Policy

http://bulletin.uga.edu/bulletin/acad/Workload.html

Policy

University of Georgia Credit Hour Policy June 26, 2014

Definition

http://bulletin.uga.edu/bulletin/acad/credit.html

Purpose
This policy establishes guidelines and responsibilities for determining the credit hours awarded for all courses and programs, regardless of academic level or mode of delivery, at the University of Georgia. This policy should guide faculty in developing and approving courses that meet the Federal and University System of Georgia definitions of credit hours.

Federal definition of a credit hour
For purposes of the application of this policy and in accord with federal regulations, a credit hour is an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally established equivalency that reasonably approximates:

1. Not less than one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours out of class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester or trimester hour of credit, or ten to twelve weeks for one quarter hour of credit, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time, or;

2. At least an equivalent amount of work as outlined in item 1 above for other academic activities as established by the institution including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.

University System of Georgia definition of a credit hour
A minimum of 750 minutes of instruction or equivalent is required for each semester credit hour.

University of Georgia Credit hour policy
University of Georgia courses should meet Federal and University System of Georgia requirements for awarding credit hours. This applies to all courses at all levels (graduate, professional, and undergraduate) that award academic credit recorded on an official transcript issued by the University regardless of the mode of delivery, including but not limited to online, lecture, seminar, and laboratory. This applies to all types of courses, including but not limited to Clinical, Cooperative Education, Directed Study, Internship, Laboratory, Online, Practicum, Seminar, Service Learning, Student Teaching, and Research. Academic units are responsible for ensuring that credit hours are awarded for work that meets the requirements outlined in the Federal and University System of Georgia policies. The expectation of contact time inside the classroom and student effort outside the classroom is the same in all delivery formats of a course whether it be fully online, a hybrid of face-to-face contact with some content delivered by electronic means, or one delivered face-to-face in lecture or seminar format. Courses that have less structured classroom schedules, such as research seminars, service-learning courses, independent and directed studies, study abroad, internships, practica, studio work, clinical experiences, or any other academic work leading to the award of credit hours, at a minimum, should state clearly learning objectives, expected outcomes, and workload expectations that meet the standards set forth in the Federal and University System of Georgia definitions of a credit hour.

Responsibility for the credit hour policy
Faculty and academic units are charged with following the credit hour policy in developing new courses or new modes of delivering existing courses. The Curriculum Committee of the University Council is charged with following the credit hour policy in its review and approval of all courses and for certifying that the expected student learning for the course meets the credit hour standard. The determination of credit hours is made when a new course or a revision to an existing course, including a new mode of delivery, is proposed.

Some programs sponsored by the University of Georgia offer resident credit (otherwise, international or domestic transfer credit is awarded). Students should check with the individual program. Credit earned in programs sponsored by other institutions or organizations will be recorded as transfer credit if accepted by the University of Georgia. To obtain credit for these programs, students must complete the UGA Study Abroad Credit Approval Form before departing. The Admissions Office and/or the academic departments will make final determination of the transfer of credit upon completion of the program and receipt of the final transcript.

Please see https://studyaway.uga.edu/ for a more comprehensive look at each particular program’s guidelines and credit earning opportunities.

Policy

http://bulletin.uga.edu/bulletin/ind/courses3.html

Policy

http://bulletin.uga.edu/bulletin/ind/cross.html

1. To ensure proper placement in University of Georgia language courses for any language studied in high school, students must present scores from either the College Board Achievement Test, the College Board Advanced Placement examination, the International Baccalaureate examination, the Cambridge A-Level examination, or the Cambridge AICE examination in the foreign language they studied in high school. In addition to the standardized tests listed above, students may take a University foreign language placement examination before enrolling in courses in the foreign language studied in high school. Advanced placement and course credit may be awarded based on these test scores as determined by the University’s foreign language faculty, the Advanced Placement Council, and the University Curriculum Committee. Transfer students are subject to the same requirement, unless they have already earned college credits in the language they plan to continue studying.

2. Any University of Georgia student may receive course exemption and/or credit for demonstrated proficiency in the foreign language, under one of the following circumstances:

   1. Through a satisfactory score on an approved exam listed in section 1. The required scores for exemption and credit will be established by the department teaching the language courses in concert with the Advanced Placement Council.

   2. Through a satisfactory score on an appropriate test developed by faculty who teach the language on this campus. The department teaching the language shall be responsible for developing the examination and specifying the performance required for receiving course exemption or credit.

   3. When a language is not offered through an approved standardized examination or through a department on campus, the student may opt to be certified through formal language testing programs approved by the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost and offered through the Testing Services.

   4. When the language is not available for testing by any of the above methods, it will not be possible for students to receive exemption (except for the option available to international students described below) or credit for the language unless a course or courses in the language are completed at another institution of higher education and, upon proper evaluation by the Office of Admissions, are placed on the student’s academic record.

3. In degree programs requiring a foreign language, international students, for whom English is a second language, may be exempted from up to 12 semester hours of foreign language study when all other required and elective hours for the degree are completed. International students may, as an alternative, opt to utilize the procedures available to all students described above.

4. Course credit received as a result of a score on a departmental foreign language placement test will not satisfy the General Education Core Curriculum requirements in Area IV, World Languages and Culture, Humanities and the Arts.

Policy

http://www.bulletin.uga.edu/bulletin/acad/Courses.html#Credit

Policy

http://www.bulletin.uga.edu/bulletin/acad/Courses.html#Military

Policy

http://www.bulletin.uga.edu/bulletin/acad/Courses.html#Forfeiture

Policy

http://www.bulletin.uga.edu/bulletin/acad/Courses.html#Tests

• Advanced placement courses are evaluated by the faculty in the prefix department to determine if the Advanced Placement course is equivalent to a University of Georgia course.
• The department will determine the score on the Advanced Placement exam that is necessary to receive credit for the course.
• Any changes to existing credit for Advanced Placement courses will be considered by the A.P. Council and the University Curriculum Committee.

If an Advanced Placement course is not equivalent to a UGA course, the University Curriculum Committee will determine whether or not this Advanced Placement course can be used in a specific Area of the Core Curriculum.

Guidelines developed by the Office of Instruction are available here.