College Lingo
(Click here for ECU's Campus Lingo)
Academic advisor: person at a college or university who helps students decide what classes to take, what major to pursue, etc. An advisor is similar to a high school guidance counselor.
Admission requirements: students wanting to attend an Oklahoma college or university must meet certain requirements, such as achieving a specified ACT or SAT score, high school grade point average and/or rank in class and taking specified high school courses, etc. to be considered for admission.
Advanced Placement (AP) courses: courses that allow students to take college-level courses work in high school and receive credit at Oklahoma colleges and universities.
Associate degree: degree given upon completion of two years of full-time study or the equivalent. Most associate degrees are awarded by two-year colleges, although some four-year universities also offer them. Some associate degrees transfer to four-year universities; others are for career preparation.
Bachelor's degree: degree given upon completion of four years of full-time study or the equivalent.
Class rank: ranking of student within a high school graduating class based upon his or her high school grade point average.
College: higher education institution that generally offers associate, or two-year, degrees but does not offer a bachelor's or graduate-level programs.
College catalog: publication from an individual college or university that contains detailed descriptions of course and degree offerings, fees, academic policies and requirements for graduation.
Commuter College: college at which students live off campus and travel to campus for classes.
Comprehensive university: institution that grants bachelor's, graduate and professional degrees and offers a wide variety of courses and degree programs. Along with instruction, comprehensive institutions also focus on research, extension and public service. Comprehensive universities usually have large student bodies and expansive campuses.
Concurrent enrollment: program that allows eligible high school students (juniors and seniors) to take credit-earning college courses
Credit hour: credit given for attending one lecture hour of class each week for 15 weeks or equivalent. Most college classes are three credit hours, meaning their total meeting time for a week is three hours. To calculate tuition, multiply the number of credit hours for each class by the cost of tuition per credit hour. Full-time student: undergraduate student enrolled in at least 12 credit hours or a graduate student enrolled in at least 9 credit hours, or the equivalent, in one semester or academic term.
Graduate student: student working toward a master's or doctoral degree
High school grade point average (GPA): average of all grades earned in the ninth through 12th grades.
Higher education center: institutions with flexible admission standards that provide higher education opportunities to citizens in the areas surrounding the centers. The programs work with various colleges and universities to provide undergraduate and graduate courses, and students can earn an associate, bachelors or master's degrees.
Independent (private) colleges and universities: accredited colleges and universities that offer associate, bachelor's and/or graduate degrees in traditional subject areas. Independent colleges and universities are not supported by state taxes and are not for profit. They receive the bulk of their revenues from tuition, donations and grants.
Major: academic subject area, such as economics or geology, in which students take many courses and choose to earn a degree.
Mandatory fees: fees required of all students, in addition to tuition for enrollment to receive instruction at an institution of The State System. These fees shall be used to support the mission of the institution and for any lawful purpose to enhance the quality of student life or for any lawful purpose to enhance the quality of student life or for any academic purpose or service as designed by the institution.
Minor: area of interest studied at the same time as a major. It requires fewer courses than a major.
Part-time student: student who is enrolled in a certain number of courses credits or hours which are less that full-time. For an undergraduate student, this is usually less than 12 credits or hours. For a graduate student, it is usually less than nine credits or hours
Prerequisite: course which a student must take before he or she can enroll in another (usually more challenging) course.
Regional university: university that offers bachelor's and master's degrees, and, in some instances, associate or professional degrees. While regional universities focus primarily on instruction, they are also responsible for extension and public service, as well as some research. They tend to have mid-sized student populations and campuses.
Residential college: college at which students may live on campus in dormitories or apartments.
Semester: calendar system used by colleges and universities. Classes and grade reports are divided into two periods in the spring and fall, each lasting about 16 weeks, and one period in the summer, usually lasting eight weeks.
Standardized test (ACT or SAT): tests used by colleges and universities to evaluate applicants' academic skills and abilities. The standardized tests most widely used by colleges and universities are the ACT and SAT. Oklahoma state colleges and universities rely primarily on the ACT.
State (public) colleges and universities: colleges and universities that receive funding from state taxes to pay part of operating costs.
Subject area test: standardized tests given by the ACT program in math, science, reading and English. Public colleges and universities look at these tests scores when helping students enroll in courses.
Technical branches: institutions that have a special emphasis on education and training in technical fields. Some technical branches offer academic courses and programs, but not all institutions offer two-year programs that lead to an associate degree
Trimester: calendar system used primarily by the state's technical branches. Classes and grade reports are divided into three periods, each lasting about 10 weeks.
Tuition: payment that students make to cover costs of their classes at state and private colleges and universities. Other fees may be also required.
Two-year College: institution that grants associate degrees for transfer to four year institutions or for career preparation. Two-year colleges usually offer flexible class schedules with smaller class sizes. They are known as "open door" institutions because performance standards (standardized test scores or combination class rank and grade point average) are not required for admission.
Undergraduate student: a student working toward an associate or a bachelor's degree or a certificate.
University: higher education institution that usually offers four-year degrees, as well as degrees beyond the baccalaureate level. They may also offer two-year degrees.