can cause students to become burnt out and even cause them to become sick. Most universities put a limit or “cap” on the number of credit hours a student can register for (Lizak 2012). Students may take more, but it will cost extra in tuition. Schools can limit one’s credit hours in different ways. Some limit by the total of credit hours one has, some go by semester, and others go by department. For example, if a student goes over 170 credit hours at Texas A and M University, he must pay extra (“Registrar: Excess Credit Hour Rule.” Par 1). Some schools, such as the University of Washington, limit their first year undergrad student to nineteen credit hours per semester (“UAA Advising: We know How College Works.” Par 6). However, second year or above students can pay to take more (“UAA Advising: We know How College Works.” Par 7). The University of Iowa limits students by only letting them take fifty credit hours total in their major; the rest have to be in something that does not apply to your major ("Credit Hour Requirements & Policies." Par 3). Choosing the right amount of credit hours and work load can make or break one’s college career.
To graduate from college, a student needs a certain number of credit hours.
Although the amount of credit hours needed to graduate varies on the major, the number of credit hours needed to receive a Bachelor’s degree generally ranges 110-140 (“What Are Credit Hours & Courses in US Universities? Full time vs. Part time?” par 2). For most Master’s degree programs, thirty to thirty-nine credit hours are generally required. The number needed to graduate from the University of Iowa is 120 (“Credit Hour Requirements & Policies” par. 3 ). “I need 120 credit hours to graduate,” said Doug (Lizak 2012). Each college has different graduation requirements. Megan said, “I needed 124 to graduate and forty of these had to be in my major” (Zahorec 2012). Since most college classes are three to four credit hours, it is understandable that it can take a lot of time to graduate; in most cases, for undergrad students it takes around four years (“What Are Credit Hours & Courses in US Universities? Full time vs. Part time?” par 3). In most graduate programs, classes are also three to four credit hours, but it generally takes about two to three years because a student only needs thirty to thirty-nine to graduate (“What Are Credit Hours & Courses in US Universities? Full time vs. Part time?” par 6). Therefore, the number of credit hours a student needs to take to graduate will depend on what major and what courses are
taken.
Overall credit hours are a significant part of college life because they are used to measure one’s time spent in school, they define if a student is part time or full time, they may help decide how much a student pays in tuition, and credit hours also count towards graduation. Overall, credit hours are used as an easy way to track a student’s progress during college. Signing up for credit hours wisely during scheduling, and being a full time student can help a student finish faster. If a student takes too many credit hours he/she can become overwhelmed and fall behind. Colleges have attempted to put a stop to overscheduling, requiring that students pay more if they go over a set limit of credit hours. Finally, the number of credit hours is how colleges find out if students have taken enough to graduate. It is important to know that credit hours are a helpful tool throughout a students’ college career.