Bachelor’s Degree
First degree (also known as an undergraduate degree) awarded by a university after three to four years of full-time study.
Bursary
A cash award to help students pay for their university education. Awarded on the basis of financial need and academic achievement.
Calendar or Catalogue
Annual university publication listing key dates in the academic year, admission requirements, program requirements, rules and regulations, and course descriptions.
Certificate
A qualification awarded upon successful completion of a university program which is usually one year in length.
College
A post-secondary institution that provides mainly an undergraduate education with the power to grant degrees. College can also be a division of a university e.g. College of Business
Community College
A non-degree granting institution that offers technical or vocational post-secondary courses leading to a diploma or certificate.
These courses can often be transferred to a university.
Co-requisite
Where a course is specified as a co-requisite course, it must be taken at the same time as (or prior) to the course requiring it as a co-requisite
Core Requirements
The essential parts of a university program that are studied by all students in that program.
Also called compulsory, mandatory or required courses.
Course
Regularly scheduled class sessions of one to five hours (or more) per week during the term.
A degree program is made up of specified number of required and elective courses and varies from institution to institution.
Credits
The units which universities use to record the completion of courses (with passing grades) that are required to complete the degree.
The catalogue will define the amounts and kinds of credits that are required for the university’s degrees and will state the value of each course offered in terms of “credit hours”.
At the U of M most half-year courses are 3 credit hours (three hours of lecture per week for one semester) and most full year courses are 6 credit hours (three hours of lecture per week for two semesters).
Degree
A qualification awarded to a student by a university.
A first degree is usually a bachelor’s degree.
It signifies the successful completion of three to four years of studies.
Graduate/Masters and Doctorate degrees are awarded after further years of study.
Diploma
A qualification awarded on the basis of one or two years’ successful study.
Usually it is at less than degree level, but some diplomas are at the graduate level.
Electives
Courses that students may choose to take for credit toward their intended degree, as distinguished from courses that they are required to take.
Faculty
This word is used to indicate the teaching staff
of a university. It is also an academic subdivision of a
university that is a larger unit then a department. For example a faculty of
science may included the departments of physics, chemistry and
biology.
Full-Time Student
This refers to the number of credit hours a
student is taking in a year or semester. Generally students are
registered for 30 credit hours of courses in one year (working out
to 5 courses per semester) which is considered a 100% course
load. Students may be
registered for as low as a 60% course load (18 credit hours in one
year, working out to 3 courses per semester) and still be considered
full-time.
Grade Point (GP)
/ Grade Point Average (GPA)
This refers to the system used for grading which most
post-secondary institutions recognize. Usually based on a system with a
max of 4.5 (but sometimes with a max of 4.0) where each letter grade is
associated with a GP. A grade is not converted to a GP for
individual assignments/tests, but rather for the final mark in a
course. The average for a set
of courses (GPA) is then calculated using the GP received for each class
and weighted according to the number of credit hours.
Generally the system works
as follows
| Grade Point Value | Letter Grade |
| 4.5 | A+ |
| 4.0 | A |
| 3.5 | B+ |
| 3.0 | B |
| 2.5 | C+ |
| 2.0 | C |
| 1.0 | D |
| 0.0 | F |
Honours Degree
This is in reference to the first (bachelor’s)
degree a student receives.
The honour program is usually a year longer, requires a
higher standing for admission and for the maintenance of honours
status and the student specializes in a particular field.
Intersession
A break between terms that generally serves as a
vacation but in which courses may also be
offered.
Lecture
Teaching method in which the teacher or professor
presents information orally to the students who take notes and ask
questions.
Major
The subject in which a student wishes to
concentrate for an undergraduate degree.
Master’s Degree
Postgraduate degree following the Bachelor’s
degree. This may be
only two years, where the master’s stands alone or it may be a
degree attained whilst working toward a PhD. Academic master’s degrees
usually involve preparing a thesis as well as completing taught
courses, whilst a processional master’s degree (e.g. education,
management, communications, ect.) may require directed practical
training.
Mature Student
A student who, because he or she has been out of
school for a time, does not have to fulfill the usual admission
requirements. Admission
is generally decided on an individual basis and interested students
should contact the university for more
information.
Minor
As subject in which the student takes the second
greatest concentration of courses.
Part-Time Student
Students who are registered for less than a 60%
course load (less than 18 credit hours in one year) are considered
part-time students.
Plagiarism
To
plagiarize is to take ideas or words of another person and pass them
off as one's own. Plagiarism applies to any written work, in
traditional or electronic format, as well as orally or verbally
presented work. Post-secondary institutions take this form of
cheating very seriously and severe punishments may occur.
Prerequisite
Program or course that a student is required to
complete before being permitted to enroll in a more advanced program
or courses.
Registrar
A university official concerned with keeping
academic records, approving course selections, and sometimes,
counseling. The
registrar’s office is responsible for student admissions, records
and the university
timetable.
Scholarship
A financial award to student to help finance
their studies. Awarded
on the basis of outstanding academic achievement. A scholarship may take the
for of a waiver for tuition and/or fees.
Semester
Half the academic year usually lasting between 15
and 18 weeks.
Syllabus
An outline of topics covered, and the grading
structure for an academic courses.
T.A.
Teaching assistant, a postgraduate student acting
as instructor for and undergraduate course in their field, in return
for some form of financial aid from the
university.
Transcripts
A certified copy of a student’s educational
record. For
postgraduate applications this will state the date a degree was
conferred, indicate the student’s overall grade point average and
list the course completed, their value in terms of credits and the
final grade attained in each.
For students with British qualifications, certified copies of
degree or examination certificates along with a syllabus for each
course from the college university registrar will suffice.
Tuition
The money the institution charges for instruction
and training (does not include the cost of
books.
Undergraduate
A student enrolled in a bachelor or associate’s
degree program. An
undergraduate program is a study program leading to the awarding of
a bachelor or associate degree.
University
A large postsecondary institution that offers
both undergraduate (bachelor) and postgraduate (master &
doctoral) degree
programs.
Voluntary
Withdrawal
A student may with to drop or "voluntary withdrawal" from a course of their
choosing. If this withdrawal occurs during the first two weeks of
classes of the semester (also called the registration revision period), it
will not be recorded as a withdrawal and shall not be recorded on official
transcripts or student histories. After the registration revision
period ends students shall be allowed a limited number of voluntary
withdrawals which shall be recorded on official transcripts and student
histories.
*Portions of this document were taken/adapted from the University of Manitoba's 2003-2004 Undergraduate Calendar, & from the 2003 Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada Directory of Canadian Universities.*
