Definitions
This glossary explains some terms which are used frequently at Canadian universities, and are important for students to know. It is intended as a quick-reference guide. Some of the definitions refer you to the Academic Calendar, which is where you can find official definitions applicable to your program.
Academic Audit - Also called Degree Evaluation or CAPP. A computerized checking of courses completed against the requirements for a student's academic program. An important aid for advising students.
Academic Standing - A student is in Good Standing if their CGPA is 1.70 or above. Students who have attempted at least 24 credit hours with a CGPA below 1.70 will be placed on Academic Probation and those with a CGPA below 1.00 may be on Academic Dismissal for 12 months or longer. See Academic Regulation 7.
Academic Year - The period immediately following Labour Day in September up to and including Convocation Day in May of the following year. It is comprised of two academic terms or semesters.
Add and Drop Period - A timeframe during which students can add or drop courses for the current academic term without those dropped showing on their permanent academic record. Sometimes referred to as a "Change of Registration Period". See Academic Regulation 13. For academic withdrawal information, click here.
Admission - Acceptance of an applicant as a student.
Advanced Standing - Credit hours granted for work completed at a post-secondary institution before admission to Saint Mary's University. See Academic Regulation 20.
Area of Concentration - The main subject area of study (used in the 3 year B.A. and B.Sc. programs).
Attendance Status - A student officially registered for at least nine (9) credit hours in a semester is
considered to be "full time", whereas a part-time student is registered for less than nine (9) credit hours in a semester. See Academic Regulation 1.
Audit - Formal registration for a course(s) for which academic credit hours are not sought or granted. See Academic Regulation 2.
Bachelor Degree - Refers to a three or four year undergraduate degree awarded by the University. Also referred to as a Baccalaureate degree.
Bursary - A monetary grant based on financial need. See Section 6 of the Academic Calendar.
Chairperson - Faculty member responsible for an academic department and affiliated area(s) of study.
Concentration - See "Area of Concentration".
Co-operative Education (Co-op) - A method of learning in which students alternate study terms on campus and work terms during which they are employed full-time by companies or institutions related to their academic field.
Co-requisite - A course which must be taken concurrently with another course (e.g. CHEM 1211 requires MATH 1210 to be taken before or concurrently.
Course - A unit of study in a particular subject identified by a course title and a unique course number.
Credit Hours - A unit of academic value. Six (6) credit hours are granted for each successfully completed full-year course; three (3) credit hours are granted for a successfully completed one-term course
Credit hour values are used in the calculation of averages for academic standing and in the determination of the student‘s year of study or level within a specific academic program.
Cross-Listed Courses - Courses which are listed under two different numbers in two different departments or academic units. Cross-listed courses may be taken through either department/ academic unit, but credit hours may be earned for only one of the courses.
Cumulative Grade Point Average - Each letter grade awarded has an associated numeric grade point value. A cumulative grade point average (CGPA) is an average calculated based upon all courses taken subsequent to admission to the University. The CGPA is used to determine academic standing and distinctions. See Academic regulations 5 and 6.
Dean - Also called Dean of the Faculty; the chief academic administrator of a Faculty.
Degree Grade Point Average - A degree grade point average (DGPA) is calculated based upon the courses presented in fulfillment of the degree requirements.
Directed Reading/Study - An approved course in which an individual student studies, discusses and writes about a selected set of readings under the direction of an individual faculty member.
Elective - Within an academic program, some courses are explicitly required and some courses may be selected from a specified set. These latter courses are called "electives".
Faculty - When spelled with a capital F, refers to an academic unit offering its own degree, diploma, and certificate program(s); when spelled with a small f, refers to instructors in a Faculty.
Full-time - See "Attendance Status".
Grade - The letter indicating an instructor's evaluation of a student's work in a course. See Academic Regulation 5 (undergraduate) and Graduate Regulation 6 (graduate).
Grade Point Average - Each letter grade awarded has an associated numeric grade point value. A grade point average (GPA) is an average of these grade points. Commonly used GPA's are Cumulative GPA, Degree GPA and Term GPA.
Honours - Honours is the most intense level of study in a discipline within an undergraduate degree program.
Instructor - A member of faculty.
Letter of Permission - An official document issued by Saint Mary's to enable its own students to register for a course(s) at another post-secondary institution and to guarantee transfer of the credit hours for that course(s), if successfully completed, to the student's academic program. See Academic Regulation 21.
Major - A formal, specific subject area of study within an academic unit as defined by its degree program. It has more depth than a Concentration, but not as much as Honours.
Open Studies Status - An admission status permitting a student to take a course although that individual has not been accepted in an academic program at Saint Mary's University. See Admission Regulation 4a.
