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Academic adviser: Member of the faculty who assists
and advises students on academic matters. He or she may also
assist students during the registration process.
Academic year: The period of formal academic instruction,
usually extending from September to May. Depending on the
institution, it may be divided into terms of varying lengths:
semesters, trimesters, or quarters.
Accreditation: Approval of colleges, universities,
and secondary schools by nationally recognized professional
associations. Institutional accreditation affects the transferability
of credits from one institution to another before a degree
program is completed and the continuation from one degree
level to the next level.
Add/Drop: A process at the beginning of a term whereby
students can change their course schedules, adding or dropping
classes with the instructor's permission.
Assistantship: A study grant of financial assistance
to a graduate student that is offered in return for certain
services in teaching or laboratory supervision as a teaching
assistant, or for services in research as a research assistant.
Audit: To take a class without receiving a grade or
credit toward a degree.
Baccalaureate degree: The degree of "bachelor"
conferred upon graduates of most U.S. colleges and universities.
Bachelor's degree: Degree conferred by an institution
of higher learning after the student has accumulated a certain
number of undergraduate credits. Usually a bachelor's degree
takes four years to earn, and it is a prerequisite for studies
in a graduate program.
Campus: The land on which the buildings of a college
or university are located.
Carrel: Individual study area usually reserved for
graduate students in a library; available on a first-come,
first-served basis (sometimes for a fee).
CGFNS: Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing
Schools.
Class rank: A number or ratio indicating a student's
academic standing in his or her graduating class. A student
who ranks first in a class of 100 students would report his
or her class rank as 1/100, while a student ranking last would
report 100/100. Class rank may also be expressed in percentiles
(for example, the top 25 percent, the lower 50 percent).
College: An institution of higher learning that offers
undergraduate programs, usually of a four-year duration, that
lead to the bachelor's degree in the arts or sciences (B.A.
or B.S.). The term "college" is also used in a general
sense to refer to a postsecondary institution. A college may
also be a part of the organizational structure of a university.
College catalog: An official publication of a college
or university giving information about academic programs,
facilities (such as laboratories, dormitories, etc.), entrance
requirements, and student life.
Core requirements: Compulsory courses required for
completion of the degree.
Course: Regularly scheduled class sessions of one
to five (or more) hours per week during a term. A degree program
is made up of a specified number of required and elective
courses and varies from institution to institution. The courses
offered by an institution are usually assigned a name and
a number (such as Mathematics 101) for identification purposes.
Credits: Units that institutions use to record the
completion of courses of instruction (with passing or higher
grades) that are required for an academic degree. The catalog
of a college or university defines the number and the kinds
of credits that are required for its degrees and states the
value in terms of degree credit —"credit hours"
or "credit units" — of each course offered.
Cut: Unauthorized absence from a class.
DAT: Dental Admission Test required of applicants
to dental schools.
Dean: Director or highest authority within a certain
professional school or college of a university.
Degree: Diploma or title conferred by a college, university,
or professional school upon completion of a prescribed program
of studies.
Department: Administrative subdivision of a school,
college, or university through which instruction in a certain
field of study is given (such as English department, history
department).
Dissertation: Thesis written on an original topic
of research, usually presented as one of the final requirements
for the doctorate (Ph.D.).
Doctorate (Ph.D.): The highest academic degree conferred
by a university on students who have completed at least three
years of graduate study beyond the bachelor's and/or master's
degree and who have demonstrated their academic ability in
oral and written examinations and through original research
presented in the form of a dissertation.
Dormitories: Housing facilities on the campus of a
college or university reserved for students. A typical dormitory
would include student rooms, bathrooms, common rooms, and
possibly a cafeteria.
Drop: See "Withdrawal."
ECFMG: Educational Commission for Foreign Medical
Graduates.
ECFVG: Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary
Graduates.
Electives: Courses that students may "elect,"
or choose, to take for credit toward their intended degree,
as distinguished from courses that they are required to take.
ERAS: Electronic Residency Application System for
obtaining a residency position in the field of medicine in
the U.S.
Faculty: The members of the teaching staff, and occasionally
the administrative staff, of an educational institution. The
faculty is responsible for designing the plans of study offered
by the institution.
Fees: An amount charged by schools, in addition to
tuition, to cover costs of institutional services.
Fellowship: A study grant of financial assistance
usually awarded to a graduate student. Generally, no service
is required of the student in return.
