Credit-hour was originally conceived for the purpose of quantifying appropriate faculty compensation. It was tacked on to the student side - particularly regard

Credit-hour was originally conceived for the purpose of quantifying appropriate faculty compensation. It was tacked on to the student side - particularly regarding tuition - as a somewhat lazy afterthought. College usually meant everybody would study the same subjects. The specialization of degrees is a relatively new innovation by way of 19th century German institutions adapting to industrialization.