Policies and Procedures
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Office of the Provost
Credit Hour Policy
Bethel abides by the federal definition of a student credit hour, which states that a credit hour is equivalent to:
- one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction (for Bethel, like the majority of colleges and universities, this is 50 minutes) and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester or trimester hour of credit, or ten to twelve weeks for one quarter hour of credit, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or
- at least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph (1) of this definition for other activities as established by an institution, including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading toward to the award of credit hours. (34 CFR § 600.2, 2010)
Bethel has developed an auditing process for non-traditional courses that are less than 15 weeks in length to ensure that these courses are equivalent in workload to a traditional semester course. Bethel is committed to ensuring that a credit hour is equivalent in our four schools—College of Arts & Sciences, College of Adult & Professional Studies, Bethel Seminary, and Graduate School. See Bethel's Operating Definitions and Course Evaluation Template for more information.
Faculty Qualifications Policy
In compliance with Higher Learning Commission (HLC) guidelines, Bethel has developed a policy to establish minimum educational and/or experiential qualifications for all faculty members who teach and/or who are involved in the development of curricula. This policy is not intended for other roles with faculty status (e.g. those in designated professional librarian positions). See Bethel's Faculty Qualifications and the HLC's Faculty Guidelines for more information.