Final exam: A cumulative exam, taken at the end of
a term, encompassing all material covered in a particular
course.
Financial assistance: A general term that includes
all types of money, loans, and part-time jobs offered to a
student.
Flunk: To fail an examination or a course.
Freshman: A first-year student at a high school, college,
or university.
Full-time student: One who is enrolled in an institution
taking a full load of courses; the number of courses and hours
is specified by the institution.
GMAT: Graduate Management Admission Test, usually
required for applicants to business or management programs.
Grade: The evaluation of a student's academic work.
Grade point average: A system of recording academic
achievement based on an average, calculated by multiplying
the numerical grade received in each course by the number
of credit hours studied.
Grading system: The type of scale - that is, letter
grade, pass/fail, percentage — used by schools, colleges,
and universities in the U.S. Most institutions commonly
use letter grades to indicate the quality of a student's academic
performance: "A" (excellent), "B" (good),
"C" (average), "D" (below average), and
"F" (failing). Work rated "C" or above
is usually required of an undergraduate student to continue
his or her studies; work rated "B" or higher is
usually required of a graduate student to continue. Grades
of "P" (pass), "S" (satisfactory), and
"N" (no credit) are also used. In percentage scales,
100 percent is the highest mark, and 65 to 70 percent is usually
the lowest passing mark.
Graduate: A student who has completed a course of
study, either at the high school or college level. A graduate
program at a university is a study course for students who
hold bachelor's degrees.
GRE: Graduate Record Examination, often required of
applicants to graduate schools in fields other than professional
programs such as medicine, dentistry, or law. Both a GRE general
test and subject tests for specific fields are offered.
High school: The last three or four years of the twelve-year
school education program in the U.S; secondary school.
Higher education: Postsecondary education at colleges,
universities, junior or community colleges, professional schools,
technical institutes, and teacher-training schools.
Institute of technology: An institution of higher
education that specializes in the sciences and technology.
International student adviser: The person associated
with a school, college, or university who is in charge of
providing information and guidance to international students
in such areas as U.S. government regulations, student visas,
academic regulations, social customs, language, financial
or housing problems, travel arrangements, and insurance.
Junior: A third-year student at a high school, college,
or university.
Language requirement: A requirement of some graduate
programs that students must show basic reading and writing
proficiency in one other language besides their own to receive
their degree.
Lecture: Common method of instruction in college and
university courses; a professor lectures in classes of 20
to several hundred students. Lectures may be supplemented
with regular small group discussions led by teaching assistants.
Liberal arts (or "liberal arts and sciences,"
or "arts and sciences"): A term referring to
academic studies of subjects in the humanities (language,
literature, philosophy, the arts), the social sciences (economics,
sociology, anthropology, history, political science), and
the physical sciences (mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry).
LSAT: Law School Admission Test required of applicants
to professional law programs and some postgraduate law programs
in American law schools.
Maintenance: Refers to the expenses of attending a
college or university, including room (living quarters), board
(meals), books, clothing, laundry, local transportation, and
miscellaneous expenses.
Major: The subject or area of studies in which a student
concentrates. Undergraduates usually choose a major after
the first two years of general courses in the arts and sciences.
Major professor/thesis adviser: For research degrees,
the professor who works closely with a student in planning
and choosing a research plan, in conducting the research,
and in presenting the results. The major professor serves
as the head of a committee of faculty members who review progress
and results.
Master's degree: Degree conferred by an institution
of higher learning after students complete academic requirements
that usually include a minimum of one year's study beyond
the bachelor's degree.
MCAT: Medical College Admission Test required of applicants
to U.S. medical schools.
Midterm exam: An exam administered after half the
academic term has passed that covers all course material studied
up to that point.
NCLEX-RN: A licensing examination for registered nurses.
It is required by each state and must be passed before a nurse
can practice in that state.
Non-resident: Students who do not meet the residence
requirements of the state or city that has a public college
or university. Tuition fees and admissions policies may differ
for residents and non-residents. Foreign students are usually
classified as nonresidents, and there is little possibility
of changing to resident status at a later date for fee purposes.
Most publicly supported institutions will not permit a foreign
student to be classified as a resident student while on a
student visa.
Notarization: The certification of a document, a statement,
or a signature as authentic and true by a public official
— known in the U.S as a notary public. Applicants
in other countries should have their documents certified or
notarized in accordance with instructions.
