Terms

You will hear many different names (or labels) used to describe older students here at Oswego: Adult Students, Re-entry Students, Life-long Learners, Older Students, Non-Traditional Students (Non-Trads), etc. Whatever the label, be assured that you are a welcome addition to the student body and that we are glad to serve you.
Every occupation, academic discipline, profession or field of endeavor has its own unique terminology or jargon, generally understood by those who are "insiders."

As an adult entering college for the first time or re-entering after an absence of some years, you may find some of the terms confusing, or even worse, totally beyond comprehension. Listed below are a number of terms which you will encounter over and over as a student at Oswego. Additional explanations and interpretations of many of these terms can be found in the Undergraduate Catalog for the college.

ABSENCE FROM CAMPUS Students are expected to attend all class meetings for each course in which he or she is enrolled. Students who are unexpectedly and temporarily away from campus (because of sudden hospitalization, death in family, etc.) may contact the Student Advisement Center. As a courtesy to the student, the Student Advisement Center will notify the student's professors of the student's absence, including an expected date of return. Students who know in advance that they will be away from campus should talk with each professor individually, as each professor establishes his/her own attendance policy for students. Back to top.

ACCREDITATION - Evaluation and approval of a college's degree programs by federal or state agencies. Oswego is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Back to top.

ACADEMIC WARNING - a category of academic standing related to lack of satisfactory progress towards a degree. This may occur for one of two reasons:

1. a gradepoint average for a semester which is below the required level and/or
2. Unsatisfactory completion of at least 9 credits of coursework during the freshman or sophomore year or 12 credits of coursework during the junior or senior year. Generally, the credit hour guidelines are not applied to part time students who maintain an average of 2.00 (C) or better. A student placed on Academic Warning for two consecutive marking periods (including Summer Session), for any reason, will be automatically disqualified (see Disqualification ).

ADD/DROP - a made up composite term which refers to the formal process of changing courses during the Add/Drop period during the early part of the semester (usually specified in the course listing newspaper). A limited period of time set aside after the beginning of the semester during which students may add or drop a class from their schedules without penalty. The majority of courses can be added and dropped on the web. A small group can only be added with an on-line override or a program adjustment form. The form may be picked up at departmental offices, the Student Advisement Center, the Office of Learning Support Services, Extended Learning office or 302 Culkin Hall. Once the Add/Drop period has passed, adding or dropping a course involves other procedures and approvals and must be handled through the Student Advisement Center. For more information see www.oswego.edu/~registra Back to top.

ADVISEMENT - The selection and scheduling of a student's academic program in cooperation with an academic advisor. Each student should receive advisement before registering for courses. Back to top.

ADVISOR - A faculty or professional staff member assigned to each student to assist in choosing appropriate courses for his/her program of study. Students who have not yet indicated an academic interest or major are assigned a specifically-trained advisor for "undeclared" students. Back to top.

ADVISEMENT CENTER - the place to go when you have not been assigned an advisor. The Center provides guidance and assistance to students in the selection of an appropriate major in addition to its primary role of advising students who have not as yet selected a major or many of those who are only taking courses on a part-time basis. Back to top.

ADVANCE REGISTRATION - an opportunity for students already matriculated in a degree program to select courses for the coming semester, before new students, non-degree students or other students register. You will also hear this called "Preregistration" by many of the oldtimers. Back to top.

ANNOTATE - to furnish (a literary work) with critical commentary or explanatory notes. Back to top.

AUDIT - to take a regular college course for no credit or grade. The student is not required to take examinations or submit work for review. This option may only be used by students on a "space available basis" and may be used by senior citizens at no cost. Back to top.

BLUEBOOK - another name for a major test (see "Exam"), so called because you may be expected to write your answers in an examination booklet which has a blue cover. Back to top.

BURSAR - the college official whose office is responsible for Handling billing and payments for tuition, housing, etc. Now called the DIRECTOR OF STUDENT ACCOUNTS Back to top.

CLASS STANDING - level or progress toward the bachelor's degree. An undergraduate student is classified as a Freshman, Sophomore, Junior or Senior, based upon the number of semester hours of credit coursework satisfactorily completed. Back to top.

CLEP TESTS - tests developed by the College Entrance Examination Board which determine the extent of student's knowledge in a particular subject area. Most of these tests will earn college credit toward a degree here at Oswego. Consult the CLEP testing center in the Extended Learning office for particulars on the available examinations. Back to top.

