Course Load
Course Load
The normal academic load per semester for undergraduate students is five courses. The maximum course load is eighteen semester hours except in the School of Music where nineteen hours are permitted. See https://registrar.web.baylor.edu/records-services/enrollment-status for details.
Students are expected to carry a normal load unless they must do an excessive amount of outside work or present other reasons acceptable to the appropriate academic dean and advisor. The average student should reduce the load to four courses if he or she works as much as four hours daily. Each student is responsible for limiting his or her program in light of the foregoing statements.
Schedules for more than eighteen hours will not be permitted except in the following situations. One course may be added to the normal load if the student:
- has a “B” average on all courses completed and for the immediately preceding semester,
- has a 3.25 GPA for the preceding semester, or
- is a last-term senior in good standing.
This privilege will be withdrawn if grades drop, or if health seems to be threatened. A desire to graduate early is not, in itself, sufficient reason to request the privilege of a greater than normal load. Occasionally, last-term seniors with a superior average will be permitted to carry a maximum of twenty-one hours if it will permit graduation in that term.
| Level and Term | Full-time Status | Half-time Status |
|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate Semester | 12 semester credit hours | 6 semester credit hours |
Exceptions to the minimum credit hours for an undergraduate student may be made when:
A student is registered for internship, practicum, or cooperative education activities that require full-time work and will count toward completion of the student's degree program (upon the request of a student's academic dean).
Summer School at Baylor
Maximum credit for students enrolled in the two traditional summer terms is eight hours per term or sixteen hours total. For students who enroll in the Minimester, a maximum of four additional hours of credit may be earned. Thus, students who take the maximum load for all three terms (Minimester plus two regular summer terms) may earn a total of 20 hours.