The degree programme is structured upon a course credit system. This refers to a quantitative system of organisation of the curriculum in which subject areas are broken down into course units which are examinable and for which students earn credit(s), if passed. Courses are arranged per semester, in progressive order of difficulty and/or in levels of academic progress (100 Level, 200 Level, 300 Level and 400 Level). A semester spans about eighteen (18) weeks, including the periods of registration and examinations with not less than 15 weeks dedicated to actual teaching. Each course is assigned weights called credit units which specify the number of student-teacher contact hours per week, per semester. In any one semester, a minimum of fifteen (15) and a maximum of twenty-four (24) credit units may be registered by a student. Credit units are therefore used in two complementary ways: one, as a measure of course weighting, and the other, as an indicator of student workload.

• One unit is defined as 15 hours of lectures per semester.
• Two units are defined as 30 hours (2 hours weekly) of lectures per semester.
• Three units are defined as 45 hours (3 hours weekly) of lectures and tutorials per semester.