What Are Credit Hours? The Building Blocks Toward Your College Diploma

Credit hours are the form of measurement most universities use to indicate how many credits a course is worth, based on the time you will likely spend on the class each week.

When you enroll in a college degree program, you do so in hopes of opening doors to opportunities as you begin or advance your career. You want to cross that finish line sooner rather than later, but you may not realize what's involved to get you to that point.

College degrees are granted when you’ve earned the number of credit hours an institution has designated for that particular program, based on recommendations from an accrediting organization.

So, What Defines a Credit Hour?

A credit hour represents the anticipated number of hours you'll spend on a course each week, according to Nick Serdynski, a transfer credit evaluation specialist at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU).

One credit hour, for instance, can equate to one hour of faculty instruction and at least two hours of homework during a semester or trimester, according to the U.S. Department of Education (ED PDF Source).

Within higher education, most courses are worth 3 credits. Occasionally, some courses are worth more or fewer credits. For example, a weekly lab accompanying a science course may be worth 1 credit.

Aside from guiding the curriculum, credit hours are used to determine how much of your degree has been completed — and how much you have left.

Credits by Degree Level

Each degree level requires a specific number of credits to graduate, commonly seen as:

• Associate degree: 60 semester credits, or 20 classes
• Bachelor’s degree: 120 semester credits, or 40 classes
• Master’s degree: Typically 30-40 semester credits or as many as 60 semester credits, depending on the program and the institution

It’s important to note that credits earned in an associate degree may transfer into a bachelor’s program; you shouldn’t have to start your 120 credits from the beginning if you've already put in the work.

If you transfer to a college that has instituted a guided pathway for a seamless transition, have a conversation with your admission counselor or academic advisor about the credits you earned during your associate degree. The university's support team will want to work with you to bring most or all of your 60 credits into your bachelor’s program, saving you time and money.

Going to graduate school is different. Earning your master’s degree means starting a new program at a new level, so you’ll earn completely different credits than what you completed for your bachelor's work.

How Are Credits Distributed Within a Degree Program?

In undergraduate programs, which include associate and bachelor's degrees, credit hours are oftentimes split into three categories:

• General education requirements
• Program requirements
• Free electives

While general education courses (or “gen eds”) are usually similar across programs within an institution — these include standard English, STEM, humanities and social science classes — the number of free elective credits will differ. This is because program requirements are vastly different across degree programs. More program requirements can mean fewer free electives, and vice versa.

Graduate coursework is different. Because undergraduate work is complete — meaning a student has already attained a well-rounded education — students are able to use this level of education to hone in on a particular interest or career path. All credits in a graduate program are typically just the program requirements.

How Many Credit Hours Do You Need Per Semester?

The number of credit hours you'll need to complete per semester varies by institution, degree level and your personal goals. First, you'll want to consider how much time you can designate to your education and how soon you want to complete your degree. The more time you have and the quicker you want to finish, the more credits you should take per semester or term.

Some institutions that offer courses by semester require you to take 12 or more credits per semester to be considered a full-time student, or 6 to 8 credits if you're going to school part-time. Other institutions operate on shorter schedules. For example, SNHU offers 6 undergraduate terms per year. In this case, completing six or more credits per term indicates that you're a full-time student, and any less is part-time.

Financial aid is another variable. If you're receiving financial aid to help you cover the cost of tuition, it may be under the expectation that you complete a certain number of credit hours per semester. Be sure to check your award package or ask an advisor to help you understand your situation.

Clock, Quarter and Semester Hours

Courses may be worth a different amount of credits if they're based on clock hour, quarter hour and semester hour calendars. Clock hours, according to Takara Rose, a transfer credit evaluation specialist at SNHU, equate to the number of faculty instruction hours, whereas quarter and semester hours are credit hours that are used to guide the amount of coursework students receive.

While the type of calendar your school operates on doesn’t matter if you stay at the same school throughout your degree program, it's important to understand the implications if you transfer schools.

If you move from a college that uses one calendar to a school that uses another, you wouldn't have the same number of total credits or the same amount of credits assigned to a course.

According to Rose, colleges use formulas to determine how the different types of credits will transfer.

