Credit Hours in professional schools...is there a standard?

[DrDre2001]

---

Members don't see this ad.

If I decide to go into a professional program (PT, OT, AA, PD, etc), I want to know what the course load is like. It will not be the biggest reason why i choose to go into one field over the other, but its definitely something i will take into consideration.

Doing my research I have found these numbers:

AA: 20 credit hours per trimester (60 credit hours per year)
OD: 35 units per year
Pharm: 16 Hours per trimester (48 Hours per year)
PA: 35 credits per semester (70 credits per year)...at another school it is 15 units per trimester (45 units per year)
PT: 17 units per trimester (51 units per year)
OT: 15 units per trimester (45 units per year)

(I made sure to write units when it said units, credits when it said credits, hours when it said hours, etc)



I don't see a pattern and it just makes no sense to me. If any one knows anything about this, please let us know. Is there some type of standard for defining a course as 2 credit hours as opposed to 4? Or is it just completely random?

 

[turkeyjerky]

No standard, this is largely school by school. At my (med) school, there isn't even a correlation between courses.

 

[drift]

Credit hours mean nothing, an hour in one program =/= in another program. I know a local PA program that graduates students with 126 credits, while my brother went to PA school and graduated with under 70 credits. Both granted the same degree, in the same time.

The work-load is certainly gonna be heavy regardless of which of the above school you choose to go to.

 

[deleted6669]

pa programs are all over the place with regard to hours. some are on quarter units while some are on semester units.
my program was 117 quarter units over 2 years.