Credit and Course Loads

Lehman and CUNY policies and regulations in regard to credit hours adhere to all guidelines of the New York State Education Department, whose guidelines, in turn, adhere to all guidelines of the United States Department of Education (NYSED). All courses and programs are submitted to and are approved by NYSED.

Semester credit hour means a credit or unit granted for the satisfactory completion of a course, which requires at least 15 hours (of 50 minutes each) of instruction and at least 30 hours of supplementary assignments. This basic measure shall be adjusted proportionately to translate the value of other academic calendars and formats of study in relation to the credit granted for studying the two semesters that constitute an academic year. Following CUNY guidelines, Lehman operates on an academic year divided into two equal semesters of 15 weeks duration (which runs from late August through the end of May), various shortened fall/spring sessions, a winter intersession of three weeks, and various shortened summer sessions. Lehman offers a full range of undergraduate and graduate courses on a day, evening, weekend, hybrid, and online schedule.

Consistent with codes and regulations of the State of New York (NYSED) and CUNY, the actual amount of academic work that is required of a single semester credit hour is calculated as follows:

• Lecture, seminar, discussion, recitation
  A semester credit hour is an academic unit earned for fifteen 50-minute sessions of classroom instruction with a normal expectation of two hours of outside study for each class session. Typically, a three-credit-hour course meets three 50-minute sessions a week for fifteen weeks for a total of 45 sessions.

• Laboratory, practicum, workshop, studio
  A semester credit hour is awarded for the equivalent of fifteen periods of such activity in which each activity is 150 minutes or more in duration with little or no outside preparation expected. Forty-five 50-minute sessions of such activity also normally earn one semester credit hour. Where such activity involves substantial outside preparation by the student, the equivalent of fifteen periods of 100 minutes duration each earns one semester credit hour.

• Fully online and hybrid course

  Credit hours are based on the same formula as above. A course that is fully online or partially online (hybrid) requires the same amount of direct computer-based work as the time spent in the class. The amount of student preparation is equivalent to the standard course models above.

• Sessions
  Credit hours are earned in short sessions (e.g., summer sessions, winter intersessions) proportionately to those earned for the same activity during a regular session of the institution. Required minutes are divided over the number of days in the shortened session.

Based on a 50-minute credit hour, minutes for all course sections are computed according to the following table used by the Registrar's Office:

Classes follow the college's “bell schedule” to ensure minimum contact hour requirements are met and classroom space is maximized. These bell schedules may be found on the Office of the Registrar Scheduling Information webpage.