My guess is that no, seeing as there are large classes, but maybe they set them for certain subjects.
Do you mean college class sizes and a limit set by law? No, not directly even for the state schools. The state schools have some guidance given by state boards but class size limits would be set by the administration of the school. Some intro classes have hundreds of students.
That’s what I assumed, but I just wanted to have some measure of certainty.
Actually, wouldn’t a “maximum teacher-student ratio” limit the number of teachers per student? The only way that remotely makes sense is if they want to eliminate waste by making sure they’re not paying more teachers than necessary, given the size of the student body.
I think the accrediting body for the college or university might care if things got really out of hand, but probably the accreditors don’t have any hard-and-fast rules.
Yes. I believe at the large public university I attended the maximum student teacher ratio (per class) was about 700:1. At least that was the maximum number of students they could cram into a lecture hall. If they were allowed to use the sport facilities for academics, then I am sure they could increase that number.
Absolutely. I meant “student-teacher.” Sorry about that.
Maximum # of students per class = seating capacity of largest lecture hall available!
The student: teaching assistant ratio, however, might be set by the TA unions/grad student rules, etc. I think it’s likely a combination of number of students and type and amount of material that needs grading/tutorials that need teaching, etc.
Heck, we don’t even have maximum student-teacher ratios for secondary (high school) classes. I think there is a “suggested” maximum from the state agency, but that’s meaningless. And school districts always like to promote their low student-teacher ratios, but those are averages that are skewed downward by special education classes where the ratios are often 1:1. My district boasts an average ratio of something like 17:1. Meanwhile, many of us high school teachers have 30+ kids in our classrooms every period.
Sorry, I know you were asking about colleges.
If the state doesn’t regulate class size, the unions often do.
In the district I’m currently working in, the union mandated class size limit is 39 students per class with a number-per-day limit of 188. Three of my five classes are at limit, and I see 173 students per day.
Texas doesn’t really have teacher unions like I hear about from other states. We do have groups that you join for liability insurance, and they speak up for the teachers at the district and state level, but they are not directly involved in negotiating contracts or setting policies like class size limits.