Course Load

Undergraduate Full-time Status | Recommended Course Load | Maximum Course Load | Overload

Undergraduate Full-time Status

All undergraduate students who are enrolled (registered) for at least 12 semester hours during a fall or spring semester, 8 semester hours during Summer Session 1 or Summer Session 3, and 4 semester hours during Summer Session 2 or Summer Session 4 are classified as carrying a full-time course load. 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. Selected colleges and departments may have more restrictive or more permissive policies than the university policies listed below.

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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 semester-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 semester-hours would obligate one to perhaps 60 hours of work a week for satisfactory performance during the fall and spring semesters. 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. Starting with a 15 semester-hour load, it is recommended that the total enrollment load in a fall or spring semester be reduced by one course (3 semester-hours) for every 12 hours of work.

First-time-in-college (FTIC) freshmen are encouraged to enroll in no more than 15 semester hours.

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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 maximum undergraduate course load each fall or spring semester is as follows:

Maximum Course Load by College
College
Semester Hours
Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture
21
C.T. Bauer College of Business
18
College of Education
18
Cullen College of Engineering
19
Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management
18
College of Liberal Arts, and Social Sciences

Freshman

16

Sophomore, Junior, Senior,
Postbaccalaureate

19

Student on Probation/
Academic Notice

12
College of Natural Sciences and
Mathematics
18

Student on Probation/
Academic Notice

13
College of Pharmacy
19
College of Technology
18
Undergraduate Scholars at UH

Freshman

16

Sophomore, Junior, Senior,
Postbaccalaureate

18

Student on Probation/
Academic Notice

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
Hours
Summer Session 2
7
Summer Session 4
7
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.

An undergraduate or postbaccalaureate student who is on Academic Probation or Academic Notice shall enroll in no more than 13 hours in a fall or spring semester for all majors except majors in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and Undergraduate Scholars at UH, both of which allow no more than 12 hours in a fall or spring semester. An undergraduate or postbaccalaureate student who is on Academic Probation or Academic Notice 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.

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Overload

No student may enroll in a course load exceeding the college's suggested course load for a specific semester 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:

  1. Have a 3.00 minimum grade point average in the preceding two summer sessions (minimum: 12 semester hours) or in the preceding fall or spring semester (minimum: 12 semester hours) at the university, or
  2. Be in good academic standing in the college if in the last semester 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 semester, 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.

 

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Catalog Publish Date: August 22, 2012
This Page Last Updated: October 17, 2012