Calendar
Academic Terms
Inver Hills operates on the semester system. That means that we have two full terms each academic year. Fall and Spring semesters include 16 weeks of instruction. Many students also choose to attend the abbreviated summer term - notice summer isn't called a semester! The courses in summer aren't any easier and they usually cover the material at least twice as quickly as fall or spring.
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Fall Semester |
August - December |
16 weeks |
|
Spring Semester |
January - May |
16 weeks |
|
Summer Term |
May - August |
8 weeks or less |
Credits
Classes are divided into credits (sometimes called hours or credit hours). Most degree programs require that you earn 60 credits in order to graduate. Each semester, you'll choose how many credits to take. The trick is determining how many credits you can actually manage. To earn a degree in two years, you'll have to average 15 credits per semester. This is realistic for some of you, but not for others. Strike a balance! What are the other requirements of your time? - a full or part time job, childcare, soccer practice, family responsibilities, difficult classes, whatever. You get the picture; earn your degree by making school a top priority, keeping your expectations high and being realistic!
The number of credits changes from course to course, but most classes are 3-4 credits. The credit value determines the instruction time each week. For example, ENG 1108 is a 4 credit English course that meets four hours per week. In addition, it is expected that you'll take another 2-3 study hours for every hour of class. That means that each week ENG 1108 would require an additional 8 hours study time (writing papers, reading the text, reviewing for exams).
4 credits/hours of class + 8 hours of study = 12 total hours per week
Question: How much time per week would 15 credits require?
Full-time Status
To maintain full-time status, you'll need to enroll in 12+ credits each semester.
Class times
Classes are offered at a variety of times: daytime, evening, Saturday or even online. You'll find out more information later in the orientation to help you select the time that works best for you.
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