For instance, SNHU's programs, including the online, term-based courses, use semester hours. "If a previously attended school also uses semester hours, then the amount of credits granted for a transferable course would be equivalent to what is listed on the previous school’s transcript," she said.

This 1-to-1 conversion does not apply when considering credits earned in a quarter or clock hour calendar. Transfer credit evaluation specialists like Rose and Serdynski would need to convert your credits into semester hours using a certain formula.

How to Calculate Your Credit Hours

To calculate how many credit hours you have left to complete your degree, you'll need to compare how many credits are required in your program to the number of credits you've earned. Make sure to account for the specific requirements for your program, too.

You can review your transcripts to see how many credit hours you have earned, but just because you completed a course doesn't necessarily mean you have earned those credits. For instance, most schools have grade requirements that you must meet for a course to be counted.

If you're currently enrolled, your school can confirm how many credits you have earned toward your program, as well as how many credits you have remaining.

It can also be helpful to know how many you've completed if you plan to transfer to a different degree program or school. While an unofficial transcript can give you a ballpark estimate, Serdynski said, you'll want to have the school you hope to attend evaluate those credits and determine how they'll translate into your new program.

"We can accurately and precisely determine what can be transferred, the amount of credit earned and if they are directly equated to the courses we offer," said Serdynski.

While there are transfer-friendly schools you can apply to, it's important to note that some credits may not transfer into your school or program of choice.

"The amount of credit hours a student has completed is not necessarily the same as the amount of credits that are transferable," said Rose. "Each college has their own policies about the types of classes that will and won’t transfer in."

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Transferring Your Credits

If you're planning on transferring colleges, you'll need to apply to your prospective school and have your transcripts evaluated to see how many credits will be accepted.

Transfer credit evaluation specialists take a close look at applicant transcripts and submitted test scores earned through platforms such as Sophia Learning.

"I enter all of the transferable coursework into our system and review each course to determine how it will transfer in," Rose said. "(For instance:) if the course can be directly equated to any SNHU courses or which elective would be the most appropriate."

You might be surprised to learn how many of your credits can be transferred to some school — even if it's been a while since you earned them.

Some schools, such as SNHU, offer free credit transfer evaluations that allow you to maximize prior learning and give you the credit you deserve. It's as simple as this at SNHU:

1. Complete the free 5-minute online application. There’s no obligation after filling it out.
2. Get your transcripts requested – for free. Chat with an admission counselor, and we'll request your transcripts on your behalf.
3. Receive your free evaluation. Soon after all your transcripts are in, you'll get your official evaluation. It will show you what was transferred in — and what classes you need to complete.

Serdynski and Rose recommend that you share any and all transcripts you have from prior learning experiences. "You have already spent time, effort and money completing coursework at previous institutions," Serdynski said. "Assuming the courses are transferable, you should be rewarded for the work you have already completed."

When AnnMarie Kulis '20 '24G first came to SNHU to earn a bachelor's degree, she said she was able to transfer many credits into her program. She wanted to set an example for her children — one of whom started college around the same time.

After finishing her bachelor's in general studies — a multidisciplinary program that's especially accepting of transfer credits — Kulis went on to earn a master's in healthcare administration.

The degree, which she said was required for her role as an educator at a hospital, has helped her build credibility. Now, as a manager in healthcare, she can draw from the evidence-based practices she learned while in college.

"I have confidence in having the knowledge to back up what I'm saying when I'm doing my job," she said.

Still Have Credit Hour Questions?

If you want to learn more about what credit hours mean in terms of your education and career goals, talk to your admission counselor or academic advisor.

The support service teams at your university can clarify how many credits you’ve already earned, what courses you should register for to earn credits toward your degree requirements and how many credits you have left to earn.

Deidre Ashe was 9 years old when she launched her professional writing career. While spending a day at work with her dad, she penned her first book, illustrated it and sent it off to a publishing company — after finding the address on the copyright page of one of her paperbacks. While the story never made it to the shelves of libraries, the editors wrote back, encouraging her to continue pursuing her writing passion. (Yes, she still has that letter.)

After earning a bachelor’s in journalism, Ashe spent a decade working in the media industry. She then transitioned into marketing, later getting her MA in Communication from Southern New Hampshire University in 2018. Connect with her on LinkedIn.