Glossary of Academic Terms - UTSA
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Everything may seem so different and strange. Even if you have transferred from another institution in the United States, you will hear words and terms that are not familiar! Here are a few of the terms and words used at UTSA and what they mean. If it’s still confusing, ask an advisor!
ACADEMIC ADVISOR – a professional staff advisor or faculty member who helps and advises students solely on academic matters. All freshmen are advised by staff at the Tomas Rivera Center for Student Success in the University Center. Other undergraduate students are advised by professional staff in the college academic advising centers.
ACADEMIC YEAR – The period of formal instruction from late August until mid-August which is divided into two semesters and a summer term.
ACCREDITATION – Approval of colleges and universities by nationally recognized professional associations or regional accrediting bodies. The University of Texas at San Antonio is accredited by Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
ADD/DROP – A process at the beginning of the term whereby students can delete or add classes.
AFFIDAVIT OF SUPPORT (CONFIRMATION OF FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY) – An official document providing a promise of funding from an individual or organization.
ASSISTANTSHIP – A grant of financial assistance to a graduate student that is offered in return for services in teaching, laboratory supervision, teaching assistant, or research assistant.
ASAP – Automated Student Access Program is on the UTSA web site. Students can create a personal identification number and access their application for admission, semester grades, registration, financial obligation, account balance, and many other very useful data.
AUDIT – To take a class without receiving credit toward a degree.
BACCALAUREATE DEGREE – The degree of “bachelor” conferred upon graduates of the university. This is a first level university degree.
BACHELOR’S DEGREE – Degree awarded upon completion of approximately four years of full-time study. See Baccalaureate Degree It is a prerequisite to study in a graduate program.
BANNER ID - See Student Identification Number
BULLETIN – See UTSA Information Bulletin
CAMPUS – The land on which the buildings of a university are located.
CATALOG – An official university publication which gives information about the university’s academic programs and courses. In some other countries, this is called a prospectus.
CATALOG OF GRADUATION - UTSA publishes an undergraduate catalog (Bachelor Degrees) every two years and a graduate catalog (Master and Doctoral Degrees) on the alternate two years. The catalog that is in effect during the semester the student is first in attendance at UTSA that determines the student’s degree requirements. This plan of study does not change.
CLASS RANK – A number or ratio indicating a student’s academic standing in his or her graduating class. A student who ranks first in a class of 100 students would report his or her class rank as 1/100, while a student ranking last would report 100/100. Class rank may also be expressed in percentiles (for example, the top 25 percent, and the lower 50 percent).
CLASSIFICATION – a system of levels determined by student’s earned credit hours and used primarily for priority student registration.
Undergraduate students:
Freshmen 0-29 first year student
Sophomore 30 – 59 second year student
Junior 60-89 third year student
Senior 90 and over fourth year student
Students studying for a Master’s or a Doctoral Degree are not given a classification level other than GR = graduate.
COED – A college or university that admits both men and women. It may also refer to a residence hall that houses both men and women.
COLLEGE – There are two definitions for this word 1) A postsecondary institution that provides undergraduate education (Associate Degrees or Bachelor’s Degrees) and 2) A division of a university; for example, College of Business. In the US, it is never used to indicate a secondary institution or high school.
CONDITIONAL ADMISSION – An acceptance to a college or university that is dependent upon the individual completing coursework or meeting specified criteria prior to enrollment. UTSA has a Conditional Admission program for undergraduate students: applicants with an excellent academic record and a deficiency in English language skills may be admitted on the condition that he or she attends the Intensive English Program until the appropriate level of English proficiency is attained. Graduate students may be admitted with the condition that they complete a course or courses during the first semester of enrollment with a grade of B or better.
CORE REQUIREMENTS – Mandatory courses required for completion of a degree.
COURSE – Regularly scheduled class sessions of one to five hours (or more) per week during a semester. A degree program is made up of a specified number of required and elective courses. It is never less than 120, but can be more depending upon the discipline.
