Advising Glossary

Academic Course Load:
The number of credit hours in which a student is enrolled during a semester.

Academic Program:
A series of credit courses designed to lead to a degree, diploma or certificate in a field of study or occupation.

Academic Progress Review Committee:
A body within the Center for Access and Transition comprised of advisors, faculty, and administrators, that interpret and enforce academic policies.  The Committee meets quarterly to make decisions regarding student progress, suspensions, and appeals.

Add:
The process of increasing an academic course load.

Advanced Placement (AP):
A program administered by the College Board through which a student can earn college credit for examinations taken in high school. Students can earn AP credit for art, art history, biology, computer science, economics, English, history, mathematics, natural sciences, political science, foreign languages, music, and other UC courses.

Advisor:
A university professional who has been assigned to each student to facilitate his/her successful course toward a college degree.

Associate Degree:
The degree typically awarded by a community or junior college (UC's Raymond Walters & Clermont branches, for example) following the completion of a two-year program of study or approximately ninety credits. Select colleges on the Clifton campus also offer associates degrees.

Audit:
The process by which a student can register for classes on a no-grade, non-credit basis. Must be done at the time of registration.

Baccalaureate Degree:
An academic program generally of 180+ credits, including completion of the General Education program and course requirements for each major. Programs are designed for a full-time student to complete in four years, provided the student enrolls in and successfully completes 15 credits per regular academic term.

Bachelor's Degree:
Same as a baccalaureate degree. B.S.= Bachelor of Science degree; B.A.= Bachelor of Arts degree.

CAS (Course Applicability System):
The Course Applicability System or (CAS) is used to determine course equivalencies. CAS was designed to provide a Web-based advising system for potential transfer students and University of Cincinnati students taking courses as guests at other institutions.

Call Number:
The 6-digit number that appears after the course number and before the section code as in 42 COMM 098 420: 101427  . This number identifies the specific course, in this case, Communication for College and Career.  This is the number entered into the registration form to enroll a student in the class.

Certificate:
An academic program generally of 30 credits that can be completed in a year or less by a full-time student. Some certificate programs are designed to provide specialized programs for people who already have diplomas or degrees; others are for people who want to complete a program that leads directly to a specific job quickly.

Course Number:
The 3-digit number identifying each Course within a discipline.  42 COMM 098.  In this example, 098 is the course within the department of Communication.

College:
One of UC's degree-granting administrative units. There are ten undergraduate degree-granting colleges at the Clifton campus.

Co-Requisite:
Course or courses that a student is required to take along with another course in which the student is enrolled.

Credit or Credit Hour:
Each credit hour is a unit of time, usually 50 minutes, during which a class will meet each week during a semester.

Cumulative Grade-Point Average (GPA):
The weighted mean value of all grade points a student has earned by enrollment in UC courses through any delivery system and at any location or through credit examination.

Curriculum:
A proscribed set of courses leading to a student's earning a degree or certificate.

Dean's List:
A recognition of academic excellence. To be on the Dean's List, a UC student must achieve a quarter grade-point average of 3.4 or higher while enrolled in twelve or more credits.

Degree Audit (DARS):
DARS is an automated degree audit system that reflects the progress a student has made toward the completion of the General Education requirements as well as those of their chosen major.

Degree Requirements:
A list of exact courses, subject areas and credit hours needed to obtain a specific degree or certificate. Degree requirements can be found at http://www.uc.edu/academics/

Discipline/Subject Code:
The 4-letter abbreviation that appears before the course and section numbers as in COMM 098:003. This code identifies the specific department, in this case, Communications.

Drop:
The process of decreasing an academic course load prior during the first 3 weeks of classes.  Courses dropped during this time will not be recorded on the academic record.

Electives:
Courses in which a student may enroll that do not fulfill specific requirements, depending upon his or her interests and needs. When choosing electives, students should consult their advisor.

Freshman:
A student who has completed fewer than 45 posted credits.

Full-Time Student:
A student enrolled in twelve or more credits during a quarter.

General Education Program:
Courses in liberal arts and sciences that are typically introductory and provide students with general knowledge and reasoning ability rather than specific skills for employment or specialized knowledge required for a major. UC’s program consists of six Breadth of Knowledge Requirements and four areas of experience.  The courses to be taken for this program depend upon major and should be chosen with the aid of an advisor.

Grade Point Average (GPA):
Indicates a student's academic progress and status on a 4.0 scale.  It is calculated by adding quality points earned and dividing by total number of credits attempted.

Graduate Degree:
A degree awarded for education at a level beyond the bachelor's degree. State universities offer graduate certificates, master's degrees and specialist degrees in various professional and liberal arts fields, such as medical or law degrees.

Holds on Student Records:
Actions taken by University offices to restrict a student's registration ability or prevent the student from receiving a transcript or diploma. Holds are usually placed for academic, financial, health, or conduct reasons.