NRMP: National Resident Matching Program for applicants
to U.S. Medical schools.
Placement test: An examination used to test a student's
academic ability in a certain field so that he or she may
be placed in the appropriate courses in that field. In some
cases a student may be given academic credit based on the
results of a placement test.
Plan of study: A detailed description of the course
of study for which a candidate applies. The plan should incorporate
the objectives given in the student's "statement of purpose."
Postdoctorate: Studies designed for those who have
completed their doctorate.
Postgraduate: Usually refers to studies for individuals
who have completed a graduate degree. May also be used to
refer to graduate education.
Prerequisite: Program or course that a student is
required to complete before being permitted to enroll in a
more advanced program or course.
President: The rector or highest administrative officer
of an academic institution.
Professional degree: Usually obtained after a bachelor's
degree in fields such as medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine,
or law.
Qualifying examination: In many graduate departments,
an examination given to students who have completed required
coursework for a doctoral degree, but who have not yet begun
the dissertation or thesis. A qualifying examination may be
oral or written, or both, and must be passed for the student
to continue.
Quarter: Period of study of approximately 10 to 12
weeks' duration.
Quiz: Short written or oral test; a quiz is less formal
than an examination.
Recommendation, letter of (also called "personal
recommendation," "personal endorsement," or
"personal reference"): A letter appraising an
applicant's qualifications, written by a professor or employer
who knows the applicant's character and work.
Registration: Process through which students select
courses to be taken during a quarter, semester, or trimester.
Residency: Clinical training in a chosen specialty.
R.N.: Registered nurse.
Sabbatical: Leave time with pay granted to a teacher
or professor after serving for six or seven years on the same
faculty. Its purpose is to give the faculty member an extended
period of time for concentrated study.
Scholarship: A study grant of financial assistance,
usually given at the undergraduate level, that may be supplied
in the form of a cancellation or remission of tuition and/or
fees.
Semester: Period of study of approximately 15 to 16
weeks' duration, usually half of an academic year.
Seminar: A form of small group instruction, combining
independent research and class discussions under the guidance
of a professor.
Senior: A fourth-year student at a high school, college,
or university.
Social Security Number: A number issued by the U.S.
Government to jobholders for payroll deductions for old age,
survivors, and disability insurance. Anyone who works regularly
must obtain one. Many institutions use the Social Security
Number as a student identification number.
Sophomore: A second-year student at a high school,
college, or university.
Special student: A student at a college or university
who is not enrolled as a candidate for a degree. Also may
be referred to as a non-degree, non-matriculating, or visiting
student.
Subject: Course in an academic discipline offered
as part of a curriculum of an institution of higher learning.
Survey course: A course that covers briefly the principal
topics of a broad field of knowledge.
Syllabus: An outline of topics to be covered in an
academic course.
Teachers' college: Institution of higher learning
that confers degrees in teacher education and related areas,
or a college within a university that offers professional
preparation for teachers.
Tenure: A position granted to senior faculty members
who have demonstrated a worthy research and publication record.
Its purpose is to preserve academic freedom.
Test: Examination; any procedure measuring the academic
progress of a student.
Thesis: A written work containing the results of research
on a specific topic prepared by a candidate for a bachelor's
or master's degree.
TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language, required
of graduate school applicants whose native language is not
English.
Transcript: A certified copy of a student's educational
record containing titles of courses, the number of credits,
and the final grades in each course. An official transcript
also states the date a degree has been conferred.
Trimester: Period of study consisting of approximately
three equal terms of 16 weeks during the academic year.
Tuition: The money an institution charges for instruction
and training (does not include the cost of books).
Undergraduate studies: Two- or four-year programs
in a college or university after high school graduation, leading
to the associate or bachelor's degree.
University: An educational institution that usually
maintains one or more four-year undergraduate colleges (or
schools) with programs leading to a bachelor's degree, a graduate
school of arts and sciences awarding master's degrees and
doctorates (Ph.D.s), and graduate professional schools.
USMLE: U.S. Medical Licensing Examination.
VAT: Veterinary Aptitude Test, required of applicants
to most U.S. veterinary schools.
VMCAS: Veterinary Medical College Application Service;
a comprehensive service collecting data for veterinary medical
schools.
Withdrawal: The administrative procedure of dropping
a course or leaving an institution.
Zip code: A series of numbers in mailing addresses
that designate postal delivery districts in the U.S.
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