The Conservatory calculates credits hours as follows: a semester hour of credit equals a minimum of three "hours" of work each week for a period of fourteen to fifteen weeks. In lecture-discussion courses, one hour of credit is given for one 50-minute period of "seat time" plus two hours of expected preparation each week of the term. In laboratory courses or ensembles, one hour of credit is given for two to three 50-minute periods of "seat time" per week. However, in these courses it should be noted that the expected preparation may be as much or more than that required by a lecture-discussion type course. In applied lessons, one credit hour is given for each expected minimum three hours per week of practice.

When a new course is proposed (or a course already in circulation undergoes review) faculty are required to state how many days per week and hours per day the course would (does) meet. The Registrar reviews the proposal using the formula from I.a.(1) to determine the appropriate credit value. If the value requested by the faculty member is not consistent with the formula above, the proposal is returned to the faculty member with suggested corrections. Once the Registrar has a proposal that is complete and accurate it is then sent to the Academic Affairs Committee for review and decision.

When the course is proposed, the Registrar acts as the first point of administrative contact. Once the proposal is determined to be complete and accurate, it is forwarded to the Academic Affairs Committee (comprised of faculty, department chairs and the Dean) who will then review for a decision. If further questions arise, the Registrar will answer or find the answer(s) for the committee. At this point, the committee will make a decision based on the information in the proposal. If the class is accepted, the Registrar will then schedule the class as appropriate, based on credits requested.