Semester Hours/Credit Hours
Molloy's academic year is based upon standard terms of a fall and a spring semester. The fall and spring semesters are designed with a minimum length of 15 weeks. The fall semesters run for 15 weeks and the spring semesters run for 16 1/2 weeks. Within each semester, there are scheduled holidays and breaks built into the term. Courses meet on a scheduled basis for an appropriate number of meetings per term designed to achieve or exceed the minimum number of minutes of instruction per semester hour as required by the state.
Shorter, non-standard terms, such as the Summer Sessions or Intersessions, have more frequent and/or longer class meetings and include supplementary instruction to meet the minimum mandated meeting time regulations.
The last week of the standard semester has a final/last class meeting for all courses, which is a mandatory meeting scheduled for 120 minutes for every graduate-level course. The regular weekly class meetings along with the final/last class meeting and supplementary assignments and/or coursework are combined to meet the appropriate total minutes for instruction and outside assignment time as mandated by the New York State Commissioner's Regulations.
Graduate-and doctoral-level courses meet as published in the "Course Search" on Lion's Den and in the "Final Exam/Last Class Meeting Schedule.” In some programs, various courses also have clinical, laboratory and fieldwork components built into the curriculum with meeting times, instruction and outside assignment requirements. (Graduate- and doctoral-level courses may vary from the formula for class meeting times for fewer hours of instruction only when approved by the Commissioner of Education of New York State as part of a registered curriculum, or when the commissioner has granted prior approval for the institution to maintain a statement of academic standards that defines the considerations which establish equivalency of instruction and study as adopted in statements by the institution.)
Blended learning courses taught as hybrid courses as well as online courses follow NY State and federal guidelines for meeting course outcomes and achieving credit.
This description of "Semester Hours/Credit Hours" is presented for a quick insight into college policy. For further information on a particular class in a division concerning meeting times, instruction and supplementary assignments as shown in the "Course Search" in Lion's Den, "Final Exam/Last Class Meeting Schedule" and specific course outlines or syllabi, please contact either the Office of the Registrar or the School Dean of the program.