Glossary of Post-Secondary Terms

February 4, 2021

Academic Year

The period of formal instruction usually late August/early September through late May/early June: may be divided into terms of varying lengths – semesters, trimesters or quarters.

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 Average 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

General Degree

This is in reference to the first (bachelor’s) degree a student receives, usually in the arts or sciences. The general degree (also called a pass degree) is without a concentration in a particular field.

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.*