Course Information

Credit Hours

Credit Hours are awarded as follows:

• Credit of one semester hour is awarded for each 16 hours of "class work". Class work is lecture and other classroom instructions. Class work is under the supervision of an instructor.

• Credit of one semester hour is awarded for each 32 hours of "experiential laboratory work". Experiential laboratory work means instruction given to a student by an instructor to increase the student's knowledge and skills without immediate student application.

• Credit of one semester hour is awarded for each 48 hours of "faculty directed laboratory work". Faculty directed laboratory work involves structured and coordinated demonstration by an instructor with an immediate student application.

• Credit of one semester hour is awarded for each 48 hours of "clinical practice". Clinical practice is a structured, faculty-directed learning experience in a health science program which develops job proficiency. Clinical practice requires significant preparation, coordination and scheduling by the facility and is under the supervision of an instructor or preceptor who is qualified for the particular program.

• Credit of one semester hour is awarded for each 160 hours of 'work experience' such as cooperative education, practicums, and interships. Work experience involves the development of job skills by providing the student with employment that is directly related to, and coordinated with, the education program. Student activity in work experience is planned and coordinated by a college representative, and the employer is responsible for the control and supervision of the student on the job.

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Contact Hours

The contact hours for a course are the sum of the lecture hours and lab, clinical or work experience.

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Writing Intensive Courses

Writing intensive courses are courses in which students write to learn. Writing assignments may range from highly informal, such as journals, to the highly formal, such as research papers. Normally, a writing intensive course will contain a mixture of informal and formal writing assignments which will account for at least seventy percent of a student's overall evaluation in the course. It is important to note that the catalog's designation of a course as "writing intensive" indicates only Rowan-Cabarrus Community College's internal curriculum designation of that course as writing intensive. Students intending to transfer credit to other colleges and universities should consult with those institutions to determine if the course in question will be accepted as writing intensive.

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Developmental/Non-Credit Courses

Developmental courses are designed to prepare students for college level work and will not satisfy credit hours for any degree, diploma, or certificate program. They will not transfer to a four-year institution, but will transfer to any of the community colleges within the NC Community College System. Credit earned for these courses will only satisfy the prerequisites for entry into a curriculum level course.

Non-Credit courses are numbered below 100. Students may be required to take one or more developmental courses due to level of proficiency, or they may choose developmental courses if they feel the need for review. Students level of proficiency can be evaluated by SAT/ACT, college placement test, or high school GPA. Non-credit courses provide the necessary refresher for success in a given curriculum.