Typical College Vocabularies

Plagiarism

A major form of academic dishonesty that occurs when a student uses the words of another without attribution, passing them off as their own. Typical examples include borrowing passages from published materials, using the works of others without their permission, and submitting a paper written entirely or in part by someone else. See also Academic Honesty.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

A numeric measure of a student's class performance in a given period or over a number of credits. Many colleges have a strict policy that students must keep a minimum GPA of 2.0 to keep in good academic standing (and keep attending classes), as well as for graduation. Falling below 2.0 can lead to academic suspension or dismissal.

Academic Year

A period of months that include the major terms offered by a college, starting traditionally in August or Fall with the Fall Semester or First Quarter and running through April or May. (Some schools also mini-mesters and summer terms and count these as part of the academic year.)

Schedule of Classes

A publication (now mostly Web-based) that is released prior to registration for the next term, and includes the list of courses, faculty, sections, hours, and classroom locations.

Academic Audit Sheet

A record of courses taken, grades received, credits earned, and grade point average. Often includes list of courses a student has to take for a given major and degree program. (TRANSCRIPT)

Upper Division Course

An undergraduate course that is designed for and taught at the junior or senior levels. Upper-division courses are often numbered 300 or 400 (or 3000 or 4000). Some upper-division courses may need to be applied to or be approved by the professor, and in many cases, a prerequisite for taking the course is junior or senior standing.

Senior

An undergraduate student who has earned 90 or more credit hours.

Sophomore

An undergraduate student who has earned between 30 and 59 credit hours.

Junior

An undergraduate student who has earned between 60 and 89 credit hours.

Junior College

Another name for community college.

Cramming

Attempting to learn all the material for an upcoming test by studying the night before, sometimes referred to as "pulling an all-nighter," in order to memorize key materials. Cramming has some short-term benefits, but results in little long-term learning or comprehension -- and thus should be avoided. Studying in college requires a daily commitment.

Abstract

Capsule descriptions or thesis summaries of student papers, typically about 200-350 words in length. An abstract should provide concise description of the work that would enable anyone reading your abstract to grasp the main idea and usefulness of the work.

Review Session

Class period, often outside of normal class time, when a professor provides a review of course material for an upcoming exam, including answering questions from students in attendance. These sessions are a great opportunity to raise questions, review the material, and perhaps gain some insights into what to expect on the exam.

Study Abroad

College coursework that students take outside the U.S., providing a great opportunity to experience foreign cultures and travel. Most colleges have partnerships with foreign colleges and universities, providing an almost seamless transfer of credits from the study abroad experience.

Transfer Credit

College credit earned at one college or university and applied and accepted for credit at a different school. Process works both for college students who decide to transfer from one college to another as well as for students who wish to take summer classes at a different school.

Academic Adviser

College staff or faculty member who assists students (advisees) with course selection, developing 4-year academic plan, and providing advice regarding careers and/or graduate school.

Undergraduate Student

College student who is pursuing a baccalaureate degree.

Academic Degree

Conferred by academic institutions in recognition that a student has completed a specified course of study. Undergraduate examples include Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Business Administration. See also Bachelor's Degree.

Degree

Credential awarded to a student who has completed all requirements of a course of study/degree program.

Academic Honesty

Ethical standards applied to all students regarding conduct related to academic performance -- on papers, tests, etc. Some colleges have detailed codes of conduct and honor codes. Penalties vary from failing the work in question to expulsion from the institution. See also Honor Code, Plagiarism.

Classroom Etiquette

General rules or norms of acceptable behavior that students are expected to follow, such as arriving to class on time, turning off cell phone ringers, paying attention, and not talking out of turn.

Professor

General term for all faculty teaching at a college or university. If your professor holds a doctorate degree (Ph.D.), it is a sign of respect to refer to him or her as Doctor [Last Name] unless otherwise instructed. See also Faculty.

Commencement

Graduation exercises at which academic degrees are conferred to students.

Faculty

Instructors (also known as lecturers or professors) who teach college courses. Most college faculty have graduate or professional degrees. Full-time faculty typically hold doctoral degrees and prefer to be addressed as "Dr. Last-Name." From highest to lowest, faculty can hold the ranks of (full) professor, associate professor, assistant professor, instructor, and lecturer. See also Teaching Assistants, Full-Time Faculty, Adjunct Faculty.

Lab/Laboratory Class

Learning environment in which hands-on work is completed, typically in science and foreign languages.