COURSE LOAD – The number of credits taken in a specific semester.
COURSE NUMBERS – a numbering system that indicates the academic level, academic subgroup or sequence, and credit hour value of the specific course.
For example, all UTSA course numbers are four digits. Look at ART 1003 as an example.
1 The first digit is the academic level: (1-freshman; 2-sophomore; 3-junior; 4-senior;
5, 6, 7-graduate)
00 The sequence assigned to this course by the Art faculty
3 The lecture hours that the course meets per week, the semester hour value of the course
All courses beginning with a 1 and 2 are considered “lower division” and those beginning with 3 and 4 are upper division. This is important for registration and for university requirements to graduation. 5, 6, and 7 are for graduate students only.
COURSE/CLASS SCHEDULE – this is a list of the courses and sections of courses offered for registration in a specific semester or summer term. It lists the time the class meets, the building and room number, and the name of the instructor. This information is available on the web. It is not the catalog.
CREDITS/CREDIT HOURS – Units institutions use to record the completion of courses (with passing grades) that are required for an academic degree Check the UTSA catalog for the number of hour’s credit required for your degree.
CULTURE SHOCK – The mental shock of adjusting to a new country and a new culture, which may be dramatically different from your own.
DEAN – Director or highest authority within a college of the university.
DEGREE – Diploma or title conferred by a college, university, or professional school upon completion of a prescribed program of studies.
DEPARTMENT – Administrative subdivision of a college or university through which instruction in a certain field of study is given (examples: English Department or Mathematics Department).
DISCIPLINE – a subject that is taught, a field of study
DISSERTATION – Thesis written on an original topic of research, usually presented as one of the final requirements for a doctoral degree (Ph.D.).
DOCTORATE (Ph.D.) – The highest academic degree conferred by a university to students who have completed from three to five years of graduate study beyond the bachelor’s and/or master’s degree and who have demonstrated their academic ability in oral and written examinations and through original research presented in the form of a dissertation.
DROP – See withdrawal
ELECTIVES – Courses that students may choose to take for credit toward their intended degree, as distinguished from courses that they are required to take.
E-MAIL -- A Lonestar email is the official means of communication with all offices at UTSA. Important information such as financial aid award notification, registration information, payment deadlines, and how to access bills and grades are sent to the Lonestar email address. It is issued to each student within 24 hours of acceptance to the university. It may be used to send messages anywhere. The email address, email username and initial password are on the ASAP Welcome page after accessing ASAP. For a list of FAQ’s on Lonestar please go to: http://lonestar.utsa.edu/www/faq.
ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE (ESL) – A course or courses used to teach English to students whose first language is not English.
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES – Nonacademic activities undertaken outside university courses
FACULTY – The members of the teaching staff of an educational institution. The faculty is responsible for designing the plans of study offered by the institution.
FEES – An amount of money charged by universities, in addition to tuition, to cover the costs of institutional services.
FELLOWSHIP – A form of financial assistance usually awarded to a graduate student.
FINANCIAL AID – A general term that includes all types of money, loans, and work-study programs offered to a student to help pay tuition, fees, and living expenses.
FRESHMAN – A first-year student at a secondary school, college, or university.
FULLTIME UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT - enrolled in at least 12 semester credit hours each semester.
FULLTIME GRADUATE STUDENT – enrolled in at least 9 semester hours each semester
GRADE POINT AVERAGE (GPA) – A system of recording achievement based on a numerical average of grades attained in each course. UTSA calculates a gpa in the following manner: A = 4 points, B = 3 points, C = 2 points, D = 1 point and F = 0 points. Grades of CR (credit), NC (no credit), and I (incomplete) are not included in the average. The semester hour value of the course is multiplied by the point value of the grade. See below: The semester hour value of the group of courses is added to obtain a sum. The grade points obtained when the semester hour value was multiplied by the grade points is also added to obtain another sum. The grade points are divided by the sum of the semester hours. The answer is rounded down to a two decimal place number. That result is the grade point average.
