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Academic adviser: A member of the faculty
who helps and advises students solely on academic matters.
Academic year: The period of formal academic instruction,
usually from August or September to May or June. It may be
divided into terms of varying lengths: semesters, trimesters,
or quarters.
Accreditation: The system of maintaining and approving
standards at U.S. educational institutions, which is carried
out by organizations called accrediting bodies or accrediting
associations. Accreditation is defined by the U.S. Department
of Education as "a status granted to an institution which
indicates that it is meeting its mission and the standards
of the association and seems likely to continue to meet that
mission for the foreseeable future."
Advanced placement or advanced standing: A waiver
of some of the studies normally required for an undergraduate
degree, granted to a student on the basis of prior study or
experience.
Associate degree: The degree awarded after a two-year
period of study; it can be either "terminal" (vocational)
or "transfer" (the first two years of a bachelor's
degree).
Asynchronous: A term used to describe distance education
study in which instruction can be received by students wherever
and whenever they desire, as long as they have access to the
Internet or, in the case of correspondence education, to the
mail. See also "Synchronous."
Audit: To take a class without receiving a grade or
credit toward a degree.
Baccalaureate degree: The degree of "bachelor"
that is 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.
Certificate of Eligibility: A U.S. government document,
issued by the institution at which a student has been accepted,
that enables the student to apply for a visa.
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. Class rank also may be expressed
in percentiles.
College: A postsecondary institution that provides
an undergraduate education. College, in a separate sense,
is a division of a university; for example, college of business.
College catalog: An official publication giving information
about an institution's academic programs, facilities, entrance
requirements, and student life.
Community, technical, or junior college: A postsecondary
institution that offers programs of up to two years' duration,
including the associate degree in the arts or sciences (A.A.
or A.S.).
Course: Regularly scheduled class sessions of one
to five (or more) hours per week during an academic term.
A degree program is made up of a specified number of required
and elective courses and varies from institution to institution.
Credits: Units institutions use to record the completion
of courses of instruction (with passing or higher grades)
that are required for an academic degree. The catalog defines
the number and kinds of credits that are required for the
university's degrees and states the value of each course offered
in terms of "credit hours" or "credit units."
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 (for example, English department or
history department).
Distance education: Formal learning in which the student
and the instructor are not in the same place at the same time.
Doctorate (for example, 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
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 reserved for students
on the campus of a college or university.
Faculty: The members of the teaching staff, and occasionally
of the administrative staff, of an educational institution.
Fees: An amount charged by schools, in addition to
tuition, to cover costs of institutional services.
Fellowship: A study grant of financial aid, usually
awarded to a graduate student.
Financial aid: A general term that includes all types
of money, loans, and part-time jobs offered to a student.
Foreign student adviser (FSA): Also known as an international
student adviser (ISA). The person associated with a school,
college, or university who is in charge of providing information
and guidance to foreign students in such areas as U.S. government
regulations, visas, academic regulations, social customs,
language, financial or housing problems, and certain legal
matters.
Freshman: A first-year student at a high school, college,
or university.
Full-time student: One who is enrolled in an institution
and taking a full load of courses. The number of courses and
hours is specified by the institution.
Grade: The evaluation of a student's academic work.
Grade point average (GPA): 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: Schools, colleges, and universities
in the United States commonly use letter grades from "A"
to "D" to indicate the quality of a student's academic
performance.
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 a bachelor's degree.
High school: The last three or four years of the 12-year
school education system in the United States; secondary school.
Intensive English Program (IEP): A type of English
language program that usually includes 20 to 30 hours of classroom
work per week.
International student adviser (ISA): See "Foreign
student adviser."
Junior: A third-year student at a high school, college,
or university.
Lecture: Common method of instruction in college and
university courses, in which a professor addresses students
in classes numbering from 20 to several hundred students.
Lectures may be supplemented with regular small group discussions
led by teaching assistants.
Maintenance: Living expenses while attending a college
or university, including room (living quarters), board (meals),
books, clothing, laundry, local transportation, and miscellaneous
expenses.
Major: A subject or area of studies in which students
concentrate. Undergraduates usually choose a major after the
first two years of a degree program.
Minor: A subject or area of studies in which students
concentrate their studies, but to a lesser extent than in
their major.
Nonresident student: A student who does not meet the
residence requirements of the state. Tuition fees and admissions
policies may differ for residents and nonresidents. International
students are classified as nonresidents.
Notarization: The certification of a document, statement,
or signature as authentic and true by a public official —
known in the United States as a notary public. Applicants
in other countries should have their documents certified or
notarized in accordance with instructions.
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.
Prerequisite: Program or course that a student is
required to complete before being permitted to enroll in a
more advanced program or course.
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: A letter appraising an
applicant's qualifications, written by a professor or employer
who knows the applicant's character and work. Also called
"personal recommendation," "personal endorsement,"
or "personal reference."
Registration: Process through which students select
and enroll in courses to be taken during a quarter, semester,
or trimester.
Scholarship: A study grant of financial aid usually
given at the undergraduate level, which may be supplied in
the form of a cancellation 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. Usually open to undergraduate seniors and
graduate students.
Senior: A fourth-year student at a high school, college,
or university.
Social Security Number (SSN): A number issued by the
U.S. government to jobholders for payroll deductions. 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.
Synchronous: A term used to describe a distance education
study program in which instruction is given at a particular
time and, usually, at specific locations. See also "Asynchronous."
Syllabus: An outline of topics to be covered in an
academic course.
Test: Examination; any method for measuring the academic
knowledge of a student.
Transcript: A certified copy of a student's educational
record containing titles of courses, the number of credits
earned, and the final grades in each course.
Transfer: The process of moving from one university
to another to complete a degree.
Trimester: Period of study of approximately 16 weeks
in an academic year that is divided into three equal terms.
Tuition: The money an institution charges for instruction
and training. (Tuition does not include the cost of books
or supplies.)
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 bachelor's degrees; a graduate
school of arts and sciences awarding master's degrees and
doctorates (Ph.D.s); and graduate professional schools.
Vocational schools: Institutions that prepare students
for semi-professional or technical employment.
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