| ABD "all but degree" or "all but
dissertation" |
Not a formal degree; applies to someone
who has completed all the requirements for a Ph.D.
except the dissertation.
|
| Acceleration |
Completion of a college program of
study in fewer than the usual number of years, most
often by attending summer sessions and carrying extra
courses during regular academic terms. |
| Accreditation (see also "regional
accreditation" and "professional accreditation") |
A process of granting recognition to
academic institutions and professional programs offered
by those institutions for meeting established standards
of performance, integrity and quality and which entitles
them to the confidence of the educational community and
the public. |
| Achievement Tests (ACH) |
Subject examinations, administered by
the College Board, used to measure academic achievement
and for student placement. |
| ACT |
A standardized external battery of
tests administered by the American College Testing
Program and covering English, mathematics, reading and
science reasoning. The tests are designed to assess the
student's educational development and readiness for
college-level study and may used by institutions in lieu
of the SAT. |
| Adjunct Faculty |
Faculty members who teach part-time
without appointments in the regular faculty. |
| Admissions Office |
The office responsible for admitting
students to the institution. |
| AP (Advanced Placement Program) |
A program offered by the College Board
that allows students to take college-level courses while
in high school and then take standardized tests to
demonstrate whether they have attained college-level
achievement. Universities and colleges grant students
credit on the basis of AP test results. |
| Advanced Standing |
The practice of placing a student in a
course based on previous achievement levels, e.g., study
at an another institution, by challenge examination, AP
or CLEP examination results.
|
| Academic Advisor |
The officer (a member of the faculty or
another professional) who provides academic advice and
guidance to students.
|
| Application Deadline |
The last date on which a college will
accept applications for admission to the coming term. |
| Assistant Professor |
A junior member of the faculty who has
not yet received tenure. |
| Assistantship |
Award granted to graduate students and
which consists of tuition remission and a stipend for
part-time teaching or research. (see also graduate
assistant; research assistant; teaching assistant) |
| Associate Degree |
Degree granted upon the completion of a
two-year academic program mostly offered at two-year
institutions. |
| Associate Professor |
A tenured member of the faculty. |
| Auditing |
Taking a class to acquire knowledge but
not for credit or grades. Audited courses do not count
toward degree requirements. |
| |
B |
| Baccalaureate |
Bachelor's degree |
| Bachelor's Degree |
The first university degree awarded
upon the completion of an undergraduate curriculum. The
degrees are usually known as 'bachelor of arts';
'bachelor of science'. |
| Bulletin |
An institution's catalog of programs,
curricula and courses. |
| Bursar |
The university official responsible for
collecting student fees. |
| |
C |
| Catalog |
see bulletin |
| Chair/Chairperson |
The head of an academic department. |
| Challenge Examination |
Examination created by an institution
as the equivalent to a course. Students who pass
challenge tests are commonly exempted from, or given
credit for, the course counterpart of the examination.
|
| Class Rank |
The relative position of a student in
his or her graduating class, determined by grade
average. |
| Closed Course |
Fully-subscribed course which is no
longer enrolling students |
| College |
A general term for post-secondary
education. It often refers to institutions which offer
undergraduate programs or to the undergraduate divisions
of large universities. |
| CLEP (College Level Examination
Program) |
A program offered by the College Board
designed to offer students the opportunity to earn
college credit by examination. |
| Commencement |
Graduation ceremony, usually held in
May or June at the end of the academic year. |
| Community College |
Public two-year institution supported
by the local community. Community colleges offer two
types of curricula: transfer (which
consists of the first two years of work for the
bachelor's degree) and terminal
(vocational training for employment in a wide variety of
semi-professional and technical areas). |
| Comprehensive Examinations |
Broad examinations covering material in
several courses, typically taken at the end of master's
degree programs or after the end of doctoral course work
before writing the dissertation. |
| Concentration |
see major |
| Continuing Education |
Educational programs offered by
colleges and universities to adults in the community
during the evening and on weekends. It usually refers to
non-credit course work. |
| Cooperative Education |
Educational program requiring students
to alternate periods of full-time study and full-time
work in their major. |
| Core curriculum |
General education requirements set as a
defined series of interdisciplinary courses that must be
taken by all undergraduates enrolled in degree programs
at an institution. |
| Course |
A discrete subject studied during one
semester or quarter. |
| Credit |
Time-based quantitative measure
assigned to courses or course-equivalent learning. One
credit is usually defined as 50 minutes of instruction
over a semester (semester credit) or a quarter (quarter
credit). 'Unit' is another term for credit. |
| Credit-by-Examination |
The practice of awarding students
college credit for satisfactory performance on an
examination. |
| Cumulative Grade Point Average |
The numerical average of all the
student's grades achieved during the period of study at
an institution. |
| Curriculum |
The body of courses and other formally
established learning experiences which constitute a
program of study. |
| Curve Grading |
A system of relative grading based on
the performance of all members of a class on an
examination. It is also called norm-referenced grading. |
| |
D |
| Dean |
Middle-level academic or administrative
officer in charge of an administrative unit. |
| Dean's List |
A published list of students who have
earned a specified high grade-point average in a term.
