Credit Hour Calculator

Required Credit Hour Statement (must appear in all syllabi)

Effective Fall 2026, every course offered at SMU of every type, calendar, and modality must include a syllabus that contains the following statement accompanied by the credit hour calculator below. The credit hour calculator must be a good faith reflection of the work assigned and completed in the course as well as instructional time.

Statement

In accordance with federal policy and SACSCOC standards, SMU defines a credit hour as the amount of work represented in the achievement of student learning outcomes that reasonably approximates one hour (50 minutes) of instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work per week for each credit hour. Students should expect to spend at least three hours per week engaged in course-related work for each credit hour. Important Note: Shortened time frames (e.g., mod classes, intersessions classes, etc.) do not reduce total contact hour and expectations of time in student work outside of class. The same total hours must be delivered in a shorter timeframe through longer meetings or more intensive assignments. The following calculations hold true as a reflection of credit, regardless of the format of course delivery and include, but are not exhaustive of, the following: regular-term in-person; online/hybrid; laboratory; studio; internship/practicum /field experience; intersession/compressed term/course modules (A/B).

• 1 credit hour = 45 hours
• 2 credit hours = 90 hours
• 3 credit hours = 135 hours
• 4 credit hours = 180 hours
• 5 credit hours = 225 hours
• 6 credit hours = 270 hours

Credit Hour Template (Must Appear in Syllabi and Course Proposal Forms)

Use the template (see Table 1) and calculation guide (see Table 2) below to confirm the minimum threshold of hours to meet the minimum time commitment. Table 3 provides an elaborated model that informs the common categories available in Simple Syllabus/Canvas.

Table 1: Template (Example of a 3-credit Course @135 hours)

Table 2: Common Categories by Academic Activity (Canvas Syllabus)

Table 3: Calculation Guide for Estimated Common Academic Activities