The structure of the US education system: credit systems

Education in the USA

Nursian school and university teachers at all levels use a variety of formulas to calculate, record and interpret the amount of earned academic or student credit that students accumulate in the process of obtaining certificates, diplomas, degrees and other qualifications. In most cases, earned credits are defined by the term “credit hours” or “credit units”.

Regarding “credits”, there are a few important things to keep in mind:

• Credit units or hours represent the mathematical sum of all the work done, and are not identical classroom only.
• US universities use credit formulas to account for all types of academic work, not just well-read courses. A US doctoral student’s academic report, for example, will additionally include credits earned for independent research (although these may technically be labeled classroom studies on paper).
student. Even doctoral students without a supervisor must be registered as students and pay tuition fees.
• Status as an official student is determined by admission for the current semester or quarter with a minimum number of credit hours that are awarded for any recognized and required type of study activities. Tuition is usually calculated based on the price of lecture credit hours.

MIDDLE SCHOOL CREDIT POINTS

The most widely used credit system in American high schools is based on the Carnegie Unit system. Carnegie Units were introduced in 1906 as the basis for school assessment. A Carnegie unit is one subject taught five days a week for one academic period. Fractional units are awarded for disciplines that are not taught so often. The term “Carnegie unit” is still used today to describe this system, as are some other terms (“annual credit unit”, for example). A historical note on the Carnegie Unit can be found in the FAQ section of the Carnegie Endowment for the Improvement of Education website under the heading “What is the Carnegie Unit?”

Some high schools set semester credits. These semester credits are based on a formula where one credit equals one subject taught five days a week for one academic period. Some other schools still award credits for the academic period spent in the classroom or for “hours”. Since the standard workload at school is five subjects, five hourly credits are equal to a semester credit, which doubles in a year.

LOAN SYSTEM IN HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

Semester credit calendar hours. Most American institutions of higher education divide the academic year into two equal semesters of 15-16 weeks each, with a 2-3 week winter break and a 10-12 week summer session, plus additional short breaks.

The actual amount of academic work per semester credit hour is calculated as follows:
• One credit-hour for lectures or seminars (discussions) is equal to 1 hour of the scheduled lesson (lectures/seminars) and 2 hours of student self-study per week. Most lectures and seminars receive 3 credit hours. For the entire semester, this formula calculates a minimum of 45 hours of classroom instruction and 90 hours of student self-study.
• One lab credit hour equals 1 hour of lectures or seminars, plus 1-2 hours of scheduled supervised or self-guided lab work, and 2 hours of student preparation time. Most lab courses receive up to 4 credit hours. This calculation adds up to a minimum of 45 hours of classroom instruction, 45-90 hours of lab work, and 90 hours of student self-study per semester.
• One practice credit hour (supervised shifts in hospitals, work in a theater or visual arts studio, teaching a student under the guidance of a teacher, working in the field, etc.) is equal to 3-4 hours of supervised and / or independent learning activities. This, in turn, equals 45-60 hours of practice per semester. A block of 3 practice credit hours, which includes studio or practical work, is equal to 135-180 hours of academic work per semester.
practical credit hours.
• Credit hours for an internship or apprenticeship are determined by agreement between the faculty and the employer, who must jointly evaluate various aspects of the student’s work. The credit formula is similar to the one used for practice credits.

A typical bachelor’s degree program at universities in the United States of America, which is based on a semester calendar, requires a student to receive a minimum of 120 credit hours.

The average in-house student typically earns 15 credit hours per semester, or 30 credit hours per year (the gap can be made up during summer sessions or self-study). This is approximately 30-40 courses (depending on the core subject and the proportion of credit hours earned) and is equal to at least 5400 – and even more – astronomical hours of intensive academic work in any specialty.

A master’s degree requires at least 33 credit hours and involves the writing of a dissertation research or project that requires more than 4,000 astronomical hours to be spent, with or without a supervisor (independent research), while a doctoral degree may require 8,000 (or more) astronomical hours of advanced study and research (after completing a master’s degree).

Quarterly Credit Hours Calendar. Some American universities use a quarterly calendar, in which the academic year is divided into three semesters (quarters) of 10-11 weeks, plus a summer session (fourth quarter, optional), a short winter semester, and holidays.

Quarterly credit hours represent a relatively smaller amount of work than semester credit hours (because of their shorter duration) and account for about two-thirds of semester credit hours. Therefore, a bachelor’s degree from a university using a quarterly calendar may require a minimum of 180 quarterly hours, which equates to 120 semester hours.

Other credit systems in post-secondary education. Semester and quarterly credit systems are the most common tuition credit systems in the United States. Some universities implement their own, specific credit systems, which may be similar to the Carnegie system (one course = one credit) or use formulas.