What means semester hours?

Semester hours represent the number of hours a course meets per week multiplied by the number of weeks in a semester. It's a unit used to measure the amount of credit a student receives for completing a course. A 3-semester-hour course might meet for three hours a week for a 15-week semester, or it might have a different schedule that totals the equivalent learning time. The total number of semester hours accumulated determines a student's progress toward a degree.