AcademicPolicies
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Credit Hours
Credit for study at Clayton State University and at all institutions in the
UniversitySystem of Georgia ismeasured quantitatively in semester hours. One
semester credit hour presumes one hour (actually 50minutes) in class per week
plus about two hours (100 minutes) outside of class in study, review, project
preparation, and related activities. Most courses are three credit hours, meaning
that the class will normally meet 150 minutes per week and that the student
should normallyplan to spend anadditional 300minutes studying, reviewing, and
preparing. A laboratory or activity period of two or three clock hours is normally
considered the equivalent of one class hour, since less extensive out-of-class
preparation is required.
This rule of thumb for timemanagement will, of course, vary from student to
student and course to course depending on student background and course
content. Although many studies have shown that the amount of time that a
student spends on task isa critical factor indetermining the likelihoodof success,
students should remember that success in a course is ultimately measured by
thedegreeofmasteryof educational objectives, not just by the time invested.
Online courses and web courses are also measured by semester hours.
Although the delivery method is non-traditional, the general calculation of
spending about 150minutes per week on task per semester credit hour is still a
useful rule of thumb. There are also additional circumstances in which the
“standard” number of instructional minutes per week is not consistent with theout
of classminutes per week due to thenatureof the courseandmaterial.
Advanced Placement Program of the College Board (AP):
In some basic
courses, ClaytonStateaccepts anAP grade of 3 for credit. Grades of 4 or 5 are
required for some other courses. The current required scores are shown in the
table below. Students seeking credit must have their official scores sent directly
from AP to the Office of the Registrar. (The University does not accept scores
forwarded byhigh schools.)
AdvancedPlacement Scores
AcceptedbyClaytonStateUniversity
APExam
Score
CSUCourseCredit
Awarded
CSUCredit
Hours Awarded
Art History
3, 4, or 5
ART 2301 or 2302
3
Biology
3, 4, or 5
BIOL 1111/111L and
BIOL 1112
7
Biology
4
BIOL 1107/1107L
4
Biology
5
BIOL 1107/1107L
And
BIOL 1108/1108L
8
Chemistry
3
CHEM 1151/1151L
4
Chemistry
4
CHEM 1211/1211L
4
Chemistry
5
CHEM 1211/1211L
andCHEM 1212/121L
8
