Glossary
University terms and concepts. What do they mean ?
- Application:
- The act of applying for admission to the university.
- Admission:
- The decision to admit a student into a credentialed or non-credentialed program after all conditions of acceptance have been met.
- Admission Requirements:
- Requirements, including academic and non-academic, that must be fulfilled to qualify for admission to the university and a program.
- Academic Standing:
- Students need to maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 (C average) in order to stay in Good Academic Standing. Students who fall below those may go on Academic Warning and then Academic Probation before being Required to Withdraw. See also GPA
- Associate Degree:
- The associate degree consists of 60 credits of study prescribed by the Ministry of Education in arts or science. Most of the universities and university colleges will grant transfer credit for an associate degree. That is, they may guarantee 60 transfer credits to holders of the associate degree, even if all the courses taken towards the associate degree do not transfer individually to that institution.
- Bachelor’s degree:
- A baccalaureate (or bachelor's) degree is the first in a series of possible university degrees. It is approximately 120 credits and takes four to five years of full time studies to complete. Students wishing to transfer may complete up to a maximum of 90 credits, depending on the program, towards a Bachelor’s Degree at Kwantlen. Students who have met the required GPA requirements and wish to continue studies at the graduate level may apply for admission to Master's degrees or Doctoral (PhD) programs after completing the baccalaureate.
- Calendar, Academic Calendar:
- The University’s official publication of the programs and courses offered. It also lists admission and degree requirements, university rules, regulations and important dates, and is published annually. It can be found online at: www.kwantlen.ca/calendar.html
- Certificate:
- A certificate is generally a 30 credit program that takes one year of full time studies.
- Continuous Intake:
- A continuous-intake program is a certificate or citation program in which there are a limited number of seats that are continuously filled from a wait-list as spaces become available. There is no fixed beginning and end dates for these programs and students generally work on a self-paced basis.
- Convocation:
- Is the ceremony where you are awarded/conferred your credential by the Chancellor.
- Co-operative Education:
- Co-op education gives students the opportunity to combine theory with on the job training. Co-op combines on-campus classes with periods of paid off-campus career related work experience.
- Co-requisite:
- Course(s) that must be taken at the same time, or previous to, a currently registered course (min. grade of C if taken previously).
- Course Load:
- The maximum course load is restricted to 5 courses per semester; the average is 3 – 4 courses per semester. Some programs may require a specific course load.
- Counselors:
- Provide career counseling to help with career decision-making and transitions, help students who are experiencing personal problems and crisis situations, provide career exploration workshops and success skills seminars, assist students with issues around learning such as test anxiety, study skills, and time management, and provide referrals to community agencies and other members of the university community.
- Credit/Credit Hour:
- A credit is the point value attached to a course. The number of credits assigned to a course directly relate to the amount of class time per week. Most courses at Kwantlen are worth 3 credits. Credits are used in the calculation of GPA and fees, and in meeting the minimum number of credits required for a credential. A first year student has fewer than 30 credits; second year = 30-59 credits; third year = 60-89 credits; and fourth year = equal or greater than 90 credits.
- Credential:
- The credential is awarded upon completion of the required university and program academic and curricular requirements. A credential can be a certificate of completion, citation, a certificate, a diploma, an associate degree, a bachelor's degree, a post-baccalaureate certificate, or a post-baccalaureate diploma.
- CRN:
- Stands for 'Course Reference Number'. This is the number which is attached to a specific section of a course and is used to register in a particular section of a course.
- Diploma:
- A diploma is generally a 60 credit program that takes two years full time.
- Drop:
- De-registering from a course before the end of late registration (no record of the withdrawal is recorded on your transcript).
- Educational Advisors:
- Advisors are available to guide students in selecting and planning effective programs of studies for university transfer and career training programs through group course planning sessions and through individual consultations as well as provide referrals to other members of the university community.
- Elective:
- A course which is freely selected by a student to fulfill degree requirements. All degree programs include some required classes and some electives. Electives may or may not be transferable to the chosen institution.
- Faculty:
- Professors or instructors are known as faculty members.
- Faculty or Faculties:
- A division or branch of learning within a college or university, for example, the Faculty of Arts.
- Fixed intake:
- Trades / Apprenticeship programs have a limited number of seats, and begin and end on dates that are usually different from Kwantlen’s regular semester dates, known as 'fixed-intake'. Admission to most Trades / Apprenticeship programs requires a selection process based on specific program admission requirements. Qualified applicants are wait-listed by date of qualification.
- Full time:
- A student who is enrolled in nine or more semester credit hours is considered to be full-time. The minimum course load to qualify for a student loan is nine post-secondary undergraduate level credits.
- Grade Point Average (GPA):
- Is calculated by multiplying the grade points associated with the letter grade received in a course by the number of credits assigned to that course, adding those values for all courses taken, and dividing the result by the total number of credits taken. Withdrawals are not included in the calculations. For repeated courses, only the highest grade achieved is used in the calculation.
- Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) is the GPA calculated over all the terms in which the student has been enrolled.
- Program GPA is the GPA you have achieved in all courses that will be counted towards graduation.
- Term Grade Point Average (TGPA) is an overall weighted average of the marks which you earned in a particular term.
- Graduation:
- Is the term used to acknowledge that you have met your program requirements and that your credential has been audited by the Office of the Registrar and conferred by Senate to graduate from the program.
