Academic Definitions
Academic Renewal
Under certain circumstances an undergraduate who has been readmitted to the university after an absence of at least five years may have the former record treated in the same manner as transfer credits. See Academic Renewal.
Advanced Placement
Students who have taken an advanced placement course of the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) in their secondary school and who have taken an Advanced Placement Examination of the CEEB may receive credit. See Advanced Placement.
AECP
The American English and Culture Program features an intensive course of study designed for adult international students who desire to become proficient in English as a second language. See American English and Culture Program.
Audit Enrollment
A student who audits a course pays tuition and attends regularly scheduled class sessions but earns no credit. See Audit Enrollment.
Buckley Amendment
See “Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act” in this section and Student Records.
CLEP
As part of the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), students who have taken a College-Level Examination of the College Entrance Examination Board may receive credit. See College-Level Examination Program (CLEP).
Complete Withdrawal
Students may withdraw from all of their classes and receive a grade of “W” in each course through the semester transaction deadline.
Comprehensive Exam
A comprehensive examination is intended to permit a student to establish academic credit in a field in which the student has gained experience or competence equivalent to an established university course. See Comprehensive Examinations.
Cooperative Education
Cooperative Education is any educational program that requires alternating classroom and work experience in government or industry. The work experience exists for its educational value. See Cooperative Programs.
Corequisite
A requirement to be met while taking one course, such as taking another particular course, is a corequisite. See also “Prerequisite” in this section.
Course Prefix
A course prefix is a three-letter designation assigned to a group of courses. The Course Prefixes, provides a comprehensive list. See also “Cross-Listing” in this section.
Course Withdrawal
During the second week through the 10th week of a fall or spring semester, or the third day through the third week of a summer session, or until the midpoint of the term for winter and flexibly scheduled sessions, a student may withdraw from any course with a mark of “W.” See the Schedule of Classes or the Summer Sessions Bulletin for dates of the withdrawal period.
Credit Enrollment
One semester hour represents a minimum of one 50-minute class exercise per week per semester. A minimum of 120 semester hours is required for graduation with a baccalaureate degree. To obtain credit, a student must be properly registered and pay fees for the course.
Cross-Listing
One course may have more than one course prefix and may be offered by more than one instruction unit. Some units may require students to enroll in a course under a certain prefix to receive credit properly. Catalog course descriptions indicate courses that are cross-listed.
Cum Laude
An undergraduate student with a minimum of 50 or 56 semester hours of course work at ASU (depending on the campus) and a cumulative GPA of 3.40 to 3.59 graduates cum laude. See Graduation with Academic Recognition. See also “Magna Cum Laude” and “Summa Cum Laude” in this section.
Declaration of Graduation
The Declaration of Graduation uses the Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS). DARS is an automated process that matches courses a student has completed with the requirements of a particular academic degree program, producing a report that shows the student which requirements are satisfied and which remain to be fulfilled. See Declaration of Graduation.
Drop/Add
Drop/add is a process in which a student who has registered for courses for a semester or summer session may drop or add courses through the first week of classes in a semester or the first two days of a summer session. See Drop/Add.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
The federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, also known as FERPA or the Buckley Amendment, sets forth the requirements governing the protection of the privacy of the education records of students who are or have been in attendance at ASU. See Student Records.
General Studies Requirement
This is a university requirement of all undergraduates. See Meeting the General Studies Requirement.
GPA
The ASU grade point average (GPA) is obtained by dividing the total number of ASU honor points earned by the number of ASU semester hours graded. Grade point averages are rounded to the nearest hundredth of a grade point. See Grade Point Average.
Grade Points
For the purpose of computing the GPA, grade points are assigned to each of the grades for each semester hour. For example, three points are assigned for a “B.” See Grades and Marks.
Graduate Catalog
The Graduate Catalog describes the procedures and requirements for enrollment in the Division of Graduate Studies. See Division of Graduate Studies.
Graduate-Level Courses
Courses numbered from 500 to 799 are designed for graduate students. See Graduate-Level Courses.
Incomplete
A mark of “I” (incomplete) is given by the instructor only when a student who is otherwise doing acceptable work is unable to complete a course because of illness or other conditions beyond the student’s control. See Incomplete.
International Baccalaureate
Students who have taken a higher-level examination through the International Baccalaureate program may receive university credit. See International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma/Certificate.
Lower-Division Courses
Courses numbered from 100 to 299 are designed primarily for freshmen and sophomores. See Lower-Division Courses.
Magna Cum Laude
A student with a minimum of 56 semester hours of course work at ASU and a cumulative GPA of 3.60 to 3.79 graduates magna cum laude. See Graduation with Academic Recognition. See also “Cum Laude” and “Summa Cum Laude” in this section.
Major
A major is a formalized group of courses contained within the program of study. See ASU Baccalaureate Degrees, and ASU Graduate Degrees.
Minor
A minor is a formalized group of courses contained within the program of study available from some instruction units. See Minors.
Omnibus Course
An omnibus course is offered on an experimental or tutorial basis when the course content is new or periodically changes. See Omnibus Courses.
Pass/Fail Enrollment
A mark of “P” (pass) or “E” (0.00) (fail) may be assigned for this grading option. This grading method may be used at the option of individual colleges and schools within the university. See Pass/Fail Enrollment.
Placement Examination
A proficiency examination is given to waive a course requirement, validate certain transfer credits in professional programs, or determine a student’s ability in a field where competence is an important consideration. See Placement Examinations.
Prerequisite
A requirement to be met before registering for one course, such as completing another particular course, is a prerequisite. See also “Corequisite” in this section.
Probation
A student’s college assumes responsibility for enforcing academic standards and may place any student on probation who has failed to maintain good standing. A student on academic probation is required to observe any rules or limitations the college may impose as a condition for retention. See Probation.
Summa Cum Laude
A student with a minimum of 56 semester hours of course work at ASU and a cumulative GPA of 3.80 – 4.00 graduates summa cum laude. See Graduation with Academic Recognition. See also “Cum Laude” and “Magna Cum Laude” in this section.
TOEFL
The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is taken by students whose native language is not English. See TOEFL, and “AECP,” in this section.
Transcript
An official transcript is a copy of the student’s permanent academic record that lists in chronological order all courses taken at ASU. The official transcript includes all grades received, is signed and dated by the registrar, and displays the seal of the university. An unofficial transcript is an uncertified copy of the academic record. Unofficial transcripts include all information shown on the official transcript, plus information concerning changes, additions, etc., to the record. See Transcripts.
Upper-Division Courses
Courses numbered from 300 to 499 are designed primarily for juniors and seniors. See Upper-Division Courses.
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