Incomplete Grade (I grade):
Instructors use the "I" (Incomplete) when students fail to submit all of required coursework by the end of the quarter. Only award the "I," if it is possible for students to complete the work without class attendance. In undergraduate courses, the "I" does not factor into the grade point averages during the quarter immediately after it is awarded. Following that subsequent quarter, the "I" carries zero (0) quality points-treated like the "F" and the "UW." After one (1) year, any "I" remaining on students' records automatically changes to the "I/F," which carries zero (0) quality points and affects students' GPA like the "F."

Junior:
A student who has completed more than 89.5, but fewer than 135 posted credits.

Learning Agreement:
A contract signed by students in the Center for Access and Transition that outlines what must be completed by the student (generally developmental coursework, meetings with advisor, and GPA requirement) before transition to a degree-granting program is permitted.

Learning Opportunities:
The on-line course catalogue where students may browse the classes that are being offered in a particular quarter.

Major:
The subject area leading to a degree or certificate in which a student chooses to concentrate his/her academic work.

Master's Degree:
An academic degree program of 32 or more credits in courses at the graduate level.

Minor:
An academic program that supplements a major. Courses counting in a minor can also count in the student's major. All courses listed in a minor are subject to pre-requisites.

New Student Orientation:
A two-day program during the summer that all new students are required to attend.  At this program, placement tests are administered, crucial information about a student’s UC college and its requirements are delivered, and students meet with an advisor to register for classes.

One-Stop:
A website focused on student services, where students may go to check e-mail, register for classes, view/pay bill, view grades, check on financial aid, and have other general questions answered. Also a physical location in University Pavilion where students may go to accomplish these tasks in-person.

Part-Time Student:
A student enrolled in fewer than twelve credit hours during a quarter.

Placement Test:
Tests taken by all new students at Orientation or at a Quick Start event, generally in English, Mathematics, and a foreign language (if the student took 2 or more years in the same language in high school) Results of this test are used to place students at the appropriate entry level in each subject.

Pre-Requisite:
A course or courses a student must complete before being allowed to register for a more advanced course in the same or related area.

Program of Study:
The subject area in which a student chooses to concentrate his/her academic work.

Quality Points:
The number of quality hours (for a course) multiplied by the numerical value of the grade earned (A = 4.0 points, B = 3.0 points, etc.). The total number of quality points divided by the total number of quality hours equals a student's cumulative grade point average (GPA).

Quality Hours:
Credits earned which affect a student's GPA.

Quarter:
One of the three main enrollment periods in an academic year. At UC, the academic year consists of a ten-week fall quarter, a ten-week spring quarter, and a summer quarter that is divided into either two five-week periods or three 3.5 weeks periods.

Section Code:
The 3 digits that appear after the department/subject code and subject number in the schedule of classes, as in COMM 098: 420. This number refers to the specific section of the course.

Senior:
A student who has completed more than 134.5 posted credits.

Sophomore:
A student who has completed more than 44.5, but fewer than 90 posted credits.

Syllabus:
A document provided by an instructor that describes the content and expectations of a course, the grading policy, a list of assignments and due dates, and related information such as the required textbooks and other course materials, the instructor's office hours, contact information, etc.

Transcripts:
Written record of a student's academic performance. Students may obtain official and unofficial transcripts by contacting the Registrar.

Transfer Credit:
Transfer credit refers to units (hours) of academic credit awarded at a receiving institution in recognition of college level credit earned at a sending institution. Academic institutions operate under a variety of systems (e.g., semester or quarter). Semester hour credit may be converted to quarter hour credit by multiplying by three and dividing by two (e.g., five semester hour credits will equate to 7.5 quarter hour credits).

Transfer Module:
The Transfer Module contains 54-60 quarter hours or 36-40 semester hours of specified course credits in English composition, mathematics, fine arts, humanities, social science, behavioral science, natural science, physical science, and interdisciplinary coursework. A transfer module completed at one college or university will automatically meet the requirements of the transfer module at the receiving institution, once the student is accepted. Students may be required, however, to meet additional general education requirements that are not included in the Transfer Module.

Transfer Student:
A student applying for admission to The University of Cincinnati (UC) who has formerly attended another regionally accredited institution of higher learning. A student is also considered a Transfer Student if he/she attended UC after high school, transferred to another school and is returning to UC.

Transient/Guest Student:
Any University of Cincinnati student who wishes to take course work at another accredited institution of higher education is considered a “transient student”.

Transition:
The act of moving from the CAT to a degree-granting program with which the CAT has a “Transition Agreement.” Transition agreements outline what a student must do to gain entry into the college – generally completion of the learning agreement and achievement of a specified GPA.

Withdrawal:
The process of dropping a course or courses after the first 3 weeks of the quarter. Withdrawing from ALL coursework is referred to as a Complete Withdrawal. When a student withdraws from a course, a grade of W is assigned which has no impact on the GPA.