So, I’d say 10 hours in class and 5 hours in lab for a total of 15 hours, on average.

At most colleges and universities (with conventional semester systems) 12 credit hours is considered the minimal number of hours for full-time status. This means that you will spend 12 hours in the classroom each week. (Typically M – F – most classes being 3 credit hours and meeting twice a week for 1 1/2 hours. So you would sign up for four 3-hour courses.)

Many full-time students take 15 credit hours (five 3-hour courses). Ambitious ones take 18 credit hours (six 3-hour classes).

Taking anything beyond 18 credit hours is rare – and not usually recommended. Most colleges require that a student have a high GPA and get special permission to take 21 credit hours (seven 3-hour classes). And 21 is the absolute maximum allowed.

If you are signing up for classes, please remember that a good rule of thumb is to figure that you will need to spend about 1 1/2 hours of study time for every hour spent in class, so taking 15 credit hours commits you to about 45 hours per week if you want to stay on top of things and get good grades.

If you go on to graduate school, you take fewer credit hours, your in-class time is less, though often the class sessions are longer. (For example, you will meet once a week for 3 hours rather than twice a week for 1 1/2 hours.) Grad school classes are smaller and you do more work independently. You also may spend more time with a faculty advisor.

If you want to finish your degree early, or need additional credit hours, one good way to pick these up is to take a summer or winter break intensive class – these tend to be accelerated, so you will spend more time in class, but earn your credit hours in a shorter time span.

Last, but certainly not least – if you are concerned about getting your degree without taking more classes than you need, PLEASE remember to meet with your faculty advisor on a regular basis so that he/she can go over your schedule with you and make sure that you are signing up for all of your required coursework. There is nothing as disappointing, frustrating and expensive as being in your final sememster and then learning that you have forgotten to take one required course and can not graduate until the end of the next term. I know this because I made that mistake myself – it was over 20 years ago, and I will never forget how I felt that day in May when everyone else went to graduate, and I was not able to get my diploma until the end of that same summer.

I hope that you are asking this question because you are heading off to college! If so, good luck!

A few tips for good grades – don’t skip class – sit toward the front and make sure that no matter how big the class is, every professor you have knows who you are. Also, if you are not a morning person, don’t sign up for early morning classes – having that scheduling flexibility is one of the best things about college compared to high school.

Plan on another 30-40 hours of school work outside of class per week.