Policies > Academic Regulations > Course Load |
Undergraduate Full-time Status
All undergraduate students are classified as carrying a full-time course load if enrolled (registered) for at least
- 12.0 credit hours during a fall or spring term,
- 8.0 credit hours during Summer Session 1 or Summer Session 3
- 4.0 credit hours during Summer Session 2 or Summer Session 4
Some agencies outside the university may set different guidelines for full-time status and satisfactory academic progress. Students should comply with such guidelines without contradicting university purposes and regulations.
- For visa regulatory purposes, F and J visa holders who are enrolled 6 hours during the summer term are considered carrying a full course load.
Selected colleges and departments may have more restrictive or more permissive policies than the university policies listed below.
Recommended Course Load
An undergraduate student should recognize that course work in college will require a significant amount of work outside the classroom–traditionally recommended at 2-3 hours for every hour in class. That ratio will vary with subject, but the underlying principle will not: being in college is a time-consuming activity. Any other commitments while enrolled in college courses should be balanced against the time required to attend to one’s college classes and assignments.
Taking a recommended 3:1 ratio for the sake of illustration, a student carrying a 12 credit hour course load should plan to devote an additional 36 hours per week to course-related work. That would represent a total recommended time commitment of 48 hours; 15 credit hours would obligate one to perhaps 60 hours of work a week for satisfactory performance during the fall and spring terms. These course demands need to be kept in mind when deciding whether to live on-campus or off-campus. Students living off-campus need to allow time in their schedule for commuting. Working students need to consider how many hours remain in the 168 hours of the week after deducting time for eating, sleeping, recreation, and other extracurricular activities. This recommendation would also apply for online or other distance courses.
Students who work while going to school should balance their work-related activities against the hours needed to study.
Maximum Course Load
The course load for undergraduate students is dependent on the degree plan for which they enroll. For those students who expect to complete the requirements for a bachelor’s degree in about four years, the cumulative maximum undergraduate course load each fall or spring term is as follows:
Maximum Course Load by College
College
|
Term Credit Hours
|
Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design
|
21
|
Student on Probation/Academic Warning
|
13
|
College of the Arts
|
|
C.T. Bauer College of Business
|
18
|
Student on Probation/Academic Warning
|
12
|
College of Education
|
18
|
Student on Probation/Academic Warning
|
13
|
Cullen College of Engineering
|
19
|
Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management
|
18
|
Freshman
|
16
|
Sophomore, Junior Senior, Postbaccalaureate
|
19
|
Student on Probation/Academic Warning
|
13
|
College of Liberal Arts, and Social Sciences
|
|
Freshman
|
16
|
Sophomore, Junior, Senior, Postbaccalaureate
|
19
|
Student on Probation/Academic Warning
|
12
|
College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
|
18
|
Student on Probation/Academic Warning
|
13
|
College of Pharmacy
|
19
|
Student on Probation/Academic Warning
|
13
|
College of Technology
|
18
|
Exploratory Studies at UH
|
|
Freshman
|
16
|
Sophomore, Junior, Senior, Postbaccalaureate
|
18
|
Student on Probation/Academic Warning
|
12
|
Please consult the Graduate Catalog for maximum graduate course load information.
The maximum undergraduate course load for summer sessions, regardless of college or major, is as follows:
Maximum Summer Session Course Load
Session |
Credit Hours |
Summer Session 2 |
7 |
Summer Session 4 |
7 |
Cumulative Summer Session 2 and Summer Session 4 |
14 |
One-half of the hours in Summer Session 1 or Summer Session 3 should be added to any Summer Session 2 or Summer Session 4 - hours to determine total course load for Summer Session 1 or Summer Session 4.
Academic Probation/Academic Warning
An undergraduate or postbaccalaureate student who is on Academic Probation or Academic Warning shall enroll in no more than 13 hours in a fall or spring term for all majors except majors in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences* and Exploratory Studies at UH, both of which allow no more than 12 hours in a fall or spring term. An undergraduate or postbaccalaureate student who is on Academic Probation or Academic Warning shall enroll in no more than 5 hours in Summer Session 2 or Summer Session 4, or 10 hours in Summer Session 1 or Summer Session 3.
These totals include all courses for which students may enroll. Permission to take course loads above these maximums must be obtained in advance of enrollment (registration) from the dean of the college of the student’s major.
Overload
No student may enroll in a course load exceeding the college’s suggested course load for a specific term as listed in the Maximum Course Load Table without prior written permission of the dean of the college of the student’s major. Students who enroll in an overload without this permission may be dropped from selected courses at the discretion of the dean and may not receive a tuition refund.
To be considered for a course overload, the student must submit a petition to the dean and should meet the following criteria:
- Have a 3.00 minimum grade point average in the preceding two summer sessions (minimum: 12 credit hours) or in the preceding fall or spring term (minimum: 12 credit hours) at the university, or
- Be in good academic standing in the college if in the last term before graduation.
Students should consult the appropriate college section of the catalog for any additional conditions that must be met to qualify for an approved petition for an overload. A student must file the petition for overload prior to enrollment (registration) or add/drop.
The maximum overload permitted in any college by an approved petition is a load totaling 22 hours for a fall or spring term, 9 hours in a Summer Session 2 or Summer Session 3, and 15 hours for any combination of summer enrollments.
Refer to the Graduate and Professional Studies catalog for information on graduate course overloads.
*For the 2016-2017 academic year, also College of the Arts - please see CotA Academic Information section for explanation.
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