# For Dopers who went to college in the US **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 21, 2013, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-dopers-who-went-to-college-in-the-us/669355 "2013-09-21T00:12:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2013, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-dopers-who-went-to-college-in-the-us/669355/1 "2013-09-21T00:12:10Z")
Is it standard on all campus during a regular semester that: T/Th classes are 75 minutes M/W/F classes are 50 minutes If not, what was your experience (If foreign educated Dopers want to weigh in, what’s your system) ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2013, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-dopers-who-went-to-college-in-the-us/669355/2 "2013-09-21T00:13:58Z")
Yes, it was that way at Purdue University fifteen years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Faelyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c77e96/32.png) [@Faelyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Faelyn)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2013, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-dopers-who-went-to-college-in-the-us/669355/3 "2013-09-21T00:18:00Z")
At my university currently this is the format: MWF classes are 55 mins TR (tuesday/thursday) classes are 85 mins Once a week classes are 3 hours ---
**Author:** ![RickG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rickg/32/5174_2.png) [@RickG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickG)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2013, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-dopers-who-went-to-college-in-the-us/669355/4 "2013-09-21T00:26:15Z")
When I went to Washington U in St Louis in the early 80s, that was the system (more or less). The basic rule was that a typical semester course has 3 scheduled hours of lecture per week, so if it’s held 3 days a week, the blocks are 1 hour (50 minutes with passing time). If 2 days a week, the blocks are 90 minutes (80 with passing). Just about every 3 credit class was either MWF or TTh, which comports with your conjecture. It’s changed some more recently, though. My daughter just started there, and some departments do not have classes on Fridays, so they they have 90(80) minute blocks scheduled for classes held only on Monday and Wednesday. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2013, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-dopers-who-went-to-college-in-the-us/669355/5 "2013-09-21T00:44:46Z")
Oregon State University had scheduling very similar to that. Also, labs for science classes were typically scheduled in 3 hour blocks (2 hours 50 minutes) either on Tuesdays or Thursdays. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2013, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-dopers-who-went-to-college-in-the-us/669355/6 "2013-09-21T00:53:37Z")
I don’t remember what my undergrad or grad classes were like, but my workplace is like that, as far as I know. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2013, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-dopers-who-went-to-college-in-the-us/669355/7 "2013-09-21T00:59:01Z")
University of California trimester system in the 80s. Class times were not dependent on the day of the week. IIRC you could have 1, 2 or 3 hour long classes. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2013, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-dopers-who-went-to-college-in-the-us/669355/8 "2013-09-21T01:02:19Z")
From what I recall of my college days (which were back when Reagan was President) that was the typical schedule. ---
**Author:** ![agnesnitt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d78d45/32.png) [@agnesnitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/agnesnitt)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2013, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-dopers-who-went-to-college-in-the-us/669355/9 "2013-09-21T01:02:33Z")
My school had MWF and TThS. Yep, classes on Saturday until noon for 3 credit classes. Otherwise TTh only were 2 credits. You could have a lab on Sat, so you could get stuck with MWFS for a 4 credit science class. Also, was a 3 point grading scale not 4 point, and weird summer school semesters. Whatever every other college in the US did, we did something else. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2013, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-dopers-who-went-to-college-in-the-us/669355/10 "2013-09-21T01:08:15Z")
CSU Sacramento was like that in the late 80’s/early 90’s. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2013, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-dopers-who-went-to-college-in-the-us/669355/11 "2013-09-21T01:08:30Z")
Yes. Kent State 97-2001. I think it was 60 minutes/90 minutes, though. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2013, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-dopers-who-went-to-college-in-the-us/669355/12 "2013-09-21T01:31:41Z")
TY all! UMass-Boston also runs like this. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2013, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-dopers-who-went-to-college-in-the-us/669355/13 "2013-09-21T01:43:35Z")
ETA: My college didn’t use regular (or any) semesters at the time, so this is probably not as useful. Classes at mine were mainly Monday-Wednesday or Tuesday-Thursday outside of the subjects where there would be a lab or recitation. I think they were typically 108 minutes long (this was quarters, not semesters, so there were only about 10 weeks). There were a few MWF (or MTWRF) classes but they were relatively rare in the subjects I took, and after my freshman year I never had a class on a Friday. But that might not be the case now. It’s since switched from quarters to semesters, and I believe people were complaining that it would result in an increase in Friday classes. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2013, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-dopers-who-went-to-college-in-the-us/669355/14 "2013-09-21T01:53:47Z")
Florida State University in the early 90s had a similar system. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2013, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-dopers-who-went-to-college-in-the-us/669355/15 "2013-09-21T02:01:16Z")
UF in the early '00s had a different system. Regular classes were always 50 mins, with 15 mins between one class and the next block, starting at 7:30am. Labs were usually three of those blocks or two of those blocks. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2013, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-dopers-who-went-to-college-in-the-us/669355/16 "2013-09-21T02:05:31Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Is it standard on all campus during a regular semester that: > > T/Th classes are 75 minutes > > M/W/F classes are 50 minutes > > If not, what was your experience > > (If foreign educated Dopers want to weigh in, what’s your system) Depends on the credit load. For a standard 3 credit class, twice a week for 1 hr 20 minutes (80 minutes). For a four credit, lab class, twice week, double the time, but still only worth 4 credits. Each state can have its own definition of what a “credit” is worth but most are around that. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2013, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-dopers-who-went-to-college-in-the-us/669355/17 "2013-09-21T02:07:28Z")
I don’t think my school was that organized, but the basic idea Is based on the [Carnegie Unit](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnegie_Unit_and_Student_Hour) ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2013, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-dopers-who-went-to-college-in-the-us/669355/18 "2013-09-21T02:21:15Z")
> [@Meagan](#): > > At my university currently this is the format: > > MWF classes are 55 mins > > TR (tuesday/thursday) classes are 85 mins This, except there were a lot of M/W classes that were also 85 minutes. Cause class on friday is for the birds. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2013, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-dopers-who-went-to-college-in-the-us/669355/19 "2013-09-21T02:36:06Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Is it standard on all campus during a regular semester that: > > T/Th classes are 75 minutes > > M/W/F classes are 50 minutes This was the case at my school for most three credit courses. We also had some M/W classes that were also an hour and 15 minutes long, and some “three hour” (actually two hours and 30 minutes IIRC) classes that met only once a week. All work out to 50 minutes of instruction time per credit hour. ---
**Author:** ![brad\_d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@brad\_d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brad_d)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2013, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-dopers-who-went-to-college-in-the-us/669355/20 "2013-09-21T04:23:37Z")
Rice University in the late '80’s to early '90’s was exactly as described in the OP. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-dopers-who-went-to-college-in-the-us/669355.md?page=2)