One credit is awarded for each 16-18 lecture hours of instruction, or for 48-54 laboratory hours, or for appropriate combinations of lecture and laboratory hours. For each one hour of lecture, students are expected to fulfill at least two hours of work outside of class in reading, preparing assignments or other activities related to the course.
Class hours are defined as 50 minutes. Classes scheduled for more than an hour follow formulas to stay close to this definition. For example, a class schedule from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. (90 minutes) actually meets for 80 minutes, allowing for a 10-minute passing period. Longer class meeting patterns have required breaks. San Bernardino Valley College follows these time patterns.