|
| Department |
The formal faculty group, together with
its support staff, responsible for instruction in a
general subject area. |
| Discipline |
An area of academic study. |
| Dissertation |
The formal writing requirement -- often
an original contribution to knowledge -- for a doctoral
degree. |
| Distribution Requirement |
The part of general education designed
to ensure that each student takes a minimum number of
courses or credits in specified, varying academic areas.
|
| Double Major |
Program of study in which a student
completed the requirements of two majors at the same
time. |
| Drop |
To withdraw from a course. |
| Drop-Add |
A period at the beginning of each term
when students are allowed to change their class
schedules by dropping or adding courses. |
| Drop-out |
A person who has withdrawn from all
courses. One who leaves school entirely is known as a
'dropout'. |
| Dual Degree |
Program of study in which a student
receives two degrees from the same institution. |
| |
E |
| Early Admission |
A program allowing well-qualified high
school students to enter college full time before
completing secondary school. |
| Elective |
A course chosen freely by the student
from the institution's offerings. Also called 'free
elective'. |
| Elementary School |
Primary school (grades 1-6 or 1-8) |
| Enrollment |
(1) The process of registering for
classes. (2) the total number of students at an
institution.
|
| Exchange Scholar or Student |
see visiting scholar or student |
| Exemption |
The practice of exempting a student
from a requirement. For example, if a college required
all students to take freshman English, but on the basis
of evidence of outstanding prior achievement (such as
high scores on an examination) waived the requirement,
this would constitute exemption. |
| Experiential Learning |
Learning which takes place outside of
the classroom through formal courses or other life
activities. |
| |
F |
| Faculty |
(1) The body of teaching personnel in a
department, division, or an entire institution. (2) An
academic administrative unit, e.g., The Faculty of
Engineering. |
| Fellow |
A student (graduate or undergraduate)
granted a 'fellowship' on the basis of academic
achievement. |
| Final Examination |
A course-based examination taken at the
end of the term. |
| Financial Aid |
Scholarships, grants and loans provided
for students by academic institutions from government
and private sources to help defray educational costs. |
| Foreign Student Advisor |
Official employed by the institution to
assist foreign students, scholars and faculty with
immigration, visas, orientation, insurance, and other
such matters. |
| Freshman |
First-year student (applies to both
college undergraduates and high school students). |
| Full-time |
Student taking 12 or more credits
during any given term.
|
| |
G |
| General Education |
A component of the undergraduate
curriculum designed to provide breadth to the curriculum
and a common undergraduate experience for all students.
It is usually defined on an institution-wide basis and
involves study in several subject area. |
| GMAT (Graduate Management Admission
Test) |
A standardized external examination of
verbal and quantitative skills usually required by
graduate schools of business and used to assess the
qualifications of applicants for MBA programs. |
| Grade |
An evaluation (normally by letter on a
scale of A-F) of a student's performance on an
examination, a paper or in a course. |
|
Grade-point average (GPA) |
The average of grades earned in all
courses taken during a term divided by the number of
credits. |
| Graduate |
(1) A person who has successfully
completed a program of study and earned the final award
(2) as an adjective, refers to post-baccalaureate
status. |
| Graduate Advisor |
The faculty member who serves as
advisor to all graduate students in a department. |
| Graduate Assistant |
see 'research assistant' |
| Graduate School |
The academic unit within an institution
which administers graduate education. |
| GRE (Graduate Record Examination) |
A two-part standardized external
examination designed to measure general verbal,
quantitative and analytical skills (General Aptitude
Test) and knowledge and understanding of subject matter
basic to graduate study in specific fields (Advanced
Tests). The GRE is generally required by graduate
schools and is used to assess the qualifications of
applicants to master's and Ph.D. programs. |
| Gymnasium |
The building which houses the sports
facilities on a campus. |
| |
H |
High School |
Secondary School (grades 7-12 or 9-12).
