Credit Hour Policy

At Thomas Edison State University, a semester hour credit represents the amount of work typically needed for a student to achieve mastery of intended learning outcomes that have been established at the appropriate level and rigor for college- level work. Evidence of this mastery corresponds to minimum standards for the grade received.

Courses offered by TESU are designed with the expectation that students will need to spend approximately four hours on course-related work per credit per week. As such, for a 3-credit, 12-week course, students should expect to spend up to 144 hours (12 weeks x 4 hours x 3 credits or 8 weeks x 6 hours x 3 credits) on course-related work. Credit awarded for prior learning or other nontraditional methods is based on mastery of the same learning outcomes as are found in TESU courses. This meets or exceeds the applicable federal, state, and regional standards.