Credit Unit, Program Length, and Tuition Policy
The Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in Saint Louis follows all guidelines and policies concerning credits, program length, and tuition as established by the Higher Learning Commission and its other accrediting bodies and organizations.
The Sam Fox School follows the academic calendar adopted by Washington University in Saint Louis, awarding credits on a semester basis. An academic program is organized across an academic year, which is comprised of two traditional fall and spring semesters plus summer sessions. Traditional semesters consist of 14 weeks of classroom instruction, a period of reading days, and final exams.
Sam Fox School Credit Unit and Contact Hour Requirements
Credit Unit: Each credit unit awarded breaks down into a minimum of 35 total credit hours, and should reflect 2,100 combined minutes of student engagement throughout the semester.
Credit Hour: A Sam Fox School credit hour is comprised of 50 minutes.
Contact Hour: A single contact hour is comprised of 50 minutes of classroom instruction, direct faculty contact, or studio visits with faculty advisors.
Preparation Hour: A preparation hour refers to 50 minutes of homework, studio work, out-of-class projects, or other non-scheduled student work expected to be done outside of direct instruction times.
Most Sam Fox School courses provide 3 credit units, and per accreditation guidelines, accordingly require 9 combined credit hours of both preparation and contact hours each week. It is understood that formalized instruction may occur in a variety of different modalities, degree levels, and disciplines, but all academic work must meet the minimum equivalent amount of work as determined by this formula.
In traditional lecture and discussion courses, 1 credit hour awarded represents at least 1 direct contact hour per week with an instructor, with an additional 2 out-of-class preparation hours completed. A typical Sam Fox School lecture course will meet weekly for 3 contact hours (150 minutes) with an expectation of an additional 6 preparation hours weekly throughout the 14 instructional weeks in a traditional semester.
In the College of Art’s studio courses, 1 credit unit is assigned for the 2 contact hours and 1 hour of preparation work per week. For example, a 3-credit painting studio would be scheduled for 6 contact hours of in-class time, and students would be expected to work at least 3 preparation hours on their own outside of class.
In the College of Architecture’s studio courses, 1 credit unit is assigned for every 1.5 contact hours, and an additional minimum of 1.5 preparation hours per week. For example, a 3-credit architecture studio would be scheduled for 4.5 weekly contact hours (225 minutes), with an expected 4.5 preparation hours completed weekly over the 14 instructional weeks in a traditional semester.
Consistency of Credit Hour Procedures and Policies
Lecture / Discussion Courses
| Semester Credit Units | Minimum Weekly Contact Hours | Minimum Weekly Preparation Hours | Total Credit Hours over 14-week Term |
| 1 | 1 (50 minutes) | 2 (100 minutes) | 42 (2,100 minutes) |
| 1.5 | 1.5 (75 minutes) | 2.5 (125 minutes) | 56 (2,800 minutes) |
| 3 | 3 (150 minutes) | 6 (300 minutes) | 126 (6,300 minutes) |
College of Art Studio Courses
| Semester Credit Units | Minimum Weekly Contact Hours | Minimum Weekly Preparation Hours | Total Credit Hours over 14-week Term |
| 1 | 2 (100 minutes) | 1 (50 minutes) | 42 (2,100 minutes) |
| 1.5 | 3 (150 minutes) | 1.5 (75 minutes) | 63 (3,150 minutes) |
| 3 | 6 (300 minutes) | 3 (150 minutes) | 126 (6,300 minutes) |
| 4 | 8 (400 minutes) | 4 (200 minutes) | 168 (8,400 minutes) |
| 6 | 12 (600 minutes) | 6 (300 minutes) | 252 (12,600 minutes) |
| 9 | 15 (750 minutes) | 9 (450 minutes) | 336 (16,800 minutes) |
College of Architecture Studio Courses
| Semester Credit Units | Minimum Weekly Contact Hours | Minimum Weekly Preparation Hours | Total Credit Hours over 14-week Term |
| 1 | 1.5 (75 minutes) | 1.5 (75 minutes) | 42 (2,100 minutes) |
| 1.5 | 2 (100 minutes) | 2 (100 minutes) | 56 (2,800 minutes) |
| 3 | 4.5 (225 minutes) | 4.5 (225 minutes) | 126 (6,300 minutes) |
| 4.5 | 6 (300 minutes) | 6 (300 minutes) | 168 (8,400 minutes) |
| 6 | 9 (450 minutes) | 9 (450 minutes) | 252 (12,600 minutes) |
| 9 | 13.5 (675 minutes) | 13.5 (675 minutes) | 378 (18,900 minutes) |
Unless otherwise stated, all 3-credit courses require a minimum of 126 total credit hours of combined contact and preparation hours per semester. Courses based on different contact formats or time frames for delivery or with a greater or lesser number of credits than 3 must demonstrate they meet the Sam Fox School’s credit hour definition as an integral part of the approval process.
Program Length
In accordance with accrediting bodies and federal guidelines, the Sam Fox School program credit hour requirements are as follows:
- Undergraduate degrees require a minimum of 120 completed credit hours. Most students complete the minimum credit hours in the equivalent of eight (8) traditional semesters. See chart below for details per degree program.
- Graduate degrees require 30 or more completed credit hours and the equivalent of at least two (2) traditional semesters. See chart below for details per degree program.
| Undergraduate Sam Fox School Degree Program | Required Credit Hours | Semesters to Complete |
| BS (Bachelors of Science Architecture) | 120 | 8 |
| BA (Bachelors of Arts Architecture) | 120 | 8 |
| BA (Bachelors of Arts Studio Art) | 120 | 8 |
| BFA (Bachelors of Fine Arts Studio Art) | 121 | 8 |
| Graduate Sam Fox School Degrees Program | Required Credit Hours | Semesters to Complete |
| Master of Science Architectural Studies (MSAS) | 30 | 2 |
| Master of Science Advanced Architectural Design (MSAAD) | 36 | 3 |
| Masters of Urban Design (MUD) | 42 | 3 |
| Masters of Landscape Architecture (MLA 2) | 60 | 4 |
| Masters of Architecture (MArch 2) | 75 | 4 |
| Masters of Architecture (MArch 3) | 105 | 6 |
| Masters of Landscape Architecture (MLA 3) | 90 | 6 |
| Masters of Fine Arts Illustration & Visual Culture (MFA IVC) | 60 | 4 |
| Masters of Fine Arts Visual Arts (MFA VA) | 60 | 4 |
| Doctorate of Sustainable Urbanism (DrSU) | 72 | 6 |
Minimum and Maximum Credit Unit Loads
Undergraduate art and architecture minimum and maximum credit unit loads can be found in the Washington University Bulletin.
Graduate minimum and maximum credit unit policies for both art and architecture can be found in the Washington University Bulletin.
Tuition
The Sam Fox School’s undergraduate tuition and rate fees are posted on the University Bulletin. More information on University tuition and financial aid can be found here.
Graduate program tuitions and fees are established at the school level in consultation with the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Finance, and then approved and adopted by the Board of Trustees. To view graduate tuition rates, please visit our Graduate Scholarship and Financial Aid page.
Last updated: 08.10.2023