In the 6+6 scheme, the first three years (grades 7-9)
are known as 'junior high school' and the final three
years (10-12) as 'senior high school'. |
| Homework |
Regular assignments to be completed
outside the classroom and taken into account in the
student's course grade. |
| Honors |
Special recognition of students'
outstanding academic achievement. |
| |
I
|
| Incomplete |
Temporary grade indicating that the
student has not met all course assignments at the end of
the term. |
| Independent Study |
An assignment (reading or research)
carried out by a student under faculty supervision. |
| Instructor |
A formal term which designates a
part-time, temporary, university teacher. It is also a
synonym for teacher. |
| International Student Advisor |
see foreign student advisor
|
| Internship |
Supervised professional training
designed to allow students to apply previously acquired
skills and knowledge to practical situations.
Internships can be done as part of a course, during
vacation or after graduation. |
| Ivy League |
Association of institutions located in
eastern United States originally organized for athletic
competitions. The term has since become synonymous with
highly selective prestigious and elite education. The
Ivy League consists of: Brown Univ., Columbia Univ.,
Cornell Univ., Dartmouth Coll., Harvard Univ., Univ. of
Pennsylvania, Princeton Univ, and Yale Univ. |
| |
J |
| Junior |
Third year student. (Applies to both
college undergraduates and high school students.) |
| Junior College
|
Private two-year institution. |
| Junior High School |
see high school |
| |
L
|
| Land-Grant Institution |
A state-run institution founded under
the terms of the 1862 Morill Act which granted public
lands to the states to establish colleges to provide
full-time education in agriculture and mechanic arts.
|
| Language Requirement |
An institution's requirement that its
graduates master one or more foreign languages. |
| Letter of Recommendation |
Letter written in support of a
student's application for admission to a study program
which assesses the candidate's qualifications for the
program in question. |
| Liberal Arts |
The traditional fields of study in the
humanities, sciences and social sciences as distinct
from technical and professional education. |
| Liberal Arts College |
Higher education institution in which
the bachelor's degree emphasis is on liberal or general
undergraduate education. |
| Load |
An informal term used by students and
faculty to refer to the number of credits they are
studying or teaching, respectively. |
| Lower-division |
First two years of a bachelor's degree
program which consists mainly of courses at the
introductory and elementary levels. |
| LSAT (Law School Admission Test) |
A standardized external examination
used by law schools to assess applicants' verbal,
analytical and reasoning skills |
| |
M |
| Major |
Undergraduate student's area of
specialization, it consists of a number of courses in
one field or in two or more related fields. The major is
also referred to as concentration. |
| Major professor |
The professor who advises a doctoral
candidate in the final stages of the program, also known
as 'dissertation advisor'. |
| Make-up examination |
A late examination for students who
missed the original date. |
| Master's degree |
A post-baccalaureate degree usually
earned after one or two years of course work. |
| MBA |
Master of Business Administration |
| Matriculated |
Enrolled in a program leading to a
degree. |
| MCAT (Medical College Admission Test)
|
A standardized external examination
designed to measure specified science knowledge and its
application in solving related problems, and of other
learning and reasoning skills considered important for
the study of medicine, used by medical schools to assess
applicants. |
| Mid-term examination |
An examination administered at the
mid-point of the term. |
| Miller Analogies Test |
A high-level mental ability test, used
by some graduate schools in lieu of the GRE, which
requires the solution of 100 intellectual problems
stated in the form of analogies. |
| Minor |
A secondary area of concentration. |
| Multiple-choice examination |
An objective examination giving
students several choices of answers to a question of
which one is correct. |
| |
N |
| non-matriculated |
Enrolled in courses but not in a
program leading to a degree. |
| |
O |
| Open Admission |
Non-selective admission of all students
who have completed high school. |
| Open-book examination |
An examination where students are
allowed to consult course materials while answering
questions. |
| |
P |
| Participation |
Student's contribution to class
discussion, often taken into account in grading. |
| Part-time |
Student taking fewer that 12 semester
credits. |
| Pass-Fail |
A system of grading which distinguishes
only those who pass from those who fail. |
| Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) |
The highest earned degree awarded in
the United States. |
| Placement |
The practice of placing a student in a
course based on previous achievement levels. For
example, a student who has done very well on an
appropriate examination in mathematics might be placed
in calculus as the first mathematics course rather than
college algebra. |
| Postdoctoral Fellow |
Usually a recent Ph.D. holder
temporarily appointed to teach or conduct research. |
| Preliminary Examinations |
Written or oral examinations given to
all prospective Ph.D. candidates after they
have completed doctoral coursework. The examination
results determine whether candidates are admitted to the
dissertation stage of the program. |
| Prerequisite |
A course which must be completed before
a student is allowed to register for a more advanced
course. |
| Private Institution |
An institution which is supported
primarily from private funds in the form of tuition,
fees, endowments and donations. |
| Probation |
A status imposed on students whose work
is unsatisfactory until they improve their performance
or are asked to leave the program or institution. |
| Professional Accreditation |
Accreditation granted to a professional
school or a program offered at a regionally-accredited
institution by accrediting commissions affiliated with
national professional organizations in such areas as
business, engineering, law, medicine, nursing, physical
therapy, etc. Professional accreditation is also known
as 'specialized accreditation'. |
| Professional School |
A post-baccalaureate institution
(usually within a university) which trains students in
the traditional professions, e.g., law or medicine.,
|
| Professor |
The common honorific for all university
faculty members. But it is also the formal rank of
senior (full) professors. |
| Program |
see curriculum |
| Proprietary Institution |
Privately owned, profit-making
educational institution (mostly) offering practical
occupational skills; awards certificates and diplomas. |
| Provost |
The chief academic officer of an
institution. |
| Public Institution |
Institutions supported directly by
public funds.
