Graduate Handbook 2023-2024

Credit Load and Academic Scheduling

Rochester University operates on a semester academic calendar. Three semesters are offered per academic year: Fall (late August – mid-December), Spring (January – April), and Summer (May – August). Rochester University follows the Carnegie definition of a credit hour: 

  1. For each hour of credit, 15-week courses should require one hour of faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work each week; or 
  2. For each hour of credit, 8-week courses should require two hours of faculty instruction and a minimum of four hours of out-of-class student work each week. 

These basic measures may be adjusted proportionately to reflect a modified academic calendar and/or format of study.