Mar 18, 2024  
2021-2022 Graduate Catalog 
    
2021-2022 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Glossary and Abbreviations


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A/Pass/F: A grading option in which a student earning a grade of A in a course will have an A recorded for that course; a grade of B, C, or D will be recorded as a Pass; and a grade of F will be recorded as an F.

Academic good standing: (as displayed on enrollment verification form)

  • YES = Student is in good standing; eligible to re-enroll; not dismissed
  • NO = Student is not in good standing; not eligible to re-enroll; dismissed

Academic load: The total number of credit hours enrolled in during one term.

Academic warning: (Warning) An indication that a student is in academic difficulty which could lead to dismissal from the university.

Add/Drop: Changing the student’s course schedule by adding and/or dropping a course.

Advanced standing: Having credit awarded for previous work or testing.

Advisor: A department or college-based faculty member who helps a student achieve her or his educational goals by providing guidance on courses, program requirements, prerequisites, programs of study, and policies and procedures.

Audit: Auditing is participating in a class regularly without submitting class work and without receiving credit. University Handbook, Section F: Instruction: Academic Procedures F66.1 and F66.2.

Bachelor of arts degree: (B.A.) Courses selected from a variety of disciplines with concentrations in one or two areas. A modern language is required for a B.A. degree.

Bachelor of science degree: (B.S.) A specified program of required courses with fewer electives than the B.A. A modern language is not required.

Baccalaureate: Refers to the bachelor’s degree.

Certificate programs: A non-degree credential designed to provide students with specialized knowledge that is less extensive than, and different from an undergraduate or graduate degree program. A certificate program represents a focused collection of courses that, when completed, affords the student some record of coherent academic accomplishment in a given discipline or set of related disciplines.

Classification: Level of progress toward a degree with classifications of freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior, depending on the number of term hours completed.

College: An academic unit of the university. Kansas State University has nine colleges.

Cooperative education (co-op): The integration of academic experience with planned employment experiences that relate to a student’s academic major or career goals. The work experience supplements and complements the curriculum.

Concurrent enrollment: (Conc.) This term usually means the student is enrolled in High School and is taking college credit at the same time.

Course: A unit of study a student enrolls in during a term.

Credit by examination: Credit received when a student takes an oral or written examination without enrolling for a course.

Credit hour: (Cr.) The amount of effort required to attain a specific amount of knowledge or skill equivalent to three hours of effort per week for 15 weeks.  Any combination of contact time and effort outside of class is allowed (University Handbook: Section F115).

Credit/No Credit: (C/NC) A grading option with successful completion of a course recorded as Credit and failure as No Credit. No other grades are given for such courses and they are not figured into the grade point average.

Cross-listed course: The same course offered by two or more academic units and identified by the same course number and course name, but with different course prefixes (Ex: KIN 635 and HN 635 Nutrition & Exercise).   Cross-listed courses are noted in the catalog, and are subject to the retake policy as repeated courses.

Curriculum: A program of courses that meets the requirements for a degree in a particular field of study, also referred to as a major.

Degree program: Courses required for completion of a particular degree.

Department: A unit within a college representing a discipline.

Discipline: An area of study representing a branch of knowledge, such as mathematics.

Dismissal: (Dismissed) A student who neglects his or her academic responsibilities may be dismissed on recommendation of an academic dean.

Double major: A student may elect to pursue two majors at one time.

Drop/Add: Changing the student’s course schedule by adding and/or dropping a course, or both.

Dual degrees: A student may elect to pursue two degrees at one time.

Ed.D.: Doctor of Education degree. A post-baccalaureate degree awarded upon completion of at least three years of full-time specialized study, together with a major research contribution to the field of education that demonstrates independence as a scholar. The degree culminates with a formal dissertation.

Electives: Courses chosen by a student that are not required for the major or minor. The number of hours of electives required varies according to a student’s major.

Enrollment: The process of selecting courses and having courses reserved.

Equivalent course: (Equiv.) Courses offered by the same academic unit with different course numbers and course names, but the same course prefix (Ex: STAT 325 Introduction to Statistics, STAT 340 Biometrics, STAT 350 Business & Economic Statistics).  Equivalent substitute courses are noted in the catalog that they cannot be taken for credit if credit has been received in specified equivalent course(s).  Equivalent courses are subject to the retake policy as repeated courses. 

Extracurricular: Activities such as band or debate for which a student may earn credit toward graduation. Extracurricular activities are counted as electives.

Financial aid: Help for a student to pay for college. Aid is available from grants, loans, scholarships, and work/study employment.

Grade point average: (GPA) A measure of scholastic performance. A GPA is obtained by dividing the number of grade points by the hours of work attempted, where an A = 4 points, a B = 3 points, a C = 2 points, a D = 1 point, and an F = 0 points.

Graduate student: A student who has completed a bachelor’s degree and has met all the requirements for admission to the Graduate School.

Intersession: Courses offered between terms.

Lecture: (Lec.) A course wherein the teaching is done primarily through oration.

M.A.: Master of arts degree. A post-baccalaureate degree awarded upon completion of at least 30 term hours of graduate credit, usually in the humanities or social sciences. May or may not include research and a thesis, depending on the field of study.

Major: A program of courses that meets the requirements for a degree in a particular field of study.

Minor: A systematic program of study in an area of emphasis outside a student’s major.

M.S.: Master of science degree. A post-baccalaureate degree awarded upon completion of at least 30 term hours of graduate credit, usually in the sciences or professions. Research and a thesis are required in most of the sciences.

Non-Degree seeking student: A student taking courses at K-State, but not admitted to a program leading to a degree.

Non-Standard Course: A course that does not meet the guidelines of a Regular Session course.

Option: An approved group of courses creating a specialty within a major field of study.

Orientation: Activities designed to help new students become acquainted with the university.

Ph.D.: Doctor of philosophy degree. A post-baccalaureate degree awarded upon completion of at least three years of full-time specialized study, together with a major research contribution to the discipline that demonstrates independence as a scholar. The degree culminates with a formal dissertation.

Prerequisite: (Pr.) A requirement, usually credit in another course, which must be met before a particular course can be taken.

Probation: Probation is an academic warning that a student in is academic difficulty which could lead to dismissal from the university.

Recitation: (Rec.) A small section usually taken in conjunction with a lecture.

Regular Session Course: A course that meets for the first time during the first 7 calendar days of the semester and that has its last class meeting during the final 7 calendar days of the semester.

Repeatable Course: A course that may be taken multiple times without being subject to the retake policy. There may be a credit hour or course count limit associated with a repeatable course.

Scholastic honors: An award an undergraduate receives based on the excellence of K-State academic work.

Secondary major: Interdisciplinary major which must be completed along with a primary major course of study.

Special student: An undergraduate student taking courses at K-State but not regularly enrolled in work toward a degree.

Transcript: An official copy of a student’s permanent academic record.

Transfer student: A student who terminates enrollment in another college or university and subsequently enrolls at K-State.

Undergraduate student: A university student who has not received a bachelor’s degree.

Variable: (V/Var.) The credits earned in some courses may vary.