Educational Credits Holy State University

 

Holy State University offers ONLINE studies and accelerated educational degrees with the lowest costs, fastest, easiest and simplest educational approach. Our University is online distance learning institution of higher education where educational process is accomplished by using modern forms of Internet communications. Our students can perform studies for any educational degree: Associate, Bachelor’s, Master’s, MBA, Doctoral and Ph.D.

 

 

How Educational Credits are issued

 

Many people are confused when they are hearing about academic/educational credits. We are using expressions "academic credits" or "educational credits", but in many other places you may hear many other names, such as "credit hour", "credit course", "credit", "semester credit hour", "unit", etc.

 

We will be discussing only educational approach in two major geographical areas, in the United States and in Europe. All other countries can easily transfer such systems into their own.

 

"Educational credit" (often called “credit hour”, “credit”, or "unit") is an educational counting unit that gives weighting value to the performed studies. It describes the level of time and efforts required for an academic course to be taken at a school or other educational institution. In simple words, it is counting unit of performed studies.

 

Based on the subject and the level of studies, student may receive from one to several educational credits for the course learned. 

 

Educational institutions generally setting up a minimum number of credits required for the graduation. Various systems of credits exist: per course, per hour/week in class, per hour/week devoted to the course (including homework), etc.

 

 

United States

 

Many courses (subjects of studies) in colleges and universities are awarding 3 Credit Hours (3 educational credits). This approximately can be translated as 45-50 academic hours of study for each credit hour (educational credit).

 

European educational credit system and the American system, both are using approximately identical number of academic hours per academic year. In the United States, universities are counting academic year as a completion of 30 educational credits, where each credit considered to be as student's study work during 45-50 academic hours.

 

In universities that accepted principles of the Bologna Process (mostly universities of the European Union), academic year consists of 60 educational credits (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System), where each credit considered to be equal to student's study work during approximately 25 academic hours.

 

Total number of academic hours per academic year is the same in both systems. This explains the fact that during evaluation of the North American education for the use in the European Union (in countries that are using system of 60 credits per academic year), educational credits received in the United States are multiplied by two.

 

Calculations of GPA

The GPA scale is usually the four-point grade scale and stands for “grade point average". The letter grade ‘A’ equals four points, the letter grade ‘B’ equals three points, the letter grade ‘C’ equals two points, the letter grade ‘D’ equals one point, and the letter grade ‘F’ equals zero points. The GPA represents the average number of grade points a student earns for each graded course. Grade points are points per course credit assigned to a passing grade, indicating the numerical value of the grade. Dividing a student's total grade points earned by the total course credits attempted determines a student's GPA. Courses in which a student does not receive a grade, such as pass/fail and audited courses, do not factor into the GPA calculation. Transfer credits may not be counted into the GPA.

 

To avoid confusion in defining the U.S. and the European academic credits, some American universities adopted system of awarding 60 academic credits per academic year, where each academic credit is based on approximately 25 academic hours of studies/instructions. 

 

 

European Union

 

See also page Bologna Process

 

In the European Union, a common credit system has been introduced as a result of the Bologna Process. The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) is used (in some European countries) as the principal credit and grading system in universities, while other countries use the ECTS as a secondary credit system for exchange students.

 

In ECTS System, a full academic study-year normally consists of 60 credits with approximately 25 academic hours of study/instructions per each credit. ECTS grades are given in A - E range, where F is failing.

 

Schools are allowed to use a pass or fail evaluation in the ECTS system (also in the United States).

    

 

Identical number of study hours in both systems

 

Student can use U.S. or European system.

Commonly used 30 and 60 credits per academic year educational systems are in fact identical. The only difference is that in "30 credits per academic year system", student spends 45-50 study hours for each academic credit; and in 60 educational credits per academic year system, each credit is considered to be as a study work during approximately 25 academic hours.

 

Total number of study hours per academic year is the same in both systems. Therefore, the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) and the American system, both are using approximately identical number of study hours per academic year.

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