Credit Hour Definition

Credit Hour Definition

Each course offered for University credit is assigned a specific credit hour value. A credit is a unit of measure that represents scheduled instruction which can be applied to the total number of hours needed for completing the requirements of a degree.  For many courses at Wilmington University, 3 credit hours are granted for courses with 40 instructional hours, (45 for Legal Studies Courses) including the structured external assignment.

However, Wilmington University recognizes that learning can take place in environments outside the traditional classroom. To recognize this learning and to equate it with traditional classroom learning, guidelines have been developed for awarding such credit.

Each 3 credit course at Wilmington University has 35 hours of scheduled instruction, approximately 60-80 hours of expected independent learning activities, and a 5 hour structured external assignment.