An undergraduate student must carry 12 or more semester hours to be full time, 9–11 semester credit hours to be three quarters time, 6–8 semester credit hours to be half time, and 1–5 semester credit hours to be part time or less than half time. The normal semester load for undergraduate students is between 16-18 semester credit hours.

In order for an undergraduate student to pursue 19 or more credit hours per semester, a) the student must have the written approval of his/her advisor and the academic unit head; or b) the student's cumulative grade-point average must be 3.2 or better. An undergraduate student may pursue a maximum of 21 semester credit hours during the fall or spring semester of the academic year for which he/she is a candidate for graduation. An undergraduate student may pursue a maximum of 10 semester credit hours during the summer session.

For traditional courses, a semester credit hour represents one clock hour of instruction (or two clock hours of laboratory) per week and two hours of student work per week for a minimum of fifteen weeks (or equivalent). For online classes, each semester credit hour would represent a minimum of three hours of instruction and/or student work per week for a minimum of 15 weeks (or the equivalent) to meet learning outcomes appropriate to the level of the course. Some courses in art, music, physical education, and other areas are calculated according to the accreditation standards in the particular area.

COURSE NUMBERING SYSTEM The following system is to be used to ensure consistency in the numbering of courses.

100-199 Freshman Students Taken by any student who satisfies the prerequisites or obtains the consent of the instructor; Does not carry graduate credit.

200-299 Sophomore Students Taken by any student who satisfies the prerequisites or obtains the consent of the instructor; Does not carry graduate credit.

300-399 Junior Students Taken by any student who satisfies the prerequisites or obtains the consent of the instructor; Does not carry graduate credit.

400-499 Senior Students Taken by any student who satisfies the prerequisites or obtains the consent of the instructor; Does not carry graduate credit.

500-999 Graduate Students Only

600-699 Graduate Students Only Seminar and independent study courses.

700-799 Graduate Students Only Thesis and research (professional) project courses.