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A GUIDE TO COLLEGE TERMS

If you have not experienced this already, beginning soon and throughout your time in college you will be exposed to college terms that you may not be aware of. This list is to help you now to get a basic understanding of some of these terms. Because faculty and staff often use these phrases, it is sometimes forgotten that new students will have little or no idea what their meaning is. Feel free to come back to this list through your years on campus. Hope it is helpful!

Academic Advisement	An interaction between a qualified advisor who is knowledgeable about college requirements and procedures, and a student; together they evaluate and plan the student's course of study.
Academic Advisor	A faculty member who serves as the primary resource for academic services.
Academic Dismissal	A separation from the university when a student's achievement level is below acceptable standards.
Alumnus or Alumna	A male or female, respectively, graduated from an institution of higher learning.
Auditing	Attendance at a course without working for or expecting to receive formal credit.
Carrel	A partitioned or enclosed table for individual study, usually found in libraries.
Chair, Department	Faculty member elected by his/her fellow teachers to direct an academic department.
Class Standing	Your standing in relation to the number of hours earned, not the number or years you've attend school. (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior)
Coeducational	A college/university or residence hall that includes men and women.
Commencement	The day the university awards degrees to graduating students.
Community College	A two-year college that awards associate degrees.
Commuter	A student who lives off-campus and drives to class, or commutes.
Comprehensive Exam	A test given on all material taught during the term or semester.
Co-Op	A paid internship.
Course Number	The 100-level courses usually introduce a subject, while upper-level courses may spend an entire term covering a narrower topic in more detail.
Credit or semester hour	Point values earned over a semester for coursework.
Curriculum	All courses required for your degree or the program of study.
Dean	The academic dean oversees your degree program. Another type of dean is a chief administrator who works with students outside of the classroom, (the Dean of Student Affairs)
Dean's List	Honor roll each term for students earning 3.25 at the end of a semester.
Dormitory	See Residence Hall
Drop	Reducing the number of courses without penalty following prescribed procedures by a specified time. (If you're receiving financial aid, your status may change if you drop a course.)
Electives	Courses selected from academic areas of interest to you. They do not count toward meeting your major or minor requirements.
Exams	Tests given throughout the semester given in various forms including open-book/take-home, multiple choice, essay, short answer, or comprehensive
Extracurricular	Activities, clubs or organizations beyond your academic courses. (Such experiences give your resume a boost; ask a counselor for advice, since certain activities can lead to career choices.)
Faculty	The university's instructors. Also see PROFESSOR.
Fees	Additional charges not included in the tuition costs. May be charged to cover the cost of materials and equipment needed in certain courses or assessed for student events, programs and publications.

Financial Aid	Scholarships, grants, loans, and gifts. Many grants and loans are controlled by governmental regulations and eligibility requirements.
Full-Time Student	Undergraduate students enrolled for a minimum of 12 hours per term.
General Education Requirements	A grouping of core courses required for all students in addition to courses related to a major.
Good Academic Standing	A term that means a student is eligible or has been allowed to register for and undertake academic course work at the college for the term in question
Grading System	Credits are only earned for grades A through D. An overall minimum 2.0 Quality Point Average (QPA) is required for graduation. You may lose financial aid and other benefits or risk dismissal when your QPA falls below a certain level. Pass/fail grades (S or U), incompletes (I), retakes (R), or audits (N) are not computed in the cumulative QPA. The QPA is based on a 4-point scale, with points assigned to each grade, e.g. A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0. To compute your QPA for one term, consult the NU Undergraduate Catalog.
Graduate Student	One who has earned at least a bachelor's degree and is presently enrolled in a program granting a master's, doctorate or other advanced degree.
GRE	(Graduate Record Examination). A test administered to candidates for gradate school.
Greeks	Students who are members of fraternities or sororities.
Honors, Academic	A recognition of academic excellence: Dean's List, cum laude (with praise); magna cum laude (with great praise); summa cum laude (with highest praise). Also see DEAN'S LIST.
Incomplete (I)	A grade indicating that there still is a possibility of credit after further work.
Independent Study	A course in which you complete requirements under the supervision of a professor on your own time outside the classroom.
Internship	On-the-job, field experience for which you earn college credit.
Intramurals	Team sports or individual play within and among the student body.
Learning Center	Services offered for improvement of skills to enhance academic performance and tutoring in a variety of fields.
Liberal Arts	Traditional program of study which provides general knowledge of the world and develops intellectual capacities.
LSAT	(Law School Admission Test). Generally required for admission to law school.
Major	Prescribed grouping of courses designed to provide proficiency in a discipline.
Master Schedule	A listing of all classes offered during each term, including days and times of class meetings, name of instructor, class location, etc.
Matriculation	The formal acceptance and enrollment into a specific degree program.
Minor	An abbreviated concentration of courses in a discipline other than the major field of study.
Non-Traditional Student	A student who is not in the "traditional" student category: i.e. 18-24 years of age, and attending college right after high school. They are typically: 25 or older, have been employed for a number of years and/or raised a family and, for a variety of reasons (career advancement/change, time, resources) decide to begin or return to school to obtain a degree.
Paraphrase	To rewrite in one's own words, keeping to the intention and sense of the original, giving credit to the original to avoid plagiarism.
Part-time student	Students registered for fewer than 12 credit hours in a semester.
Photo ID Card	Required means of identification at Niagara University. It is helpful to have this card on you at all times while on campus.
Plagiarism	To copy another's words or ideas and present them as one's own, without giving credit to the originator.
President	The chief executive officer of the university who reports directly to the Board of Trustees, the institution's governing body.
Probation	A warning that you are not making satisfactory academic progress toward your degree or a sanction for misconduct. If grades or conduct do not improve, you risk suspension or dismissal from the university.

