How do college credit hours work?

Hours in college courses typically stand for how many hours per WEEK you participate IN class. An example would be a class that meets for 3 hours a week, one hour monday, wednesday, and friday. The hours earned at the end of the semester would be THREE for that one class. Another example would be a class that meets 3 hours a week, 1.5 hours on Tuesday, and 1.5 hours on Thursday, total 3 hours. Most people take about 15 hours per semester which is usually 5 courses worth 3 hours. There are some classes worth 4 and 5 hours, and labs are usually 1-2 hours. So if you take 15 hours per semester, one semester in fall and the next in spring, that will be 30 hours per year. For the degree you're going for, it's 65 hours which would take about 2 years, even less if you take classes over winter or summer.