<p>what are credit hours and how do they work?</p>
<p>Most schools work on the system of you need 120 credit hours to graduate, which works out to 15 a semester. Most classes are 3 credits, so you take ~5 classes a semester for 4 years to graduate. Some classes are more credits, and some are less. The classes most notorious for being less are the science labs, which are 3 hours and only 1 credit. Most classes meet Monday / Wednesday / Friday for 50 minutes and 3 credits, or Tuesday and Thursday for 75 or 80 minutes and 3 credits.</p>