The story
Used since 1906. Derives from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, which was itself named after Andrew Carnegie.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Carnegie unit
Today it means: A standard measure of academic credit, based on the amount of time spent in class, rather than the mastery of the material, representing 120 hours of instructional contact time over the course of a year. Full definition →