College Terms

Dean's List

- A Dean's List is a category of students in a college or university who achieve high grades during their stay in an academic term or academic year.

Undergraduate

A college student who has not yet earned a degree.

prerequisite

A course you are required to take before another course can be taken.

Sorority

A group of girls or women associated for a common purpose; a sisterhood; A social organization of female students at a college or university; usually identified by Greek letters

University

A higher education institution usually offering graduate degrees and organized

SAT

Scholastic Aptitude Test; measures aptitude in mathematics, verbal comprehension and problem solving. Taken by students in their junior and/or senior year of high school. Required by many colleges as a condition of admission.

Minor

Secondary area of study.

A.S (Associate's of Science Degree)

Two year degree, usually obtained from a community college, typically awarded in mathematics or physical sciences.

A.A (Associate's of Arts Degree)

Two year degree, usually obtained from community college, typically awarded in the arts or humanities classes.

M.S (Master's Degree of Science)

a degree awarded by a graduate school or department, usually to a person who has completed at least one year of graduate study. Usually takes between 6-8

M.A (Master's Degree of Arts)

a degree awarded by a graduate school or department, usually to a person who has completed at least one year of graduate study. Usually takes between 6-8 years

Certificate

a shorter alternative to a degree, curriculum tends to be compressed and focused almost entirely on the field of study.

Graduate

a student who has earned a bachelor's degree and is working toward a master's, doctoral, or professional degree .

Commencement

ceremony at the end of the academic year when diplomas are given to graduates

humanities courses

courses in philosophy, literature, and art.

Honors

cumulative grade point average is 3.5 or higher in all college work attempted. These graduates wear a gold tassel during commencement.

ACT

entrance test for college; covers English, reading, science, and math.

Loan

financial aid for students or parents; must be repaid, but often not until student finishes studies.

Scholarship

financial aid provided to a student on the basis of academic merit.

Alumni

graduates of a school.

Grant

money given to a student to pay for all or part of cost of college; repayment is not required.

Trade/Vocational School

A secondary school teaching a specific skill or trade; such as culinary school, fashion institute, veterinary assistant, etc

Junior College

A two-year school with programs for Associate's degrees, also known

PhD.(Doctor of Philosophy)-

Also called a doctorate, the highest degree awarded by a graduate school, usually to a person who has completed at least three years of graduate study.

Fraternity

An individual men's Greek organization and the term applied to any Greek organization. Some sororities are identified as a fraternity in their official name; others describe themselves as being a "woman's fraternity".

Major

Area of study or field of specialization, concentration of courses

B.A. (Bachelor's Degree of Arts)

Degree received after completing the equivalent of 4 years of full-time education, normally rewarded in such majors as literature, history, languages, and other

B.S. (Bachelor's Degree of Science)

Degree received after completing the equivalent of 4 years of full-time education, normally rewarded in such majors as physical and biological sciences, engineering, mathematics, and agriculture.

Dean

Director of an academic division; each school has a dean; other types include dean of admissions and dean of students.

FAFSA

Free Application for Federal Student Aid; filed by all seeking aid; used to determine aid eligibility.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions.

GED

General Education Development. Equivalent of a high school diploma

Transcript

Official record of a student's courses and grades.

PSAT

Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test; taken by students in the 10th or 11th grade as practice for their SAT.

Financial Aid

refers to funding intended to help students pay educational expenses including tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, etc. for education at a college, university, or private schools.

fees

required costs in addition to tuition; fees are typically charged for parking, registration, lab usage, special events and health services.

liberal arts

studies in subject areas that provide general knowledge (as opposed to technical knowledge); includes, history, languages, literature, philosophy, and social sciences.

mascot

symbol adopted by a school as its source of good luck; often an animal.

faculty

teaching staff.

Tuition

the term "tuition" is often used to refer to a fee charged for educational instruction; especially at a formal institution.

Audit

to attend a course without receiving academic credit.