Course and Credit Requirements
Graduate Course Numbers
- 5000–5999 denotes graduate courses taught concurrent with an undergraduate courses (see notes below).
- 6000–7999 denotes graduate courses taught for graduate credit only.
Note: A graduate student may earn graduate credit in a 5000-level course only if that course is being offered by a member of the graduate faculty and only if he/she has permission from his/her graduate advisor. A student desiring graduate credit in a 5000-level course is expected to do more work and better quality work than that done by a student enrolled for undergraduate credit.
The course level or class is indicated by the first digit in the course number. The second digit indicates the semester hour value of the course. The third and fourth digits indicate the departmental sequencing of the course and make it a unique number within the department or subject area.
The semester hour is the unit of course credit at Hardin-Simmons University.
Credit Hour Policy and Procedure
This policy is designed to assure consistency in awarding academic credit at Hardin-Simmons University in conformity with commonly accepted standards in higher education and in accordance with federal regulations. In the following definition, HSU utilizes the Carnegie Unit, a generally recognized measurement for awarding academic credit, as a means to express the institution’s definition of a credit hour.
Definition of credit hour
Using the Carnegie Unit as a commonly accepted standard, Hardin-Simmons University defines a credit hour, recorded by the university as a semester hour, in terms of instructional time and associated class preparation. Each credit hour reflects one hour of instructional time per week for a total of 15 instructional hours per semester. Graduate students are expected to spend a minimum of 3 hours in class preparation for each credit hour. Thus students are expected to spend a minimum of approximately 4 hours engaged in learning per week per semester for each credit hour.
The application of this definition of credit hour must be equivalent throughout the curriculum. Faculty are responsible for assuring that at least a reasonable approximation of a comparable amount of work consistent with this definition of credit hour is represented in all academic activities for which the university awards academic credit, including, but not limited to, distance education, blended courses, practice, internships, laboratory work, travel courses, and studio work. In establishing equivalency, faculty should consider course content, method of delivery, pedagogical methods, and measurement of intended student learning outcomes, academic calendars, degree levels, and other factors to assure equivalency.
The university grants credit only for courses approved by the academic policies established by the university and taught by faculty approved by the university. The process for approving course credit involves individual faculty members developing a new course proposal which is then vetted by the department and the curriculum committee of the appropriate college or school. If approved, the course proposal is sent to the Academic Committee of the University for discussion and final approval. In some cases the protocol requires approval of the University faculty. The process for approving course credit for graduate classes follows the same procedure with the exception that once approved by department and college/school, the course is sent to the Graduate council for discussion and approval, and finally to the Graduate Faculty for approval.
Course Levels
In all graduate programs, at least one-half of the courses must be 6000 level courses.
Maximum Course Load
Students wishing to enroll for more than nine semester hours should consult with the academic advisor to consider whether the workload will negatively affect academic performance.
Students wishing to take more than 12 hours of graduate study in a long term or more than six hours in a summer term must receive approval of the advisor and the dean of the school or college that houses the academic program.
Transfer Credit
Work completed before the student applies for admission at HSU, or completed at another institution after admission to HSU, may transfer if, 1) it is graduate work from a regionally accredited institution of higher education; 2) an official transcript of the work is on file in the Office of Admission; 3) the work was completed during the last 10 years; and 4) it is approved by the appropriate program or department. No more than two-thirds of the credit hours required for any program may be transferred, and many programs are more restrictive, especially for credit hours earned as part of a previously completed degree. Any program-specific requirements are given in the section of the graduate catalog relating to each program.
For the Physical Therapy policy for transfer work see the Physical Therapy section.
Distance Education for Out-of-State Enrollment
On October 29, 2010, the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) released new program integrity regulations. One of the regulations focused on the need for an institution offering distance education, including practicums, seminars, test proctoring, online courses and degree studies, to acquire authorization from any state in which it operates. This authorization is required to maintain eligibility for students of the state to receive federal financial aid.
From October 2010, HSU has demonstrated a “good faith effort to comply in each state in which it serves students. States with regulations in place expect that institutions already be in compliance with their regulations before serving any students in their state.
On October 29, 2015, the State of Texas was approved by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) to join the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) under the administration of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. In late Fall 2015, HSU was able to start the application process to join the SARA agreement for the State of Texas and is a current member of the SARA agreement in the State of Texas.
Hardin-Simmons University lists all states on our website that are part of the SARA agreement affording HSU permission to enroll students from these states in online coursework. We are working closely with non-SARA participating states to receive authorization.
What This Means
Before accepting enrollments from students residing in a non-SARA state, HSU must be in compliance with the distance learning regulations of the states in which students reside while enrolled. Some states require universities to seek approval before enrolling their residents, and the approval processes can be expensive and time intensive.
What Hardin-Simmons University Is Doing
HSU continues to work to obtain authorization from other non-SARA states. However, due to authorization and review processes associated with some states, we may be limited in our ability to accept some distance learning course enrollments. Please visit our website at www.hsutx.edu/online/ or contact the Provost Office, (325) 670-1210 to inquire about the current status of your state with regard to this USDOE state authorization requirement. Depending on the status of your state of residence regarding this requirement, HSU may notify you that you are not eligible to register for HSU distance education courses. In this case, Hardin- Simmons University will provide assistance in finding alternatives.