How do I convert clock or quarter hours?

Most of the time, you don't convert at all. A clock-hour course is measured in clock hours per week, and a quarter-hour term is certified in the quarter hours the student is enrolled in, measured against your school's full-time standard. The 1.5 quarter to 1 semester ratio is for transfer credit and degree-plan comparisons, not for measuring training time.

Clock-hour courses

Technical, vocational, and other non-college degree courses are measured by weekly clock hours under 38 CFR 21.4270(a), and the thresholds depend on the kind of course. Where shop practice is an integral part, full-time is 22 clock hours per week, exclusive of supervised study; 3/4 time is 16 to 21, and 1/2 time is 11 to 15. Where theory and classroom instruction predominate, full-time is 18 clock hours of net instruction per week; 3/4 time is 13 to 17, and 1/2 time is 9 to 12.

Quarter-hour terms

For undergraduate credit-hour training, full-time is 14 semester hours or the equivalent, or 12 to 13 where the school charges full-time tuition at that load. I certify a quarter term in the quarter hours the student is actually taking and let the school's full-time quarter standard set the training time. I only reach for the 1.5 ratio when I'm evaluating transfer credit or lining a course up against the degree plan.

How I keep this clean

• A reference sheet of each program's measurement: clock hours, semester hours, or quarter hours.
• The approved program measurement on file for surveyors.
• A second person checking unusual schedules.
• Periodic spot checks of past certifications to catch systematic errors.