Clock-Hour Program

Psychiatric Technology

Yuba College offers a non-standard “clock-hour” specialized career program (Psychiatric Technology). This non-standard program have distinct eligibility and awarding requirements that require alternate payment schedules based on the student’s attendance as calculated by the hours they have completed in their program. This is verified from an hour’s certificate received from each program coordinator for payment.

As a clock hour program, students receive payments the term they begin the program and subsequent payments after completing 450 hrs and 17 weeks. The Financial Aid Office will request hour certificates from the Academy to verify hours completed.

Definition of a clock hour:

A clock hour is defined as a period of time consisting of

  1. a 50- to 60-minute class, lecture, or recitation in a 60-minute period;
  2. a 50- to 60-minute faculty-supervised laboratory, shop training, or internship in a 60-minute period; or
  3. sixty minutes of preparation in a correspondence course.

Credit or clock-hours in an academic year:

The law and regulations set the following minimum standards for coursework earned by a full-time student in an academic year in an undergraduate educational program (including direct assessment programs):

  • 24 semester or trimester credit-hours or 36 quarter credit-hours for a program measured in credit-hours; or
  • 900 clock-hours for a program measured in clock-hours.

Weeks of instructional time in an academic year:

An academic year for a credit-hour or direct assessment program must be defined as at least 30 weeks of instructional time, and for a clock-hour program, at least 26 weeks of instructional time. The number of weeks of instructional time is based on the period that begins (generally, see below for an exception) on the first day of classes in the academic year and ends on the last day of classes or examinations.

Payment Periods:

For clock-hour programs, the payment period is defined not only in clock-hours but also in weeks of instructional time. A student must successfully complete the clock-hours and weeks of instructional time in a payment period to progress to the next payment period.