The Credit Hour
The Department of Music and Dance aims to remain consistent with the Federal Definition of the Credit Hour, which is also supported by UMass Amherst, the National Association of Schools of Music, and the New England Commission of Higher Education.
One credit hour is generally defined as a total of 45 hours per semester, configured as:
- 50-60 min of instruction + a minimum of 2 hours of coursework per week or
- 3 “hours” (150-180 minutes) per week or
- Any variation thereof
Application to Music Courses
Participation and achievement in music-related courses can be challenging to quantify, and will be unique to each applied area and individual student’s level of achievement. The Department of Music & Dance recognizes the numbers above as average suggested guidelines for minimum time spent per credit in music courses. The actual amount of coursework per week, per course, and per instructor, and the amount of student preparation will vary.
Independent Studies
Students may request enrollment in an Independent Study course at the undergraduate (MUSIC 496) or graduate (MUSIC 696) level by submitting the appropriate Course Override Form.
Each one academic credit earned toward the independent study course should represent approximately 45 total hours of student work, including time spent in direct and/or indirect contact with their supervising faculty member and individual time spent.