COGNATE - A course which is required as part of a major, but offered by a department other than the one offering the major (e.g. Mathematics for a Physics major or Chemistry for a Biology major).

CONCENTRATION - not the game, but a particular area of academic emphasis within a major (e.g. Human Resource Management for Business major) or outside the major (e.g. Psychology, Art, Communications, etc., for an Elementary Education major). Back to top.

extended_learning EDUCATION - the College office which is responsible for institutes, conferences, workshops; credit and non-credit evening courses; Summer Sessions; and evening degree programs such as the Evening Business Degree program.
COURSE - a specific subject of study within a discipline. Back to top.

CREDIT - the numerical value awarded upon satisfactory completion of a course, usually based upon class meeting length and frequency. Credit at Oswego is stated in Credit Hours (or 'semester hours = s.h.). Back to top.

CURRICULUM - includes all the courses offered by the College or by one of its divisions or departments. Back to top.

DEPARTMENTS - an organizational unit representing a discipline or related disciplines which offers a major or majors, such as the Department of Foreign Languages or the Department of Education.

DISCIPLINE - an area of study representing a branch of knowledge, such as Physics, English or Music. Back to top.

DISQUALIFICATION - in short, being expelled from the College. A student is typically disqualified for reasons of poor academic performance during two successive marking periods or because his/her cumulative grade Point Average falls below the established level of acceptable performance (usually placed on Academic Warning, you should contact the Student Advisement Center in Culkin Hall to determine what procedures may be implemented to help you continue at the College. This is particularly helpful if your academic difficulty is the result of extenuating circumstances such as illness, personal or family problems. Back to top.

DIVISION - an administrative organization of departments offering related types of coursework. The College at Oswego has Divisions: 1.) Arts and Sciences, 2) Professional Studies, and 3) Extended Learning, and Summer Sessions. You may sometimes hear Graduate Studies referred to as a Division. Back to top.

ELECTIVE - a course not specifically listed for a major, a concentration or General Education. Elective may occur within a major, minor or concentration or be "All College" (or "Free") electives. In the latter case they may be selected from any courses which you are qualified to take. Back to top.

EXAM - (short for examination) a test, consisting of some length, usually given at mid-term or at the end of a course (see "Quiz"). Back to top.

FULL-TIME STUDENT - A student enrolled for at least 12 credit hours per semester. Back to top.

GENERAL EDUCATION - a collection of courses from different disciplines designed to help students discover the relatedness of knowledge and acquire a core of information, attitudes and capabilities basic to their formal college education and their extended_learning education throughout life. Back to top.

GRADE - a letter (A,B,C,D,E, etc.) representing a professor's evaluation of a student's work in a course, which is submitted to the Registrar for recording on the student's permanent records (see "transcript"). Additional letter grades such as H,S,U,P,F,W may be entered on a student's record. These are explained in the College Catalog under the heading Grading System. Back to top.

GRADE POINT AVERAGE (GPA) - a number arrived at by dividing the number of grade points earned by the number of semester hours of course work carried (excluding courses taken for S/U or P/F grades). When referring to the total for all semesters completed, this is frequently called the "Cumulative Average" or "Cum" by students. For example, a student earning 36 grade points while carry ing a course load of 15 s.h., would have a GPA of 2.40 for the semester. Back to top.

GRADUATE STUDENT - a student who has received a Bachelor's degree and has met all criteria for admission to one of the College's graduate programs. Back to top.

HUMANITIES COURSES - certain courses in Classics, English, History, Foreign Languages and Philosophy. Back to top.

INCOMPLETE (Inc.) - a grade given in some cases when a student is unable to complete the required work for a course by the time grades are submitted. The student then has until 6 weeks into the next marking period in which he or she is registered, to complete the work for the course or the grade changes to an "E". Back to top.

INTERDISCIPLINARY COURSES (or programs) - courses which deal with two or more academic disciplines. Some interdisciplinary majors, minors, and programs of study are available in the College's curriculum (e.g. the American Studies and General Studies majors and the Womens' Studies and International Studies minors). Back to top.

MAJOR - the subject or subject areas in which a student chooses to place principal academic emphasis while pursuing a college degree. A student must complete the requirements of a major in order to graduate. Back to top.

MATRICULATION - the process of becoming officially accepted by the College to work toward a degree. This is handled through the Admissions Office and involves sending an application through Albany. At the point of matriculation a student may either declare a specific major or elect to remain undeclared. In the latter case the student should have accumulated fewer than 60 college credits. Back to top.

