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Glossary

The following are definitions of terms that may be used throughout the University of New Orleans Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog.

Academic Calendar The official listing of important dates relative to semester/term start and end dates, deadlines and holidays.
Academic Load The total number of semester hours for which a student is registered in one semester or summer term. See “Course Load.”
Academic Record A history of all of the courses, credit by examinations, and other equivalent activities a student has taken and the grades he/she has received. See also “Transcript.”
Academic Year The period comprised of fall and spring semesters.
Advanced Placement Approved admittance into a course beyond entry level as a result of demonstrated subject proficiency.
Advanced Standing Academic credit for one or more courses awarded to a student based upon their successful performance on an examination.
Advisor A member of the University faculty or staff charged with the responsibility of interpreting academic requirements, developing course schedules, providing academic and career information, monitoring adjustment to college and academic progress and making referrals to other departments and support services based on the student’s needs.
Approved Elective Elective that is not open to the free choice of the student.
Area of Concentration The primary areas of study.
Articulation Agreement Document that identifies courses that may be taken at one institution for degree completion at another institution.
Audit To enroll in a course for no credit.
Auditor A student who is officially enrolled in one or more courses for no credits.
Colleges The academic units of the University that offer academic degree programs; administered by deans and staffed by faculty members. The type of training and the degree anticipated determine the student’s choice of college.
Concentration An alternative track of courses within a major, accounting for at least 30 percent of the major requirements.
Core Requirements See “General Education Requirements.”
Co-requisite A concurrent requirement; usually a course or some other condition that must be taken at the same time as another course.
Course Bulletin An online publication coordinated by the Office of the Registrar and the academic colleges that includes a list of courses and sections for a specific semester/term, information about registration, fee payment, student financial aid, the final examination schedule, and the academic calendar. See also Information Bulletin.
Course Load The number of semester hours a student schedules in a given term.
Credit
  1. The recognition awarded for the successful completion of course work. Credits are based on the number of times (hours) a course meets in one week during a regular semester.
  2. The quantitative measure of recognition given to a course, stated in semester hours.
Cross-Enrollment Through separate formal agreements between UNO and Southern University in New Orleans and Delgado and Elaine O. Nunez Community Colleges, UNO students may register for a limited number of classes at each of these institutions when they register at UNO. Students should contact the office of their dean or the Registrar for information regarding the procedures to be followed for this process.
Cross-Listed The same course offered under the rubrics of two or more departments.
Cumulative or Overall Average A student’s grade-point average, based on the total number of quality points earned and the total number of semester hours attempted. See “Grade Point Average.”
Curriculum A description of the required and elective courses for a degree program.
Curriculum Sheet A check sheet used by students and advisors to track the student’s progress toward completion of a degree program.
Degree The title of the award conferred on students by a college, university, or professional school upon completion of a unified program of study (i.e., Bachelor of Arts—B.A.; Bachelor of Science—B.S.; Master of Science—M.S.; Master of Fine Arts—M.F.A.; Master of Music—M.M; Doctor of Philosophy—Ph.D., etc.).
Degree Designation A degree designation for each authorized program at a public institution of higher education in Louisiana is listed in the Board of Regents’ Inventory. Some programs require the name of the subject area as part of the degree designation (Master of Fine Arts—M.F.A., etc.).
Degree Program A grouping of campus-approved courses and requirements (i.e., minimum gpa, comprehensive examinations, English and mathematics proficiency, etc.) that, when satisfactorily completed, will entitle the student to a degree from an institution of higher education.
Departments The academic units of the University within colleges; administered by chairs or directors.
Distance Learning Learning that takes place with the instructor and student separated from each other geographically or in terms of time. For example, an instructor may record a video tape or make a streaming media file with learning objectives and planned activities months or weeks before a student accesses the tape or file to learn from it. Distance learning may occur by surface mail, video, interactive or cable TV, satellite broadcast, or any number of Internet technologies such as message boards, chat rooms, and desktop video or computer conferencing.
Elective Course chosen by the student, as opposed to required course. The term elective, without a qualifier, will be understood to be a free elective, chosen by the student at his or her option from all the courses offered by the University for degree credit, with due regard for prerequisites.
