The following is a glossary of terms often encountered by students. This list is not intended to be exhaustive.
Academic Program: A set of courses, a number of which may be mandatory and of a specialized nature, leading toward a particular degree.
Academic Year: Begins on the first day of July and ends the last day in June. The University operates three academic sessions during the year.
Baccalaureate: An undergraduate degree awarded by the University upon the successful completion of an academic program. Commonly referred to as a bachelor's degree.
Change of Program: Students in a program may elect to pursue a different program within their Faculty or enter a new program in a different Faculty. A Change of Program may be completed through the online Student Centre via MyUofC.
Co-operative Education/Internship: The process of education which formally integrates academic study with work experience in co-operating employer organizations. The following Faculties offer certain programs in Co-op or Internship education: Arts, Haskayne School of Business, Medicine, Schulich School of Engineering and Science.
Corequisite: A course the content of which is integrated with that of another course such that the courses must be taken simultaneously.
Course: A unit of instruction that will be recorded on the student transcript with a final letter grade. Courses can have different credit or unit values.
Course Numbering System: Junior courses - courses numbered from 100-299. Senior courses - courses numbered from 300-599. Courses numbered 600 and above are normally restricted to students completing graduate programs. Normally a "full" course (6 units) is offered for twenty-six weeks; a "half" course (3 units) or less is offered for thirteen weeks.
Cross-listed Courses: Courses that are listed under two Departments and can be taken for credit from either Department, but not both. The credit is determined by the student's registration.
Deadline: A date by which specific actions/requirements must be satisfied such as drop/add or fee payment deadline. Deadlines are enforced at the University of Calgary.
Deferred Final Examinations: Examinations scheduled by the Registrar for students unable to write regularly scheduled final examinations for reasons of illness, domestic affliction or religious conviction.
Deferred Term Work: A temporary extension of time granted at the discretion of the Dean of the Faculty offering the course for completion of course requirements. Permission for Deferred Term Work is granted for reasons of illness, domestic affliction or religious conviction.
Discipline: A subject of study within a Department or Faculty.
Elective: Another word for option. Degree Navigator uses the term elective.
Field: A set of courses identifying the main area of study of a degree program.
Full Course: A course offered over two consecutive sessions for a total of twenty-six weeks and are equivalent to 6 units. These courses are denoted by an "F" in the Schedule of Classes.
Full-Course Equivalent (FCE): Degree requirements can be listed in terms of full-course equivalents; most degree programs require 20 full-course equivalents (120 units). A full-course equivalent may consist of one full course (6 units) or two half courses (3 units each).
Full-Time Student: Those students in a degree program who are registered in three or more half-courses or 9 units each term.
GPA: Abbreviation for grade point average.
Grade Point: Positive numerical value given to an alphabetical letter grade used in assessment of academic performance such as in the calculation of grade point averages. See "Undergraduate Grading System" in this Calendar for details.
Half Course: A course offered over one session for a total of thirteen weeks and is equivalent to 3 units. These courses are denoted by an "H" in the Schedule of Classes.
Half-Course Equivalent (HCE): Degree requirements can be listed in terms of half-course equivalents; most degree programs require 40 half-course equivalents (120 units).
Internship: See Co-operative Education/Internship above.
Major: The primary area of specialization in either a General or Honours program. Details of course and grade point average requirements are given in Faculty program sections of this Calendar.
Minor: A secondary area of specialization completed by a student in a subject outside the "Major" area. Minor program requirements are described in Faculty program sections of this Calendar.
Open Studies: A student who is permitted to register in credit courses, but who is not admitted to a program leading to a degree or diploma. This has also previously been known as an Unclassified Student.
Option: A course, acceptable within the academic program but chosen at the discretion of the student.
Part-Time Student: Those students in a degree program who are registered in fewer than three half-courses or 9 units each term.
Prerequisite: A prior requirement for entry into a course. Where a course is specified as a prerequisite, pass standing in the course is required unless a specific grade is indicated.
Probation: A trial period for a student whose registration is subject to academic conditions. Failure to satisfy these conditions may result in the student being required to withdraw from the University.
Registration: The selection of courses once a student has been admitted to the University.
Term: The University offers three terms during the year as follows - Fall Term (13 weeks from September to December), Winter Term (13 weeks from January to April), Summer Term (12 weeks from May to August). The University may also use “session” or “semester” in the same sense.
Transfer Credit: Courses completed at other post-secondary institutions and accepted for credit towards a degree program at the University of Calgary.
Transfer Student: Transfer students are those who have attended any post-secondary institution.
Tuition Fees: Fees paid for enrolment in courses.
Unclassified Student: see Open Studies.
Unit: A value, or weighting, assigned to a course counting towards a degree or diploma. The term "credit" is also used. In 2007 the University of Calgary implemented a new computer system where the "unit" became the primary measurement of course weighting. Previously, courses were known as Full, Half, Quarter and Eighth Courses. Generally, these were converted as a full course = 6 units, a half course = 3 units, a quarter course = 1.5 units and an eighth course = 0.75 units. There are remnants of this system throughout the Calendar. Most degree programs require 120 units (20 full courses or FCE).
University: The University of Calgary is a co-educational, non-denominational government supported institution possessing the right of conferring degrees, other than degrees in Divinity, within the Province of Alberta. It is a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities and of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.
Visiting Student: A visiting student is a student who has not been formally admitted to the University but who, as a bona fide student of another accredited degree granting institution, is permitted to take courses for credit at the University of Calgary to be applied to a degree program at the student's home institution.
Withdrawal: The formal procedure, according to regulations laid down by the University, of withdrawing from a course or courses, or from the University.
Glossary of Terms