- ITA-ID
- This is the Industry Training Authority Individual Identification Number, formerly known as the Trade Worker ID (TWID) number.
- Limited Enrolment:
- Limited enrolment programs have a limited number of seats available within each intake.
- Lower Division Requirements:
- These are requirements that should be completed in the first 60 credits of a baccalaureate degree; also referred to as 1st and 2nd year requirements.
- Major:
- A major is the principal subject or area of concentration within a Bachelor Degree.
- Minor:
- A minor is a secondary subject area of concentration within a Bachelor Degree.
- myKwantlen:
- A web service that can be reached directly ( http://mykwantlen.ca ). For students, myKwantlen provides access to online registration. myKwantlen also has information on student accounts, final grades and personal information.
- Open Admission:
- An open admission program has program admission requirements that are the same as the general university admission requirements.
- Open Registration:
- Open registration programs are those programs in which students may register for one or more courses in accordance with an established registration priority system. Most semester-based programs are open registration programs.
- Part-Time:
- At Kwantlen, a student who is registered in less than 9 credits hours of study in a semester is considered part-time.
- PIN:
- PIN stands for (Personal Identification Number). Initially, this is a 6-digit number based on your birth date - ddmmyy (e.g. birthday 10th of January 1980 your PIN # is 100180). This will be your PIN the very first time you login to myKwantlen. You will immediately be asked to change to a more secure PIN.
- Policies:
- All official policies related to being a student at Kwantlen can be found at www.kwantlen.ca/policies . This includes information about grades, withdrawal from courses and tuition.
- Prerequisite:
- A class that needs to be taken and passed before another course can be taken. For example, you need to take ENGL 1100 before you can ENGL 1202. Generally a prerequisite course must be completed with a grade of (C) or higher unless otherwise stated. Pre-requisite requirements can be found in the Course Description section of the Academic Calendar.
- Prior Learning Assessment (PLA):
- To grant credits towards a certificate, diploma, or degree for learning gained through work, training, or informal experience.
- Program:
- Term used to describe an academic area that culminates in a certificate, diploma or degree.
- Program Requirements:
- Courses which are mandatory for a particular certificate, diploma, or degree.
- Registration:
- The process of signing up for a specific course. At Kwantlen this is done online. Registration starts between two to four months before classes start and continues into the second week of classes. More information about registering for classes can be found at: www.kwantlen.ca/webreg.
- Registration Date:
- This is the date (and time) on which you have your first opportunity to register in classes. At Kwantlen, there is a system of prioritizing students for registration. New students register according to application date. Returning students register according to the number of credits completed and their GPA. For more information on registration priority, see www.kwantlen.bc.ca/calendar/registr.html
- Required Course:
- A class you have to take to fulfill the requirements for your specific credential program.
- Section:
- Refers to a specific offering of a course at a particular time and location in a term (e.g. R50 is an evening section at Richmond).
- Selective Entry:
- Selective Entry Programs are those that have admission criteria in addition to the general university admission requirements. Admission is based on a selection process and qualified applicants are then offered admission to the program.
- Semester:
- At Kwantlen the Academic year is divided into three semesters: Fall (September – December); Spring (January – April); and Summer (May – August). Some students choose to attend only two semesters (usually Fall and Spring), while others go year-round.
- Student Number:
- Is a nine character identification number in the format 100######. This number which can be found initially on your acceptance letter is used to gain access to myKwantlen, myKwantlen email, and to identify you as a Kwantlen student while you are here.
- Smart Card:
- Your university identification card. The Smart Card has many functions aside from identification; it serves as a library card, and as a refillable cash card to access copiers and Pay-for-Print Labs. It is available at Library Checkout counters at no cost; photo ID and proof of address is required to obtain this card. There is a replacement fee for lost cards.
- Timetable:
- Is a course schedule that is an online resource that has information on all of the classes offered at Kwantlen in a given semester. It includes information on class days and times, location, how many seats are available, professor’s name, as well as the Class Reference Number (CRN) needed to register for the class from myKwantlen.
- Transcript:
- The official historical printed record of academic work completed at an institution.
- Transfer Credit:
- The granting of credit for studies completed at another institution. Course transferability is determined between institutions within B.C. through the B.C. Transfer Guide at www.bctransferguide.ca.
- Tuition:
- The fee required for taking courses at Kwantlen. Tuition fees vary depending on what program the student is completing or if the student is domestic or international. For semester and term-based programs, fees are calculated per credit hour.
- Undergraduate Student:
- An undergraduate student is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree. An undergraduate degree (Bachelor’s) can be a stepping stone to post-graduate programs, such as: Medical school, Education programs, MBA or law school.
- Upper Division Requirements:
- These are requirements that should be completed in the last 60 credits of a baccalaureate degree. They are also referred to as 3rd and 4th year requirements.
- Upgrading/University Preparatory:
- Students who are missing the required prerequisites in a particular subject can take the necessary courses needed to reach that level. This is referred to as upgrading (ex. taking the equivalent of grade 12 Math course in order to meet the requirements for first-year calculus).
- Withdraw:
- To formally remove yourself from a class via the On-line Self Service account. If this is done prior to the deadline, students will receive a 'W' in their transcripts and will not be calculated into their grade point average. There is also formal withdrawal from all courses and program at the University.