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Academic adviser:
A member of a college faculty who helps and advises students solely on
academic matters.
Academic year: The period of formal
instruction, usually September to May; may be divided into terms of varying
lengths: semesters, trimesters, or quarters.
Accreditation: Approval of colleges
and universities by nationally recognized professional associations or
regional accrediting bodies.
Add/Drop: A process at the beginning
of the term whereby students can delete or add classes with an instructor's
permission.
Advance registration: A process of
choosing classes in advance of other students.
Affidavit of support: An official
document proving a promise of funding from an individual or organization.
Assistantship: A study grant of
financial assistance to a graduate student that is offered in return for
certain services in teaching or laboratory supervision as a teaching
assistant, or for services in research as a research assistant.
Audit: To take a class without
receiving credit toward a degree.
Baccalaureate degree: The degree of
"bachelor" conferred upon graduates of most U.S. colleges and
universities.
Bachelor's degree: Degree awarded
upon completion of approximately four years of full-time study in the
liberal arts and sciences or professional subjects. It is a prerequisite to
study in a graduate program.
Bulletin: A publication created each
year by a university or college that contains the details of academic majors
offered and the requirements for completing them. Usually includes a listing
and description of every class the institution offers.
Campus: The land on which the
buildings of a college or university are located.
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, the lower 50 percent).
College: A postsecondary institution
that provides undergraduate education and, in some cases, master's level
degrees. College, in a separate sense, is a division of a university; for
example, College of Business.
College catalog: An official
publication giving information about a university's academic programs,
facilities, entrance requirements, and student life.
Conditional admission: An acceptance
to a college or university that is dependent upon the individual completing
coursework or meeting specified criteria prior to enrollment.
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 term. A degree
program is made up of a specified number of required and elective courses
and varies from institution to institution.
Course load: The number of courses
or credits taken in a specific term.
Credits: Units institutions use to
record the completion of courses (with passing grades) that are required for
an academic degree. The catalog of a college or university defines the
number and kinds of credits that are required for the university's degrees
and states the value of each course offered in terms of "credit
hours" or "units."
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 certain professional school or college of a 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 school, college, or university through which instruction in
a certain field of study is given (such as English department or history
department).
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 at
least three 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.
Dormitories: Housing facilities on
the campus of a college or university reserved for students. A typical
dormitory would include student rooms, bathrooms, common rooms, and possibly
a cafeteria.
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.
English as a Second Language (ESL):
A course 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, and occasionally the administrative staff, of an educational
institution. The faculty is responsible for designing the plans of study
offered by the institution.
Fees: An amount charged by
universities, in addition to tuition, to cover costs of institutional
services.
Fellowship: A form of financial
assistance, usually awarded to a graduate student. Generally, no service is
required of the student in return.
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.
Full-time student: A student who is
enrolled at a university and is taking at least the minimum number of
credits (often 12) to meet the university's requirement for a full course
load.
Grade Point Average (GPA): A system
of recording achievement based on a numerical average of the grades attained
in each course.
Graduate: A student who has
completed a course of study, either at the secondary or university level. A
graduate program at a university is a study course for students who already
hold a bachelor's degree.
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).
The student will be given a specified period for completion of the
coursework, after which an "F" (a failing grade) will result.
Independent study: Official
coursework undertaken outside a classroom setting. It will usually be
monitored by an instructor.
Internal Revenue Service (IRS): The
U.S. government body that oversees the collection of income taxes.
International student adviser (ISA):
The person at a university who 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.
Language requirement: A requirement
of some graduate programs that students must show basic reading and writing
proficiency in one other 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.
Loan: A sum of money lent to an
individual (or organization) with an agreement to repay the money, possibly
with interest.
Maintenance: Refers to the expenses
of attending a university, including room (living quarters) and board
(meals), books, clothing, laundry, local transportation, and incidentals.
Major: The subject in which a
student wishes to concentrate.
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. The major professor serves as the head of a committee of
faculty members who review progress and results.
Master's degree: Degree awarded upon
completion of academic requirements that usually include a minimum of one
year's study beyond the bachelor's degree.
Midterm exam: An exam 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 at a later date for tuition purposes.
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 a university but is not taking the minimum number of credits
(often 12) 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. In some cases, a
student may be given academic credit based on the results of a placement
test.
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.
Registration: Process through which
students select courses to be taken during a quarter, semester, or
trimester.
Resident assistant (RA): A person
who assists the residence hall director in campus dormitories and is usually
the first point of contact for students with problems or queries regarding
dorm life. RAs are usually students at the college who receive free
accommodation and other benefits in return for their services.
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: Period of study lasting
approximately 15 to 16 weeks or one-half the academic year.
Senior: A fourth-year student at a
secondary school, college, or university.
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. Many institutions use this number as the student
identification number.
Sophomore: A second-year student at
a secondary school, college, or university.
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.
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.
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 (see
"Notarization") of a student's educational record.
Trimester: Period of study
consisting of approximately three equal terms of 16 weeks during the
academic year.
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.
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.
Source: http://educationusa.state.gov
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