Auditing Student. A student who enrolls in and pays fees for a course or courses, but earns no university credit for that course or courses.
College. A major academic unit of the University, comprised of several departments, offering degrees on both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Core Curriculum. A wide selection of general education courses required of all students.
Elective. A course that is not specifically required for a particular degree. An elective may or may not be used to satisfy requirements for a degree.
Exemption Test. A test which exempts a student from taking certain courses. No academic credit is awarded for an exemption test.
Full-time Student. An undergraduate student who takes 12 or more semester hours of credit. A graduate student who takes 6 or more semester hours of graduate credit.
Grade Point Average. A student’s grade point average is calculated by dividing the number of quality points earned by the number of hours of course work in which he or she is enrolled over any given period.
Honors Program. A program which encourages superior students to enroll in special honors sections of lower-division courses, thereby gaining an enriched academic experience and the opportunity to work for an Honors Certificate.
Institutional Credit. A unit of credit included in a student’s total hour load for fee calculation. Institutional credit does not apply toward the total number of hours required for graduation, nor is it transferable to another institution.
Major. The academic area consisting of 30 semester hours or more of upper-division courses in which a student specializes. New students may choose a major at once or be classified as “Liberal Arts Students” until they decide upon the major they desire. Liberal Arts students are considered to be enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences. A grade of “C” or higher is required in each course applicable to the major.
Minor. An optional program of study in a field other than the student’s major. Minors consist of 15-18 hours, with at least 9 semester hours of upper-division courses (3000-4000 level), as specified by the department awarding the minor. A grade of “C” or higher is required in each course applicable to the minor.
Non-resident Student. One who does not have legally defined permanent residence in the state in which the University is located; an out-of-state student.
Prerequisite. Certain courses which must be completed before others may be attempted. Such first courses are said to be prerequisites for subsequent courses in the same or similar areas. It is the student’s responsibility to take the needed prerequisites.
Quality Points. Points given for attainment of a certain letter grade. (A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, WF=0, F=0).
Resident Student. A student who has legally defined permanent residence in the state in which the University is located; an in-state student.
Transcript of Credit. A certified copy of credits which a student has earned in high school or in other colleges attended. The submission of a transcript of credit is a prerequisite for admission to the University.
Semester Hour Credit. The semester hour is a unit of academic credit. The number of hours earned in a given semester is the measure of a student’s academic load. A typical academic load is 12-15 semester hours of credit.