Class Schedule

List of classes that a particular student is enrolled in during a given term, including course names and sections, instructor, meeting days and times, and classroom or lab location.

Blue Book

Small, traditionally blue-covered booklets filled with ruled notebook paper that many college instructors use for short-answer and essay exams. In some cases, the instructor provide the blue books with the exam, in others, students must provide them. In more recent times, these booklets have come with different colored covers.

Course Description

Typically found in the course catalog (and sometimes on the course syllabus), this narrative contains important information and details about the course, from what the course entails to pre-requisites required.

Withdrawal

Typically refers to the dropping of all courses for which a student is registered in a given term.

Add/Drop

Typically two periods early in a semester or quarter in which students may add or drop courses from your schedules. The add period lasts only a very short period of time at the beginning of the term, while students can often drop a course until much later in a term.

Convocation

University-wide meetings, typically held at the beginning, in which the top administration discuss the vision and accomplishments of the institution and sometimes present awards to top-performing students.

Registration

When students enroll (register) for classes for an upcoming academic term.

Registrar

A key administrator and office on any college campus who oversees such things as registration, storing academic credit records, maintaining academic audit sheets, and dealing with transfer credits from other colleges.

Drop Deadline

A key date, typically about midway through a term, with which a student can drop a course he or she is failing without any kind of academic penalty.

Mid-Term Exams

A major -- and sometimes first -- subject exam given toward the middle of the term. Often used to establish mid-term grades for colleges that require interim grade reports, and scheduled before final drop deadline for students at risk for failing.

Work-Study

A Federal financial aid program providing part-time employment to students based on the financial need of students and available jobs within the university.

Active Reading

A broad number of reading strategies designed to increase a student's involvement with a textbook or other reading assignment that should result in improved comprehension and retention. With the increased amount and level of reading expected in college, students should seek out an active reading strategy that best works for their individual needs.

Course Number

A cataloging system that contains a series of letters and numbers to designate a course by the department that teaches it and the academic level. For example MKT315 is a junior-level course taught in the marketing department.

Lecture

A class session in which the instructor speaks on a specific topic or topics for the entire class period. A very common method of college instruction, lectures require a strong note-taking strategy.

Open Book Exam

A class test in which students are allowed to refer to their textbooks, notes, and/or a one-page study sheet or index card. Be wary of a common mistake that students make in assuming an open book exam is easier because of the access to study materials, as this type of exam is more about testing your understanding of complex relationships than about facts and terms.

Major

A concentration of courses that is a student's primary course of study. Students must major in a subject while in college, though some double major, and others pursue one or more minors.

Practicum

A course designed to provide students with supervised practical experience in which students apply the materials learned in their coursework to the actual situation. An example is student-teaching for education majors.

Non-Credit Course

A course in which no credit is offered toward degree requirements.

Elective Course

A course that is not required for any major, minor, or general education requirements, but used to fulfill the credit hours required for a degree. Most degree programs allow for at least a few elective courses.

Cross-Listed Course

A course that is offered for credit in two different academic departments (to fulfill different major or minor requirements), but is the same class regardless of which course designation is used. For example, a class about gender issues in advertising might be cross-listed as both ADV (advertising) and WGS (women and gender studies).

Prerequisite

A course that is required to be taken and passed prior to registering for another course. A number of upper-division courses often have prerequisites.

Department

A division within a school or college that offers instruction in a specific subject area.

Syllabus

A document (which some students and faculty see as the binding agreement about a course) provided at the beginning of a term that outlines the key elements of a course, including things such as learning objectives, assigned readings, major assignments, and test and quiz information. Usually includes a course calendar with due dates. The best students know to review and refer to the syllabus regularly throughout the term.

Department Chair

A faculty member who manages an academic department, and typically the person to see when a student is having scheduling problems or issues with a particular faculty member.

Minor

A secondary course of study, typically with a concentration smaller than a major, that a student chooses to enhance his or her major or simply to pursue a subject of interest.

Degree Plan

A sequence of courses and academic requirements that a student must complete in order to graduate. The most organized students -- who know their majors -- can make 4-year degree plans in their first year, thus mapping out their entire college program.

Honor Code

A set of rules, guidelines, or principles that relate to the academic standards expected of all students and faculty. Included are sanctions for students found guilty of violating the code, from failing a class to expulsion. See also Academic Honesty, Plagiarism.

Seminar

A small class (generally about 12-15 students) engaged in the study of a specific subject under the mentoring of a faculty member. Typically only offered at the junior, senior, and graduate levels.

