Glossary and AbbreviationsA/Pass/F: A grading option in which a student earning a grade of A in a course will have an A recorded for that course; a grade of B, C, or D will be recorded as a Pass; and a grade of F will be recorded as an F.
Academic load: The total number of credit hours enrolled in during one semester.
Academic warning: (W) An indication that a student is in academic difficulty which could lead to dismissal from the university.
Advanced standing: Having credit awarded for previous work or testing.
Advisor: A department or college-based faculty member who helps a student achieve her or his educational goals by providing guidance on courses, program requirements, prerequisites, programs of study, and policies and procedures.
Audit: To attend a course regularly without participating in course work and without receiving credit.
Bachelor of arts degree: (B.A.) Courses selected from a variety of disciplines with concentrations in one or two areas. A modern language is required for a B.A. degree.
Bachelor of science degree: (B.S.) A specified program of required courses with fewer electives than the B.A. A modern language is not required.
Baccalaureate: Refers to the bachelor's degree.
Classification: Level of progress toward a degree with classifications of freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior, depending on the number of semester hours completed.
College: An academic unit of the university. Kansas State University has nine colleges.
Cooperative education (co-op): The integration of academic experience with planned employment experiences that relate to a student's academic major or career goals. The work experience supplements and complements the curriculum.
Concurrent enrollment: (Conc.) Taking a course during the same semester as another.
Course: A unit of study a student enrolls in during a semester.
Credit by examination: Credit received when a student takes an oral or written examination without enrolling for a course.
Credit hour: (Cr.) A unit of measurement used in determining the quantity of work taken. Each credit hour is roughly equivalent to one hour of course time per week. For example, a course meeting three hours a week would be a three-credit-hour course.
Credit/No Credit: (C/NC) A grading option with successful completion of a course recorded as Credit and failure as No Credit. No other grades are given for such courses and they are not figured into the grade point average.
Curriculum: A program of courses that meets the requirements for a degree in a particular field of study, also referred to as a major.
Degree program: Courses required for completion of a particular degree.
Department: A unit within a college representing a discipline.
Discipline: An area of study representing a branch of knowledge, such as mathematics.
Dismissal: (D) A student who neglects his or her academic responsibilities may be dismissed on recommendation of an academic dean.
Double major: A student may elect to pursue two majors at one time.
Drop/Add: Changing the student's course schedule by adding and/or dropping a course.
Dual degrees: A student may elect to pursue two degrees at one time.
Electives: Courses chosen by a student that are not required for the major or minor. The number of hours of electives required varies according to student's major.
Enrollment: The process of selecting courses and having courses reserved.
Equivalent: Equiv.
Extracurricular: Activities such as band or debate for which a student may earn credit toward graduation. Extracurricular activities are counted as electives.
Financial aid: Help for a student to pay for college. Aid is available from grants, loans, scholarships, and work/study employment.
Grade point average: (GPA) A measure of scholastic performance. A GPA is obtained by dividing the number of grade points by the hours of work attempted, where an A = 4 points, a B = 3 points, a C = 2 points, a D = 1 point, and an F = 0 points.
Hour: The unit by which course work is measured. The number of semester hours assigned to a course is usually determined by the number of hours a course meets per week.
Intersession: Courses offered between fall and spring semesters, and after spring semester and prior to summer semester.
Lecture: (Lec.) A course wherein the teaching is done primarily through oration.
Major: A program of courses that meets the requirements for a degree in a particular field of study.
Minor: A systematic program of study in an area of emphasis outside a student's major.
Option: An approved group of courses creating a specialty within a major field of study.
Orientation: Activities designed to help the new student become acquainted with the university.
Prerequisite: (Pr.) A requirement, usually credit in another course, which must be met before a particular course can be taken.
Recitation: (Rec.) A small section usually taken in conjunction with a lecture.
Scholastic honors: An award an undergraduate receives based on the excellence of K-State academic work.
Secondary major: Interdisciplinary major which must be completed along with a primary major course of study.
Special student: An undergraduate student taking courses at K-State but not regularly enrolled in work toward a degree.
Transcript: An official copy of a student's permanent academic record.
Transfer student: A student who terminates enrollment in another college or university and subsequently enrolls at K-State.
Undergraduate student: A university student who has not received a bachelor's degree.
Variable: (V/Var.). The credits earned in some courses may vary.
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