Portland Community College

This information is no longer current.

Credit Guidelines

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According to the NW Association of Schools and Colleges Accreditation Handbook, for each quarter credit awarded there should be at least 30 hours of student involvement. This would include 10 hours of classroom instruction and approximately 20 hours of out-of-class work. For a three-credit course, 30 hours of classroom instruction and 60 hours of out-of-class work are required. When equating clock hours to credit, the following applies:

• Lecture - A minimum of ten clock hours equals one credit hour.
• Lecture/Lab - A minimum of twenty clock hours equals one credit hour.
• Lab - A minimum of thirty clock hours equals one credit hour.
• Co-op/Clinical - A minimum of thirty or forty clock hours equals one credit hour for supervised or semi-supervised instruction respectively (work experience).

The placement of students in a work experience where a college supervisor visits the field work site periodically. The primary supervision is from the employer or other individual contracted to provide the field experience.

• Co-op/Clinical - A minimum of ten clock hours equals one credit hour (seminar).
• Independent Study - A minimum of thirty clock hours equals one credit hour.
• Special Projects - A minimum of thirty clock hours equals one credit hour.

Any change in clock, lecture, lab, or credit hours will require a new course content guide approved through the current process.

Maximum clock hours for each credit category will be established at 10% beyond maximum hours for 10-12 weeks:

Maximum hours

• Lecture: 13
• Lecture/Lab: 27
• Lab: 40

Effective Date: For all courses approved after December 1, 1990