Independent Study

A specialized course of study under the supervision of a faculty member. The burden is usually on the student to conduct a much more self-directed study plan than in a normal class setting.

Commuter Student

A student who does not live on campus. Typically refers to a student living at home, but can also mean any student who lives off-campus.

Undecided Student

A student who enters college with an undeclared major. Colleges often offer special programs for undecided students with names such as Discovery Students or Student Explorers. These students are often put into programs to assist them in finding their majors, but the key should be that for most students, there is no need to rush in choosing a major -- at least until the end of the sophomore year. See also Major.

Full-Time Student

A student who is enrolled in at least 12 credit hours during a given term.

Incomplete Grade

A temporary grade that faculty can award a passing student who, for reasons outside his or her control (illness, death in family, etc.) cannot complete all coursework and assignments in a given term. Students typically have one semester following the incomplete to meet with the professor and complete the work.

Essay Exam

A test with one or more comprehensive questions that require a detailed and comprehensive understanding of the course material, far beyond basic knowledge of facts. These exam challenge your knowledge and require you to put your answer in your own words.

Credit Hour

A unit of measurement that determines the amount of class time required each week of a term. In a typical semester system, a 3-hour class requires classes to meet in three 1-hour sessions, two 1.5 hour sessions, or one 3-hour session.

Core Course/General Requirements

All degree programs have a certain number of courses that all students must complete to earn their degree, typically revolving around English, math, science, social science, and foreign language courses.

Take-Home Exam

All or part of a class test that must be completed outside of class. Be wary of a common mistake that students make in assuming a take-home exam is easier because of the access to study materials; quite often, these exams are much more difficult to complete than in-class exams.

Concentration

An area of specialization, focusing on a core number of classes in a very specific field.

Freshman/First-Year Student

An entering undergraduate student who has earned fewer than 30 credit hours.

Degree Audit

An evaluation that tracks a student's progress (courses completed, grades received) in his or her degree program (majors and minors), and a key tool in both academic advising and in future course selection. Sometimes referred to as an Academic Audit.

Internship

An opportunity for students to gain critical experience in their chosen field of study. While many internships are not paid positions, the experience is invaluable -- both in gaining a better understanding of how what you are studying applies to the workplace, but also to help fine-tune your specific career path.

Tutoring

An option offered by most college and universities to assist students who need assistance in a particular subject, such as languages, writing, and math. Often, tutors are outstanding juniors or seniors (or graduate students).

Lower Division Course

An undergraduate course that is designed for and taught at the first-year or sophomore level. All community college courses are lower division by definition. Lower-division courses are often numbered 100 or 200 (or 1000 or 2000).

Scholarship

Monetary awards (that do not need to be repaid) presented to college students based on various criteria, such as need-based, academic excellence, leadership, community service, and extracurricular activities.

Final Exams

Most colleges set aside a week at the end of each term for professors to administer a major (and often comprehensive and cumulative) exam that represents a major grade for the class. Students should refer to each class syllabus for final exam policies.

Course Catalog

Official booklet of a college or university that outlines critical information about admissions and academic requirements, majors and minors, courses of study.

Transcript

Official record of a student's academic work showing dates attended, courses taken, grades earned, and credits received -- typically provided by a college's registrar.

Semester

One of two types of academic terms during which courses are taught; the other is the quarter. Semesters typically last 14 to 16 weeks.

Academic Support Centers

One or more student support centers at a college that provide no-cost instructional services to students to assist in achieving better academic success in all academic areas -- generally with specialized centers in math, writing, and study skills.

Adjunct Faculty

Part-time instructors that colleges hire to fill temporary holes in full-time faculty positions. Unlike full-time faculty, adjunct faculty often are professionals or retired professionals from the community. See also Full-Time Faculty.

Alumni

People who attended or graduated from a college. Alumni are important for their involvement and financial contributions, and can be important contacts for guidance in choosing a major and finding an internship or graduate program.

Life-Balance

Perhaps one of the most important things for academic success is finding a balance among all the demands college students face. Some of the best students are those who are very involved in social and professional activities on campus, but being too involved can also impact your ability to study.

Interdisciplinary Studies

Programs, majors, minors that use a combination of classes from two or more academic disciplines, often to compensate for not having the resources for a complete program. For example, a small college might offer a journalism interdisciplinary major that includes both journalism and English courses to fulfill the major.