Equivalent When used in a course prerequisite (e.g., Prereq: SOC 1051 or equivalent), this term means either credit in a comparable course or adequate preparation by other experience. Determination of equivalency is left to the discretion of individual departments.
Freshman A student with less than 30 hours earned.
General Degree Requirements Courses and other requirements which must be met by all candidates for any bachelor’s degree.
Good Standing Students are in good standing if they are eligible to continue or to re-enroll at the University, even if on scholastic probation or on academic warning status.
Grade-Point Average (GPA) A measure of scholastic performance; the ratio of quality points earned to semester hours attempted.
Independent Study A method of instruction in which studies by individual students are carried on outside the classroom on a topic contracted with an instructor.
Information Bulletin An annual publication coordinated by the Office of the Registrar which provides information about registration, fee payment, student financial aid, the final examination schedule, the academic calendar and other information of interest to students.
Junior A student with at least 60 hours of credit earned and less than 90 hours of credit earned.
Lower Level Undergraduate courses offered at the freshman and sophomore levels designated by a course number beginning with a 1 or 2.
Major The part of a degree program consisting of a specified group of courses in a particular discipline or field. The name of the major is usually consistent with the degree subject area. A major usually consists of 25 percent or more of the total hours required in an undergraduate curriculum.
Matriculation The state of being registered for coursework and working toward a specific degree.
Minor A student’s field of secondary or tertiary academic emphasis. That part of a degree program consisting of a specified group of courses in a particular discipline or field. The minor usually consists of 15 percent or more of the total hours required in an undergraduate curriculum. A minor is an elected emphasis and not required in most programs of study.
Moodle A Web-based learning, discussion, and class administration tool designed to provide a secure pre-made Web site for a class.
Non-degree seeking see “Nonmatriculated.”
Nonmatriculated The state of being registered for courses but not working toward a specific degree. Both graduate and undergraduate students may register as nonmatriculated.
Placement Test A test given before a student enrolls in a course (that is one of a sequence of courses) to determine the level at which the student begins.
Plan see “Major.”
Pre-professional Program A non-degree program of study in preparation for entry into a professional degree program at another institution or another division of the University; normally takes from one to three years to complete.
Prerequisite The preliminary requirement, usually credit in another course or class level that must be met before a course can be taken.
Probation (academic or disciplinary) A status assigned because of unsatisfactory grades or conduct.
Proficiency Examination A test equivalent to a final examination in a college-level course in which a student is required to demonstrate competence to earn academic credit. The test may be given as a final in a course in which a student is enrolled, as a test to validate transfer credit earned at another institution, or as a method for earning credit for a course in which a student is not formally enrolled.
Program The college or unit in which a major (plan) is housed.
Quality Point The numeric value of a letter grade A=4; B=3; C=2; D=1; F=0. The computed value of the quality point times the credits for the course
Registration The process by which a duly admitted student, upon payment of required fees, is enrolled in classes.
Resignation The official process by which a student withdraws (drops) from all courses during a university semester or term.
Section Specific designation (beyond the course number) of each course offering that distinguishes room location, meeting time, and instructor.
Semester 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 the class meets per week.
Seminar A method of instruction in which a group of students engaged in research or advanced study meets under the guidance of one or more University faculty members for presentation and discussion of approved topics.
Senior A student with at least 90 semester hours of credit earned.
Sophomore A student with at least 30 semester hours of credit earned and no more than 59 hours of credit.
Statute of Limitations A time limit placed on completing a specific degree or process.
Student Number A student’s UNO number is his/her permanent identification and is unique to that person.
Student Schedule The courses in which a student is enrolled.
Suspension (academic or disciplinary) A university assigned status that prohibits students from registering for courses for a specified time period. See also “Probation.”
Term Activate A computer process indicating a student is eligible to enroll for a specific semester or term.
Transcript The continuous, formal, and official record of a student's academic work at a university.
Transfer Student A student who terminates enrollment in one college or university and subsequently enrolls in this University.
Upper Level Undergraduate courses offered at the junior and senior levels designated by a course number beginning with a 3 or a 4.
Withdrawal See “Resignation.”