Glossary

University terms and concepts. What do they mean?

Application for Admission:

At KPU, a formal request, or application for admission, is required for individuals who want to pursue undergraduate, vocational or preparatory studies at KPU. KPU’s application for admission is available online at kpu.ca/apply.

Admission:

The decision to admit a student into a Faculty or program after all requirements for admission have been satisfied.

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

Adult Graduation Diploma:

Enables adult learners to complete their BC Ministry of Education secondary school graduation requirements in order to enter the workforce or post-secondary studies. Length of program varies.

Advanced Certificate:

In some programs, students may complete additional specialized courses after obtaining a certificate, and work towards the completion of an advanced certificate. Length of program: up to 18 months.

Apprenticeships:

Applied skills come from hands-on experience. Apprenticeships offer exceptional opportunities to work within a number of sectors including building construction, automotive, horticulture, technology and metal trades. Length of program varies.

Associate's Degree:

An associate's degree consists of 60 credits of study prescribed by the Ministry of Education in arts or science. Most BC universities will grant 60 transfer credits to holders of the associate's degree, even if all the courses taken towards the associate's degree do not transfer individually to the receiving institution.

Bachelor’s Degree:

A baccalaureate (or bachelor's) degree combines academic theory and applied skills development in a curriculum that will provide the foundation for a career or graduate studies. It is approximately 120 credits and takes four to five years of full-time studies to complete. 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.

Certificate:

A Certificate prepares students for a wide variety of employment categories. Some of KPU's certificate programs also allow students to progress into diploma and degree programs. A certificate is generally a 30 credit program that takes 6-12 months of full-time studies to complete.

Certificate of Completion:

Success is not always measured by letter grades but through demonstration that a student has mastered a particular skill or learning objective. This type of learning at KPU is often formally recognized through a certificate of completion. Length of program varies.

Citation:

Citations offer exceptional opportunities to work within a number of sectors including building construction, horticulture and metal trades. Length of a citation program is typically less than 6 months.

Continuous Instructional Cycle:

Instructional offerings that utilize rolling admission whereby each student starts and ends courses on an individual basis. Continuous instructional cycle offerings have a limited number of seats that are continuously filled as space becomes available.

Convocation:

The ceremony where students are awarded and conferred credentials 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 normally restricted to 17.5 credits per semester; however a student’s average course load is typically 3 – 4 courses per semester. Some programs may require a specific course load.

Counsellors:

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. Most courses at KPU are 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's degree, a bachelor's degree, a post-baccalaureate certificate, or a post-baccalaureate diploma. All formal KPU credentials must be approved by the university Senate.

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 enables graduates to pursue many different careers or progress into a bachelor’s degree program. A diploma is generally a 60 credit program that takes two years full time to complete.

Drop:

De-registering from a course before the end of the late registration period (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 Member:

Instructors at KPU are known as faculty members.

Faculty or Faculties:

A division or branch of learning within the university, for example, the Faculty of Arts.

Fixed term:

Trades / Apprenticeship programs have a limited number of seats, and begin and end on fixed dates that are usually different from KPU’s regular semester dates. Admission to most Trades / Apprenticeship programs requires a selection process based on specific program admission requirements.

Full-time:

A student who is enrolled in nine or more semester credit hours is considered to be full-time at KPU. 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.

Internship:

A short work term where students complete a predetermined number of hours working in a position related to their field of study.

ITA-ID

This is the Industry Training Authority Individual Identification Number, formerly known as the Trade Worker ID (TWID) number.

Limited Intakes:

Programs for which a limit has been set on the number of students admitted per application cycle.

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's degree.

Minor:

A minor is a secondary subject area of concentration within a bachelor's degree.

myKwantlen:

A web service that can be reached directly (mykwantlen.ca). For students, myKwantlen provides access to online registration. myKwantlen also has information on student accounts, final grades and personal information.

Open Admission:

Areas of study to which students are assessed for admission based on Faculty admission requirements.

Open Intakes:

Programs for which a limit has not been set on the number of students admitted per application cycle.

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 9-character based on your birth date (DDMonYYYY), i.e., January 01, 1999 will be 01Jan1999. 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.
NOTE: If you applied to study at KPU prior to July 15, 2014, your PIN is a 6-digit number based on your birth date (DDMMYY) until you change it.

Policies:

All official policies related to being a student at Kwantlen can be found at kwantlen.ca/policies. This includes information about grades, withdrawal from courses and tuition.

Post-Baccalaureate:

These programs are designed for those who already have an undergraduate degree or the equivalent. This is a focused addition to an undergraduate degree, to help enhance employment opportunities or prepare for graduate-level work. Length of program varies.

Prepatory:

Students can prepare for vocational or undergraduate studies by upgrading specific courses, or earn a specific preparatory credential.

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 credential.

Program Requirements:

Curricular requirements that are mandatory for the completion of a credential.

Red Seal:

This is the inter-provincial standard of excellence in the trades. An individual may get their Red Seal endorsement by successfully completing the required examination..

Registration:

The process of enrolling in a specific course. At Kwantlen this is done online for most courses.

Undergraduate:

The post-secondary undergraduate-level of studies up to a master’s degree.

University 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: kwantlen.ca/calendar.

Vocational:

A combination of education and training with an emphasis on practical skills and knowledge specific to a particular vocation or occupational field.

Withdraw:

To formally remove oneself from a class via the online registration system. If this is done prior to the posted deadline, students will receive a 'W' in their transcripts, which will not be calculated into their grade point average.

Last Updated: 11-Jun-2015