Professor	A university teacher's highest rank and includes three levels: assistant professor, associate professor, and (full) professor. (To avoid confusion, note how your teacher introduces him/herself the first day of class. When in doubt, use professor.)
Registration	The scheduling of classes each semester. (Before registering, you should seek academic advisement to be certain that you're taking the proper courses.)
Residence Hall	On-campus student housing operated by the university.
Residency Requirement	The university policy requiring first-time college students outside of commuting distance to live in campus housing for their first two years.
Resident Assistant	(RA). A highly-trained student assigned to live on a residence hall floor/unit to provide direct service to students.
Resume	A brief, written summary of your experience in work, school and extracurricular activities for the purpose of gaining employment.
ROTC	(Reserve Officers' Training Corps). Under the auspices of the Military Science Department, the program provides college-trained officers for the armed forces.
Sabbatical	A paid or semi-paid leave of absence granted to professors to conduct academic research or writing that makes a contribution to their academic disciplines.
Seminar	Typically, a very small class where students are expected to actively participate and sometimes to discuss the results of their research.
Student Teaching	An internship required for all education majors.
Student Union/Center	Located in the center of campus, the Gallagher Center houses an number of student services, activities, athletics, dining options, and meeting rooms.
Syllabus	An outline of a course's requirements distributed by a professor on the first class day. It may include due dates for exams and papers, assigned readings, special requirements, grading system, attendance policy, and a brief description of the course.
Tenure	A permanent position granted a professor after a probationary period. The faculty member is thereafter assured employment, unless misconduct or incompetence is proven.
Thesis	A longer research paper, usually written in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a senior student
Transcript	The official record of your college work, maintained and updated each term by the Records Office. Courses, grades, QPA, and graduation information are included in this file.
Tuition	The money paid for college courses.
University	An institution of higher education that has an undergraduate college and at least one graduate school.
UJB (University Judicial Board)	A body comprised of appointed and elected representatives from the faculty, administration and student body that adjudicates serious cases of misconduct.
Undergraduate	A matriculated student following a course of study who has not yet received a bachelor's degree.
Varsity Athletics	Sports teams representing the university in intercollegiate competitions.
Warning	Notification when a student falls below the prescribed QPA or has completed fewer than credit hours required.
Withdrawal	Although you may withdraw from one course, this term usually denotes the dropping of all courses for one term and leaving school for whatever reason. (Be sure to follow the prescribed procedures.)
Work-Study	A program financed primarily by the federal government to assist students in financial need with employment opportunities, primarily on campus.

Primary Source: Gardner, John N. and A. Jerome Jewler. College is Only the Beginning: A Student Guide to Higher Education. Wadsworth Publishing Company, South Carolina. 1989.