Credit Hour Determination

Policy

Consistent with State Board of Community Colleges Code, a credit hour at Durham Technical Community College is calculated according to the following formula as based on a sixteen-week semester: one (1) hour of classroom instruction per week equals one (1) credit hour; two (2) hours of supervised laboratory instruction per week equals one (1) credit hour; three (3) hours of supervised manipulative laboratory, shop, or clinical practice per week equals one (1) credit hour; and ten (10) hours of work experience, practicum, or internship per week equals one (1) credit hour.

Purpose

Durham Technical Community College (Durham Tech) is a constituent member of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), which serves as the College’s regional accrediting body. SACSCOC is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as an agency whose accreditation enables its member institutions to seek eligibility to participate in Title IV programs. To maintain its recognition with the U.S. Department of Education, SACSCOC has incorporated certain federal requirements into the Principles of Accreditation. Among those requirements is one that requires institutions to define the manner in which it defines a credit hour.  In addition, Durham Tech is an individually accredited member of the North Carolina Community College System that abides by the policies, standards, and regulations set forth by the North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges and the North Carolina Administrative Codes for the determination of credit hours awarded for courses and programs.