Academic Calendar

Provides key dates and deadlines -- by term -- for an academic year, including add/drop deadlines, registration dates, mid-term and final exam periods, school holidays, and more.

Class Standing

Refers to a student's official year in school -- first-year (freshman), sophomore, junior, or senior -- based on the number of college credits completed.

Assignment

Required work assigned by instructor that is to be completed outside of class and prepared for a certain class day, as noted on the course syllabus.

Associate Degree

Requires completion of a minimum of 60 credit hours of academic work and is considered the first level of college degrees. Associate of arts and sciences degrees are offered by community and junior colleges, and can be typically completed in two years of full-time enrollment.

Bachelor's Degree

Requires the completion of a minimum of 120 credit hours of academic work, including a concentration in one or more academic majors. Includes bachelor of arts (B.A.) and bachelor of science (B.S.) degrees, as well as more specialized degrees.

Academic Standing

Scholastic standing of a student based on his or her grade point average (GPA). Academic standing can be computed at college level, school level, or major level.

Class Participation

Some college faculty require -- and grade -- class participation, while others reward active students with bonus points. Either way, the best students find that by participating in class -- asking and/or answering questions -- they understand the course material better, become known by the instructor, and earn better grades. Plus, class discussion can break up a somewhat boring lecture style, take discussion down an unpredictable path, and energize both instructor and students alike. Class participation makes the class more stimulating and interesting to both students and faculty.

Section

Some courses offered during a given term may have multiple class offerings -- on different days, different times, and sometimes different faculty. In terms of registration, courses with multiple sections give you the most flexibility and should be considered only after you have chosen classes that only offer one or to sections.

Transfer Student

Student who attends one college but decides to leave that school and apply for admission to a different college or university. The student then transfers some (or in rare cases, all) credits from old school to new school.

Double Major

Students who have a strong interest in two subjects may attempt to study both concentrations. For example, a student might double major in history and political science. Most students who double major do not have any minors. With proper planning, double-majoring students should still be able to complete their degree on time. See also Major.

Auditory Learner

Students who prefer to absorb information through their sense of hearing. They tend to be fond of speaking out loud, talking to themselves, and listening to themselves talk. They have difficulty handling distracting noises. They are said to be able to recall at least 75 percent of material they hear. About 30 percent of learners have the auditory learning-style preference.

Kinesthetic/Tactile Learner

Students who prefer to take in information through movement, manipulation, and touch. They tend to be able to operate equipment without reading instructions. They can easily learn dance steps and athletic maneuvers. About 5 percent of learners are kinesthetic/tactile. See also Learning Style.

Study Schedule

Studying in college is best done by regularly reviewing course material in smaller chunks -- to help train your brain into thinking and retaining information differently and avoiding all-night cramming for an upcoming test or assignment, and giving you a more positive attitude about learning. Professors recommend two to three hours of out-of-class study time for each hour of class time.

Study Groups

Studying with a group of friends, which can be a fun and rewarding study method -- as long as students pick group members wisely and follow a few rules. Study groups should not be your sole method of studying, but they can be a great supplement to your individual efforts. Unlike other types of studying, talking out issues in study groups is another form of active learning, the strongest kind of learning.

Objective Exam

Tests in which there is only one (objective) correct answer to the questions. Examples of objective exams include multiple-choice, true-false, fill-in-the-blank, and matching questions. Objective exams test your ability to recognize the correct (right, best) answer and are extremely popular for testing your ability to define terminology. Compare to Essay Exam.

Curriculum

The collection of courses required to complete a degree or certificate program.

Office Hours

The dates and times that college faculty set aside to meet with students enrolled in their classes. Students should use these times to meet with professors regarding any problems, issues, or questions related to their classes.

Course Load

The number of credit hours for which a student is enrolled in a given term, typically with a cutoff between students with part-time status and full-time status. For example, in a semester system, a full-time course load is generally 12 or more credit hours.

Accreditation

The oversight of a university, college, or academic program by one or more outside organizations. Accreditation organizations certify that an institution is following certain guidelines and policies.

Provost

The senior academic officer of a college or university.

Dean

The top administrator and academic officer within a college or school.

Active Listening

Theory that the more a person listens, the more s/he learns. Also called learning to listen -- listening to learn -- it's about developing the skill and effort to listen effectively. Students may hear a class lecture, but if they are not actively thinking about what is being said, they will not absorb much of the spoken material. If you want to benefit from showing up to class and attending the lecture, you'll need to work at actively listening to the instructor.