MATRICULATED STUDENT - Any student, full- or part-time, who is admitted to a degree program. Back to top.

MENTOR - another name sometimes given to an advisor, professor or person who provides individual guidance and counsel to assist a student in reaching his or her educational goals. Back to top.

MID-TERM - the halfway point in a semester or course, usually either the end of the first or third quarter. "Midterms" is sometimes used to refer to the exams given tat the midpoint of the course. Back to top.

MINOR -Minor: An academic minor is an approved program of study similar to a major but requires fewer credit hours than a major. A specialized area of study which may complement or supplement a student's selected major, consisting of fewer credit hours than a major, usually 15 to 24 semester hours of credit, including cognates. You might think of this as a "mini major". You do not need to have a minor to earn a degree at Oswego. Back to top.

NON-MATRICULATED STUDENT - Any student not admitted to Oswego State University in a degree program but who has permission to register for one or more courses. Back to top.

ORIENTATION - activities and programs designed to assist new students in becoming familiar with the College, its programs and services. Back to top.

PART-TIME STUDENT : A student enrolled for fewer than 12 credit hours per semester. Back to top.

PERMANENT RECORD - the form on which the Registrar's office records the courses taken by a student, semester hours of credit earned, grades, status and special notations about awards, majors, minors, and certain personal information. Back to top.

PLACEMENT TEST - tests given by certain College departments to determine a student's level of proficiency in a particular subject area. These test results are used to place students in classes at an appropriate level for their knowledge and abilities. Back to top.

PREREQUISITE - a requirement which must be met before a particular course or program may be taken (e.g. Psychology 100 is a prerequisite for other advanced Psychology courses. Prior study or coursework required before enrollment in another course. Most 300- and 400-level courses require completion of a 100- or 200-level course in the area before the advanced course may be taken.
QUIZ - usually a fairly brief short test or exam. Back to top.

REGISTRAR - the College official whose office is responsible for all permanent records of students. Back to top.

REGISTRATION - the formal process through which you sign up for specific sections of courses you intend to take in a particular marking period or "term" (e.g. fall semester, spring semester, etc.). You must consult with an academic advisor in the process of selecting appropriate courses to meet the requirements of a particular degree program. The process of Registration is not complete until you have paid your bill for tuition. The final process for enrolling in classes for a given semester. All students must finalize their semester schedules at registration which occurs each semester on the day before classes begin. Students completing registration late are charged an additional fee. Back to top.

RESIDENCE REQUIREMENTS - (A) Students must complete at least 30 credit hours (including one-half of the major and concentration requirements) of their coursework "in residence" at Oswego State University. "In residence" means completing courses offered by Oswego; adult learners are not required to live in residence halls. (B) Students must have established a permanent residence in New York State in order to qualify for in-state tuition. Back to top.

SCHEDULE - the courses and sections for which a student is enrolled during a semester or term. Back to top.

SEMESTER - one-half of an academic year, usually 14 weeks in duration. Back to top.

SEMESTER HOUR - the unit of credit used by Colleges, such as Oswego, which are following the semester schedule for an academic year. Some institutions use "Quarter Hours" which are equal to 2/3 of a s.h., because it takes 3 quarters to equal 2 semesters. Back to top.

SOCIAL SCIENCE COURSES - courses in Anthropology, Economics, Political Science, Psychology or Sociology. Back to top.

TERM PAPER - a paper assigned in course which requires that a student synthesize knowledge gained on a certain topic and present it in an orderly fashion; length varies, but is often 10 or 15 typewritten pages. Back to top.

TEXT or TEXTBOOK - the assigned book(s) for a particular course. Back to top.

TRANSCRIPT - an official copy of a student's permanent academic record. Back to top.

UNDERGRADUATE - a college student who has not yet earned a Bachelor's degree. Back to top.

WITHDRAWAL - (has nothing to do with psychoactive substances) the formal process of disextended_learning a course or courses after the official end of the Add/Drop period. As a result of this action, a grade of "W" is recorded on the permanent record. There is no penalty for doing so if you follow the prescribed procedures rather than just dropping out of class(es). The paper work for the process of Withdrawal, whether from a single class or the College as a whole, is initiated through the Student Advisement Center. If you are incapacitated you might initiate the process by calling your advisor. Back to top.