<p>Do class units correspond to the number of hours of lecture the class requires per week (e.g. 4 units= 4 hours lec/wk)?</p>
<p>Also, are most classes generally 4 units? Thus, do most colleges require you to take a minimum of 3 classes (at least 4 units each) per quarter/semester? Do most people generally take 3 classes, 4 classes, or more? </p>
<p>Please answer these questions with respect to top 20 US universities. Thanks.</p>
<p>In general, yes, one class hour = one credit. There are of course exceptions. Labs may be 1/2 credit = 1 hour. One school I know of uses 1 hour of work per week = 1 unit (based upon the theory that one needs to spend 2 hours doing work for every hour of class). Under that system, a 3 hour/week course would be a 9 unit course.</p>
<p>You need 12 credits to maintain full-time student status. If you fall below that, then it will greatly affect your financial aid.</p>
<p>My undergrad curriculum recommended anywhere from 5 to 7 courses a semester depending on the semester.</p>
<p>12-15 credits is the norm, but depending on your course load you may do more or less. you cannot draw extremely broad generalizations about this. a really good student could get away with four 4 credit courses, and them some, one semester because of intro gen ed courses and drop to 12 the next semester because of difficult research/writing intensive courses.</p>
<p>but as a general rule, 15 is the goal, regardless of hours of the class. going over 15-16 as a first semester freshman may not be advisable in most cases.</p>
<p>I am taking 18 credits my freshman year and everyone tells me that’s a lot. However, two of the credits are from being in the band and choir (if I were not in these ensembles I would be taking the “normal” amount of credits at my school), and I don’t exactly consider that tough material. Should I really be as worried as people tell me to be?</p>
<p>Do you tell people what those two credits are? That’s probably why people worry about you taking 18.</p>
<p>And no, I wouldn’t be worried based on what you just said.</p>
<p>Thanks ken285 and yes I tell people that ensembles are credit bearing but they still don’t seem to get the idea. Oh well at least some people understand!</p>
<p>tell them to think of it as like being in 2 clubs that just happen to give credit.</p>
<p>I’m taking 17 credits my first semester, but I don’t have a choice. The nursing adviser said that most students take 12-15, but there’s so much in the nursing curriculum that we’ll always be taking a lot.</p>
<p>I took 18 units while commuting. My commute was 1 and a half hours 1 way. That was hell. </p>
<p>Don’t do it. </p>
<p>Overall 18 units can be a lot particularly depending on class. I wouldn’t recommend doing more than 15 (only do 15 and you’ll be right on pace to complete in 4 years). If you do a lot more you’re sacrificing time that could go toward your social life.</p>
<p>I’ll be taking 17 my first semester, but I’m in the same boat as HazelEyez – 4 credits are classes that just discuss orientation or a book some student read over the summer. (One of them is the first class I’ve seen that was only 2 hours a week but was worth 3 credits.) People think that’ll be an awful workload, but I think having 16-18 credits a semester is very doable if you’re organized and not taking all hard sciences or something.</p>
<p>Most colleges use a semester system. Under that system most humanities and non-lab science courses are 3 hours. Some foreign languages and sciences that have labs are 4 - 5 hours. Usually the hours tell you how many hours you spend in class each week, but this is not always the case. </p>
<p>I’ve had 0-hour labs that met for several hours every other week and two 4-hour computer courses that meant for two hours three times a week, totaling 6 hours.</p>
<p>As far as typical loads go, under semester systems, you need 120 hours to graduate, typically, so 120 hours / 8 semesters = 15 hours average per semester… 12 hours is usually minimum, as was stated already, to maintain full-time status.</p>
<p>Does anyone know what the deal is with Carnegie Mellon? It looks like I’ll be taking four 9-unit courses every semester and possibly an additional 3-6 unit course. Does CMU calculate units differently?</p>
<p>CMU was actually the school I was referring to in the first paragraph of my first post. Over there, one unit = 1 hour of work inside and outside of class. Of course, they estimate the work outside of class.</p>
<p>For example, a 3 credit course elsewhere would be a 9 unit course at CMU. That’s 3 hour of class time and 6 hours to do work outside of class (based on the theory you should spend 2 hours preparing for class for every hour of class time). This includes homework, studying, etc.</p>
<p>at my school almost all courses are 3 credits. Even courses with 3 hours lecture and 3 hour labs. Hell, I’ve had courses that are 7 hours a week that are only 3 credits.</p>
<p>I believe at my college the number of units refers to the number of credits- for example, a 1 unit course is worth 4 credits, a .75 unit course is 3 credits and so on… however it does seem many of the science courses consist of a discussion and a lab (which will meet at different times) and yes, together these two sections are still only worth 4 credits</p>
<p>For lectures, 1 credit = 1 hour per week. For labs, 1 credit = 3 hours per week.</p>
<p>I’ve had a class that met 9 hours a week that was 3 credits.</p>