Parent's Resource Guide

Academics at SMC
Academic Requirements

At the college level, students accumulate credit hours, not just classes. The two work together because each class is worth a specific number of credit hours. Some classes are worth one credit, whereas others are worth four or more. The credit hours generally reflect the amount of time spent in class and the amount of work required in the class.

Full-time students take from 12 to 16 credit hours per term (four or five classes), and the requirement for an associate degree is 62 credit hours.

At SMC, we expect students to know when advising begins and when to register for classes, how to review their own progress towards their certificate or degree, to review the classes offered for each upcoming term, and to choose their own schedules. We help students to do this by providing them with a comprehensive, orientation/ advising session before their first term. In this session, our Academic Support advisors who are specialty advisors in the various majors, essentially “train” each student to be able to prepare and plan for each term with little assistance.

After the first term, students are required to register themselves for their classes using the online environment known as SMC Wired. Students are urged to consult with their assigned advisor for guidance on their class choices if needed.

You can help by being aware of the academic advising process, and what your student has completed towards the educational goal. An introduction to the terminology may help.