A = 4 points x 3 semester credit hours = 12 grade points
B = 3 points x 3 semester credit hours = 9 grade points
C = 2 points x 3 semester credit hours = 6 grade points
F = 0 points x 3 semester credit hours = 0 grade points
12 attempted semester credit hours 27 earned grade points
27 divided by 12 attempted hours = 2.25 GPA
The student records system keeps a calculation for each semester or term of UTSA coursework and also gives an overall UTSA GPA for all semesters or terms of UTSA coursework.
GRADE POINTS – points given for each letter grade earned. UTSA is on a 4.0 grade point system.
A = 4 points
B = 3 points
C = 2 points
D = 1 point
F = 0 point
(FACULTY) GRADUATE ADVISOR OF RECORD (GAR) - Graduate students are advised by the faculty graduate advisor of record (GAR) associated with the department or college of their advanced studies.
GRADUATE STUDENTS – students who have attained an acceptable undergraduate or baccalaureate degree and have been accepted into an advance level program. These students are referred to as master’s level or doctoral level.
GRANT – A form of financial aid.
INCOMPLETE – A designation given in lieu of a grade for a course that has not been completed (with permission of the instructor). The student will be given a specified period for completion of the course. After that time, an F will result.
INDEPENDENT STUDY – Official coursework undertaken outside a classroom setting and monitored by an instructor is called an independent study.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ADVISOR (ISA) – The person at a university 3ho is in charge of providing information and guidance to international students in such areas as government regulations, visas, academic regulations, social customs, language, financial or housing problems, travel plans, insurance, and legal matters.
INTERNSHIP – Placement of a student in a work environment in order to acquire professional experience.
JUNIOR – A junior is a third year student. A student who has earned 60 or more semester hours credit is a junior.
LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT – a requirement of some graduate programs that students must show basic reading and writing proficiency in a language besides their own to receive their degree.
LEASE – A legal document to show an agreement between the owner (landlord) and the renter of an apartment or other property.
LECTURE – Common method of instruction in college and university courses; a professor lectures in classes of 20 to several hundred students. Lectures may be supplemented with regular small group discussions led by teaching assistants.
LIBERAL ARTS – A term referring to academic studies of subjects in the humanities, the social sciences and the sciences. Also called “liberal arts and sciences” or “arts and sciences”
LOAN – A sum of money lent to an individual or organization with an agreement to repay the money by a specified date, possibly with interest.
LONESTAR E-MAIL ACCOUNT - See E-MAIL
MAJOR – The subject in which a student wishes to concentrate. (Principal subject)
MAJOR PROFESSOR/THESIS ADVISER – For research degrees, the professor who works closely with a student in planning and choosing a research plan in conducting the research, and in presenting the results.
MASTER’S DEGREE – Degree awarded upon completion of academic requirements that usually include a minimum of 36-semester hours credit beyond the Bachelor’s Degree. A second level degree.
MIDTERM EXAM – An examination administered after half the academic term has passed that covers all class material studied until that point.
MINOR – A subject in which the student takes the second greatest concentration of courses.
NONRESIDENT – A student who does not meet the residence requirements of the state. Tuition, fees, and admission policies may differ for residents and nonresidents. International students are usually classified as nonresidents, and there is little possibility of changing to resident status for tuition purposes at a later date.
NOTARIZATION – The certification of a document (or a statement or signature) as authentic and true by a public official (known in the United States as a “notary public”) or a lawyer who is also a commissioner of oaths.
PART-TIME STUDENT – A student who is enrolled at the university but is not taking the minimum number of credits (12 semester hours for undergraduate students and 9 semester hours for graduate students) to meet the university’s requirement for a full course load.
PLACEMENT TEST – An examination used to test a student/s academic ability in a certain field so that he or she may be placed in the appropriate courses in that field.
PLAGIARISM – The use of another person’s words or ideas as your own.
