arrow_circle_left Back to All Policies

Policy for Awarding Academic Credit

TBR Policy Reference: 2.01.00.01

Approved by: President's Cabinet

Original Date Effective: 2022-08-26

Jackson State Community College (JSCC) is a part of the Tennessee Board of Regents system and a member of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

The purpose of this policy is to establish definitions, calculations for the assignment of credit hours that comply with SACSCOC policy and Federal requirements.

According to the SACSCOC Credit Hours Policy Statement (August 1, 2018), "Academic credit has provided the basis for measuring the amount of engaged learning time expected of a typical student enrolled not only in traditional classroom settings but also laboratories, studios, internships and other experiential learning, and distance and correspondence education. Students, institutions, employers, and others rely on the common currency of academic credit to support a wide range of activities, including the transfer of students from one institution to another. For several decades, the federal government has relied on credits as a measure of student academic engagement as a basis of awarding financial aid."

The SACSCOC Policy Statement defines a credit hour, consistent with the Federal Definition of Credit hour (Federal Register (75 FR 66832) as “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 of 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 required in item one (1) of this definition 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. 

According to the SACSCOC Policy, institutions are responsible for determining the appropriate amount of credit hours for coursework in programs that is consistent with the definition of a credit hour for Federal program purposes. The SACSCOC Policy states that “A credit hour is expected to be a reasonable approximation of a minimum amount of student work in a Carnegie unit in accordance with commonly accepted practice in higher education.”

JSCC Definition of a Credit Hour

Consistent with the SACSCOC Credit Hours Policy Statement, JSCC defines a credit hour as:

One semester hour of credit consists of a minimum of 750 minutes of classroom instruction per a fifteen-week semester.

All courses are equivalent to the standard credit hour calculation depending on the course type:

  1. Lecture courses - One semester hour of credit consists of a minimum of 750 minutes of classroom instruction per a fifteen-week semester. Each lecture hour presupposes a minimum of two hours preparation on the part of the student.
  2. Laboratory, Seminar, and Studio courses - Laboratory credit hours are defined as a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio (2 or 3 contact hours per week). General Guideline: 28-30 contact hours per semester is equal to 1 credit. Each laboratory, studio or seminar hour presupposes a minimum of one-hour preparation on the part of the student.
  3. Fieldwork, Internship, Research, Music Lessons or Practicum - Fieldwork, internship and research hours are defined as one credit hour consists of 45 work hours per semester. For music lessons or practicum hours, one semester hour of credit consists of 45 hours of instruction and out of class hours per semester.

    Clinical contact hours vary based on the amount of time it takes to expose the student to the competencies and skills required for the clinical experience. JSCC follows the recommended common curriculum guidelines established by the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) and program specific accreditation requirements. The TBR recommended credit to contact hour ratios are as follows:
    4. Credit HoursRange of Clinical Contact Hours
    115-105
    2106-210
    3211-315
    4316-420
    5426-525
    6531-630
    7631-735
    8736-840
  4. Distance Learning - all courses offered through distance learning must be developed and delivered in compliance with the definition of a credit hour.