Part-time - See "Attendance Status".
Plagiarism - An academic offence. Plagiarism means presenting words, ideas or techniques of another as one's own. Please see Academic Integrity and Student Responsibility in Section 2 of the Academic Calendar and "A Student's Guide to Avoiding Plagiarism and Cheating".
Preparatory Course - Nova Scotia Grade 12 equivalent course designed to prepare students for entry level course work and hence not counted toward any degree, diploma, or certificate. A preparatory course's number begins with zero (0).
Prerequisite - A course for which credit hours must have been earned prior to registration in another course, lab, or recitation which lists it as a prerequisite.
Probation - A conditional status assigned to a student who has shown evidence of academic weakness. See Academic Regulation 7.
Program - An approved combination of courses in a subject area(s) which fulfils the requirements for a degree, diploma, or certificate.
Program Grade Point Average - A program (major, honours, minor, concentration) grade point average (PGPA) is calculated based upon the courses presented in fulfillment of the program requirements.
Registration - The process of officially selecting courses, labs, and recitations.
Satisfactory Academic Standing - See "Academic Standing"
Scholarship - A monetary award based on academic achievement.
Special Topics - Approved courses dealing with specialized subject-matter that is announced from time to time by Departments; they involve classes at regularly scheduled times and are included in the normal timetable.
Subject - Also called a discipline; a specific field of study, e.g., Accounting, Chemistry, History.
Summer Sessions - Terms of study during the summer.
Transcript - An academic document issued by the Office of the Registrar which records all aspects of a student's registrations and grades obtained at the University. An "official" transcript is one which bears the official seal of the University. See Academic Regulation 32.
Transfer Credit - Credit granted for work completed at another post-secondary academic institution after admission and initial registration at Saint Mary's University. Students must obtain an approved Letter of Permission before enrolling in courses for which transfer credit will be sought. See Academic Regulation 21.
Upgrading Student - A student who already holds an undergraduate degree or professional certificate and who wishes to take an additional credit course(s) at Saint Mary's University. See Admission Regulation 4c.
Visiting Student - A student from another post-secondary academic institution who has a Letter of Permission to register for a course(s) at Saint Mary's University.
Withdrawal - A formal procedure set out within the regulations of the University for withdrawing from an individual course(s), or from the University entirely. See Academic Regulation 16.
Year of Study - Attaining a degree, diploma, or certificate depends in part on earning credit hours for individual courses required in that academic program. However, progress may be measured in years or levels. Advancement from one year (or level) to the next signifies students having earned credit hours in the number of courses normally specified on an annual basis for their academic program. The following are the credit hour totals required for each year of study.
- Year 1: 0 to thirty (30) credit hours
- Year 2: thirty-three (33) to sixty (60) credit hours
- Year 3: sixty-three (63) to ninety (90) credit hours
- Year 4: ninety-three (93) or more credit hours
The Discipline Abbreviations explains abbreviations which are used in course registrations and appear in your official records.
| ACCT | Accounting | GEOG | Geography |
| ACST | Atlantic Canada Studies | GEOL | Geology |
| ANTH | Anthropology | GREK | Greek |
| ARBC | Arabic | GRMN | German |
| ASNT | Asian Studies | GSCI | General Science |
| ASTR | Astronomy | GWST | Women and Gender Studies (graduate) |
| BIOL | Biology | HEBW | Hebrew |
| BUSI | Business Administration | HIST | History |
| CHEM | Chemistry | IDST | International Development Studies |
| CHNS | Chinese | IRST | Irish Studies |
| CISY | Computing and Information Systems | JPNS | Japanese |
| CLAS | Classics | LATN | Latin |
| CMLW | Commercial Law | LING | Linguistics |
| COMM | Communication | MATH | Mathematics |
| CRIM | Criminology | MFIN | Master of Finance |
| CSCI | Computing Science | MGMT | Management |
| ECON | Economics | MGSC | Management Science |
| EDUC | Education | MKTG | Marketing |
| EGNE | Engineering | MMCCU | Master of Management - Co-operatives & Credit Unions |
| EGSL | English as a Second Language | PHIL | Philosophy |
| EGYP | Egyptian | PHYS | Physics |
| EMBA | Executive Master of Business Administration | POLI | Political Science |
| ENGL | English | PSYC | Psychology |
| ENVS | Environmental Studies | RELS | Religious Studies |
| FILM | Film Studies | SMBA | Master of Business Administration |
| FINA | Finance | SOCI | Sociology |
| FREN | French | SPAN | Spanish |
| FRSC | Forensic Sciences | WMST | Women and Gender Studies (undergraduate) |
This page last modified Tuesday, 14-Feb-2012 16:25:07 AST