POSTDOCTORATE – Studies designed for those who have completed a doctoral degree (Ph.D.)
PREREQUISITE – Program or course that a student is required to complete before being permitted to enroll in a more advanced program or course.
RANK-IN-CLASS – See Class Rank
REGISTRATION – Process through which students select courses to be taken during the semester.
RESIDENT ASSISTANT (RA) – A person who assists the residence hall director in campus residence facilities and is usually the first point of contact for students with problems or queries regarding residence hall life. RAs are usually college students who receive free or discounted accommodations in return for their services.
RESIDENCE HALL – Housing facilities on the campus of the university reserved for students.
REVERSE CULTURE SHOCK – The culture shock an individual experiences upon returning to their home country after living abroad.
SCHOLARSHIP – A study grant of financial aid, usually given at the undergraduate level that may take the form of a waiver of tuition and/or fees.
SEMESTER or TERM – Period of study lasting approximately 15 to 16 weeks At UTSA the year is divided into fall semester (late August to early December), spring semester (January to early May), and summer term (June to mid-August). We use the words term and semester interchangeably. Do not let us confuse you.
SECTION NUMBER – On the Schedule of Classes, this number follows the course number and a period. A course may have only one section or, as in the case of first year English, there may be a large number of sections. The section number tells the student the day, time, classroom, and instructor of his/her class.
SENIOR – A fourth-year student at a secondary school, college, or university. A university student who has completed 90 or more semester hour’s credit.
SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER – A number issued to people by the U.S. government for payroll deductions for old age, survivors, and disability insurance. Anyone who works regularly must obtain a Social Security Number.
SOPHOMORE – A second-year student at a secondary school, college, or university. A student who has completed 30 or more semester hour’s credit.
SPECIAL STUDENT – A student at a college or university who is not enrolled as a candidate for a degree. Also may be referred to as a nondegree, nonmatriculating, or visiting student.
STUDENT CARD -- The UTSACard is the official identification card of the UTSA community. The UTSA Card 1604 Campus Office can be found in JPL 1.01.18. The Downtown Campus Office can be found in FSB 1.506. It is highly recommended that all new students obtain a UTSACard as it used for identification and security purposes.
STUDENT IDENTIFICATION NUMBER -- Sometime referred to as a BANNER ID. UTSA’s student information system assigns each admitted student a student identification number beginning with the “@” symbol (example @XXXXXXXX). This number is located on your acceptance letter (bachelor's degree students) or Dean’s Condition Sheet (Master's and Doctoral degree students) and is used for obtaining university services. Be sure to safeguard this number. The UTSACard ID number substitutes”0” for “@”. When registering for classes or accessing other automated services on ASAP, enter the UTSA-assigned student ID number, beginning with “@”, in the user ID field.
TEACHING ASSISTANT (TA) – A graduate student who acts as instructor for an undergraduate course in his or her field, in return for some form of financial aid from the university.
TERM – See Semester
THESIS – A written work containing the results of research on a specific topic prepared by a candidate for a bachelor’s or master’s degree.
TRANSCRIPT – A certified copy of a student’s educational record
TUITION – The money an institution charges for instruction and training (does not include the cost of books).
UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES – Two-year or four-year programs at a college or university, undertaken after secondary school graduation and leading to the associate or bachelor’s degree.
UNIVERSITY – A large postsecondary institution that offers both undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
UTSA CARD - See Student Card
UTSA INFORMATION BULLETIN – specifically for undergraduate students, this bulletin is published annually and gives all of the policies and procedures concerning the university calendar, history, tuition, fees, charges, deposits, admission, and general academic regulations. This bulletin takes the place of any former bulletins and governs these rules for the year that the bulletin is in effect. It is available on the web and is not available in paper form.
WITHDRAWAL – The administrative procedure of dropping a course or leaving a university.
ZIP CODE – A series of numbers in mailing addresses that designate postal delivery districts in the United States.
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