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Definition of the Academic Year & Calculation of Contact Hours

The traditional academic year includes a fall and spring semester, which together include 31 weeks of instructional time; 15 in the Fall, and 16 in the Spring. The University considers critiques, juries and examinations as instructional time, and therefore the Spring semester includes a 16th week for end-of-the-year presentation and assessment of student work. Summer semesters are each six weeks long.

Within an academic year, the number of credits that the University suggests a full-time matriculated student complete varies from program to program. The University, however, expects full-time undergraduate students to complete a minimum of 24 credits within an academic year, but no more then 36 credits. Full time matriculated graduate students are expected to complete a minimum of 18 credits within an academic year, but no more than 36 credits.

The University Catalog includes the credit-to-contact hour ratios for each course. This information is based on a 15 -week semester. Therefore, a three-credit course meeting for six hours per week will have 90 contact hours. Courses scheduled during the summer session meet with greater frequency to insure that the appropriate number of contact hours is delivered within the six-week time frame.

Courses offered in the summer sessions are usually limited to the Liberal Arts and electives. Major programs, with the exception of Foundation and some graduate programs, do not usually offer major coursework during the summer. Summer Sessions are not considered part of the standard academic year, with the exception of those students who enter the first semester of the Foundation Program in the College of Art and Design in the spring semester, and the low residency MFA. Students enrolled in the Foundation Program are expected to enroll in and complete 9 credits, and low residency MFA students are expected to register for 12 credits. All other students enroll for summer courses on a part-time, per credit basis.