There are usually 120 hours in a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree. 120 / 60 = 2, so 60 hours is half of the coursework required for a bachelor's degree. A bachelor's degree usually takes 4 years to complete, so half of that is 2 years. However, most colleges and universities operate on a semester basis, so half of 4 years is actually 2.5 years.