Terms of academia: A compendium of college-related vocabulary

Published: November 14, 2004

Here is a list of college-related terms from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. The list is designed to help parents and students find their way through the higher education choices:

Academic adviser: The person at a college or university who helps students decide which classes to take, what major to pursue, etc. An adviser is similar to a high school guidance counselor.

Admission requirements: Students who want to attend a college or university must meet certain requirements, such as a specified ACT or SAT score, a combination of high school grade point average and rank in class or completion of specified classes.

Advanced placement courses: Courses that allow students to take college-level coursework in high school and receive credit at Oklahoma colleges and universities.

Associate's degree: Degree given upon completion of two years of full-time study or the equivalent. Most associate's degrees are awarded by two-year colleges, although some four-year universities also offer associate's degrees. Some associate's 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 a student within a high school graduating class based on his or her high school grade point average.

College: A higher education institution that generally offers associate, or two-year, degrees but does not offer bachelor's or graduate-level programs.

College catalog: A booklet published by a college or university that contains detailed descriptions of course and degree offerings, fees, academic policies and requirements for graduation.

Commuter college: A college at which students live off campus and travel to campus for classes.

Comprehensive university: A university 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 many students and expansive campuses.

Concurrent enrollment: A program that allows outstanding high school students (juniors and seniors) to take credit-earning college courses.

Credit hour: A unit used by colleges and universities for counting and recording work completed by a student. Usually one credit hour represents one hour of in-class instruction per week for 16 weeks in a specific subject.

Full-time student: An undergraduate student enrolled in at least 12 credit hours or a graduate student enrolled in at least nine credit hours, or the equivalent, in one semester or academic term.

Graduate student: A 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, bachelor's or master's degree.

Independent (private) colleges and universities: Accredited colleges and universities that offer associate, bachelor's and/or graduate degrees in traditional subject areas. Private colleges and universities are not supported by state taxes and are nonprofit. They receive the bulk of their revenues from tuition, donations and grants.

Major: A subject area, such as economics or geology, in which students take many courses and choose to earn a degree.

Minor: A subject area studied at the same time as a major. It requires fewer courses than a major.

Part-time student: A student who is enrolled in a certain number of course credits or hours that are less than full time. For an undergraduate student, this is usually fewer than 12 credits or hours. For a graduate student, it is usually less than nine.

Prerequisite: A course that a student must take before he or she can enroll in another (usually more challenging) course.

Regional university: A 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 also are responsible for extension and public service, as well as some research. They tend to have midsize student populations and campuses.

Residential college: A college at which students may live in campus 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 Scholastic Aptitude Test (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 American College Testing program in math, science, reading and English. Public colleges and universities look at these test scores when helping students enroll in courses.

Technical branches: Institutions that have a special emphasis on education and training in technical fields.

Trimester: Calendar system used primarily by the state's technical branches. Classes and grade reports are divided into three periods, each about 10 weeks long.

Tuition: Payment that students make to cover costs of their classes at state and private colleges and universities. Other fees may also be required.

Two-year college: An 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 classes.

Undergraduate student: A student working toward an associate or a bachelor's degree or a certificate.

University: A higher education institution that usually offers four-year degrees, as well as degrees beyond the baccalaureate level (such as graduate and professional degrees). Universities also may offer two-year degrees.