Pursuant to Standard 310 of the American Bar Association’s Standards for Approval of Law Schools, Seton Hall Law adheres to the following policy to determine the appropriate number of credit hours for coursework.
Courses require 42.5 hours of work per credit. This calculation includes in-class instruction and out-of-class student work. For traditional doctrinal classes, each credit would include 750 minutes of in-class instruction and 1,800 minutes of out-of-class work per credit. This complies with the ABA requirement of 42.5 hours per credit measured at 15 “hours” of in-class instruction (calculated at 50 minute “hours”) and twice that – 30 hours – of out-of-class work (calculated at 60 minute hours).
The time for taking a required final examination will count towards in-class instruction, and time expected to study and prepare for a required examination will count towards out-of-class student work.
Out-of-class student work includes class preparation (such as completing assigned reading), written and other assignments, conferences with faculty, and the time devoted to preparing for the exam (outlining, studying, review, etc.). Out-of-class work is measured in the aggregate over the entire length of the course or otherwise credited activity. Courses without a final exam, such as clinics, advanced writing requirement (AWR) courses, and experiential courses, and credited activities such as journals, independent research projects, mock trial, moot court, and externships, require the equivalent amount of total work per credit, and must reasonably approximate the standards set forth above. Courses that do not involve attendance at a regularly scheduled class (such as externships, journal work, clinical work and moot court) are eligible for credits that are commensurate with the time and effort required and the anticipated quality of the educational experience.
These standards apply equally to fully in-person, hybrid, and distance education courses, as well as courses offered by way of compressed or condensed schedules (e.g. Winter or Summer sessions, 8-week courses, or courses offered on an accelerated schedule).
The Assistant Dean for Student Services & Registrar will assign the amount of in-class time for each activity/course to ensure it complies with this policy. The Associate Dean for Academics and/or the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs are responsible for reviewing syllabi to ensure compliance with the assigned workloads.