|
| |
Q |
| Qualifying Examination |
Examinatins given at the conclusion of
master's or doctoral coursework. |
| Quarter System |
Academic calendar in which the year is
divided into four quarters of 10 weeks.
|
| |
R |
| Recitation |
A small-group session where students
discuss material covered in large lectures. |
| Regional Accreditation |
Accreditation granted to an entire
academic institution by the accrediting commission
responsible for institutions in the particular
geographic area. There are six regional accrediting
commissions in the United States. Regional accreditation
is also referred to as 'institutional accreditation'. |
| Registrar |
The officer responsible for registering
students and maintaining their educational records. |
| Registration |
The formal process of enrolling
students in courses. |
| Remedial Education |
Instruction designed to bring students
up to required basic skills or knowledge levels to allow
them to attend programs which they would otherwise have
been unable to follow. |
| Research Assistant (RA) |
A graduate student who is employed
part-time to assist with faculty research. |
| Residence Requirement |
An institution's requirement that a
student take a set number of credits at that institution
in order to receive its degree. |
| |
S |
| SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) |
A standardized external examination
(formerly known as the Scholastic Aptitude Test
and then the Scholastic Achievement Test) of
mathematical, verbal and analytical skills, taken by
high school students to demonstrate their abilities for
post-secondary study; often required for admission to
undergraduate programs. |
| Seminar |
A small class of generally advanced
students which meets with a professor to discuss
specialized topics. |
| Semester System |
The academic year is divided into two
15-week semesters. |
| Senior |
Fourth year student (Applies to both
college undergraduates and high school students)
|
| Senior High School |
see high school |
| Sophomore |
Second year student (Applies to both
college undergraduates and high school students) |
| Specialized Accreditation |
see professional accreditation |
| Summer Session |
Formal course offerings during the
summer. |
| |
T |
| Take-home examination |
A course examination which is completed
outside of the classroom. |
| Teaching Assistant (TA) |
A graduate student who is employed
part-time to assist with faculty teaching. |
| Tenure |
The status of a permanent member of the
faculty earned by peer-review on the basis of
publications and scholarship. |
| Term |
A generic word for academic sessions
(quarter, semester) |
| Term Paper |
A formal paper required as part of
course work. |
| Thesis |
A written piece of work required for a
degree. |
| TOEFL (Test of English as Foreign
Language) |
A standardized test administered
world-wide to determine proficiency in English and
required by most US institutions of all foreign
applicants whose first language is other than English.
|
| Transcript |
The official record of a student's
academic performance at an institution. |
| Transfer credit |
Credit awarded toward a degree on the
basis of studies completed at another institution. |
| Trimester System |
Academic calendar in which the year is
divided into three 15-week terms; students may study
full-time in two of the three or full- or part-time in
all three. |
| TSE (Test of Spoken English) |
A test designed to assess the spoken
English proficiency of people whose native language is
not English. The TSE is often required of graduate
students seeking assistantships. |
| Tuition |
The fee paid by students for their
instruction. |
| |
U |
| Undergraduate |
(1) Description of a post-secondary
program leading to a bachelor's degree; (2) a student
enrolled in such a program. |
| University |
An institution of higher learning and
research consisting of several units which offer
programs leading to advanced degrees. Universities
stress graduate and professional education and research,
but also have important undergraduate divisions. |
| Upper-division |
The part of the curriculum which is
generally taught beyond the second year of a bachelor's
degree program and which constitutes its more advanced
component. |
| |
V |
| Visting Scholar or Student |
Individual attending an educational institution
by special agreement with a foreign institution. A
visiting scholar or student does not-matriculate which
means that he or she is not engaged in a degree program.
To change status and matriculate in a degree program a
visiting student or scholar must apply for admission to
the institution and undergo the usual selection process.
|
| |
W |
| Withdrawal |
Formal process of leaving an
institution before (and without) completing a degree. |
| |
|
