College Lingo
- Academic Advisor Skilled professional assisting students in making educational and vocational decisions, resolving personal conflicts and interpreting tests to assist in decision making and self-discovery.
- Add/Drop Period A student may drop or add a course during the first full week of the semester.
- Adjunct Faculty Part-time instructors
- Associate Degree Either a university parallel two-year degree designed to transfer to four-year baccalaureate degrees or two academic years of career entry preparation.
- Auditing To take a course without credit.
- Certificate A credential awarded by the college or university to recognize the completion of curriculum other than one leading to a degree or diploma.
- Closed Class/Section A class or section that has been filled completely.
- Commencement A graduation ceremony held at the end of the spring semester.
- Credit Hours The number of clock hours for which the student receives credit.
- Curriculum A student’s chosen program of study; also called a “major.”
- Dismissal This occurs when a student fails to maintain a 1.0 cumulative grade point average after completing 15 to 29 hours.
- Elective A course which you can select to fulfill credit hours required for graduation or select in addition to the required hours when you have an interest in the course.
- Faculty Advisor A teaching faculty member who provides academic advising during office hours in a specific academic major.
- Full-time Status A student carrying 12 or more semester hours or work.
- Grade Point Average (GPA) The average determined by dividing the total number of grade points earned by the total number of credit hours attempted.
- Moodle The “e-learning” program used in most classrooms. Moodle enables access to classroom related activities such as e-mailing, course documents and class-related websites.
- Orientation A college experience with activities designed to help new students adjust, prepare and familiarize themselves with the college.
- Prerequisite A required course that must be taken before enrolling in a higher level course.
- Probation This occurs when a student fails to maintain a 1.7 cumulative grade point average after completing 15 to 29 hours.
- Semester A 15-week instructional period or its equivalent
- Syllabus The instructor’s course outline for the semester.
- Transcript Academic record which lists courses taken in an educational institution.
- Transfer Acceptance by a new college of the credits earned in a previous college.
- Tuition The fees charged for academic instruction.
- Withdrawal After the drop/add period, a student may withdraw from a course in accordance with the dates published in the class schedules.
