Glossary

Academic Advisor:: University staff that are available to guide students in selecting and planning effective programs of study for degree completion, career training and university transfer through individual appointments, as well as to provide referrals to other members of the university community.
Academic Standing:: Students must maintain an Institutional CGPA of at least 2.0 (C average) in order to stay in Good Academic Standing. Students who fall below this Institutional CGPA may be placed on Academic Warning and then Academic Probation before being Required to Withdraw. See also Grade Point Average (GPA).
Academic Year:: The period from September 1 through the following August 31. The Academic Year begins with the Fall Semester from September through December, followed by the Spring Semester from January through April, and lastly the Summer Semester from May through August.
Add/Drop Period:: The period at the beginning of each semester during which students can make adjustments to their schedule by adding or dropping courses.

Admission:: The decision to admit a student into a Faculty, School, 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.
Adult Graduation Diploma:: Enables adult learners to complete their BC Ministry of Education secondary school graduation requirements in order to enter post-secondary studies or the workforce. 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.
Application for Admission:: At KPU, a formal request, or application for admission, is required of individuals who want to pursue undergraduate, vocational or preparatory studies at KPU. KPU’s application for admission is available online at kpu.ca/apply.
Apprenticeships:: Applied skills come from hands-on experience. Apprenticeships offer 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 an associate's degree, even if all the courses taken towards the associate's degree do not transfer individually to the receiving institution.
Award: A monetary or non-monetary presentation recognizing achievement that is not based solely on academic performance or financial need.
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 made up of a minimum of 120 credits and takes four to five years of full-time studies to complete. Students who have met the GPA requirements and wish to continue studies at the graduate level may apply for admission to Master's degree or Doctoral degree (PhD) programs after completing the Baccalaureate Degree.
Bursary:: A monetary award based primarily on student financial need as demonstrated through an assessment of student financial resources and expenses for the applicable study period.
Certificate:: A certificate is generally a 30 credit program that takes 6-12 months of full-time studies to complete. 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.
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 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.
Confirmation Deposit:: A non-refundable, non-transferrable payment that signifies acceptance by the applicant of an offer of admission by the University.
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 of the University.
Co-operative Education:: Co-operative 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 that must be taken at the same time, or previous to, a currently registered course (If taken previously, a minimum final grade of C is required to fulfill a co-requisite.).
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 – 5 courses per semester. Some programs may require a specific course load.
Credential:: The credential is awarded upon completion of the University's and the program's academic and curricular requirements. A credential can be a Certificate of Completion, Citation, Certificate, Diploma, Associate's Degree, Bachelor's Degree, Post-Baccalaureate Certificate, or Post-Baccalaureate Diploma. All formal KPU credentials must be approved by the University Senate.
Credits/Credit Hours/Semester Credit Hours:: A specific numerical value assigned to a course, generally corresponding to either the number of contact hours per week throughout the semester or to some other metric of student engagement. Most courses at KPU are 3 credits. Credit values for courses are used in the calculation of GPA and fees, as well as in the evaluation of credits required for a credential. A student that has accrued fewer than 30 credits is classified as a first-year student; a second-year student is one that has accrued between 30 and 59 credits; a third -year student is one that has accrued between 60 and 89 credits; and a fourth-year student is one that has accrued 90 or more credits.
CRN:: An acronym that stands for 'Course Reference Number'. This is the number that is attached to a specific section of a course and used to register in a particular section of a course.
Curriculum Effective Date:: The time at which the given set of requirements to graduate with a particular credential was initially implemented.
Department:: An educational administrative sub-unit of a Faculty and/or School within a university dealing with a particular field of knowledge.
Diploma:: A diploma is generally a 60 credit program that takes two years of full-time study to complete. A diploma enables graduates to pursue many different careers or progress into a Bachelor’s Degree program.
Discontinuance:: Permanent closure of a program which includes removal from future academic calendars and cessation of admission or declaration to the designated program.
Drop:: De-registering from a course before the end of the add/drop period (no record of the withdrawal is recorded on the student's transcript).
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:: An educational administrative division constituted by the Board of the University. For example, the Faculty of Arts.
Faculty Member:: Instructors at KPU are known as faculty members.
Fixed Term:: A period of study that begins and ends on set dates that are usually different from KPU's regular semester dates. Generally applicable to Trades and Apprenticeship programs that have a limited number of seats and for which admission involves a selection process based on specific requirements.
Full-time:: A student who is enrolled in nine or more credit hours in a semester 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 Points:: A specific numerical value associated with the letter grade assigned to a course. Provides a basis for calculating grade point averages.
Grade Point Average (GPA):: A weighted average calculated by multiplying the grade points for a course by the number of semester credit hours assigned to that course, adding those values for a set of courses, and dividing the result by the total number of semester credit hours for those courses. Separate GPA calculations are made for each academic level.; Institutional Cumulative Grade Point Average (Institutional CGPA) The GPA calculated for all courses taken at KPU.; Program Grade Point Average (Program GPA) The GPA calculated for all courses applicable towards graduation with a specific credential.; Term Grade Point Average (Term GPA) The GPA calculated for all courses taken at KPU in a specific term.; Transfer Grade Point Average (Transfer GPA) The GPA calculated for all transfer and PLA courses.; Overall Grade Point Average (Overall GPA) The GPA calculated for all courses.
Graduation:: Is the term used to acknowledge that a student has met program requirements, and the credential has been audited by the Office of the Registrar and conferred by KPU's Senate.
Grant:: A monetary award that is provided to a student as targeted funding in support of specific student populations and their identified needs.
Incidental Fees:: Fees for discretionary services (such as transcripts, testing services, etc.), as well as fines and/or penalties.
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: An acronym that stands for the Industry Training Authority Individual Identification Number, formerly known as the Trade Worker ID (TWID) number.
Late Registration Period:: The period after which the add/drop period has ended, for which registration in a course requires the permission of the instructor, Dean and/or University Registrar.
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 within the first 60 credits of a Baccalaureate degree; also referred to as 1st-year and 2nd-year requirements. Generally, these requirements are met with courses numbered 1100 - 2999.
Major:: A major is the principal subject or discipline of study within a Bachelor's degree.
Mandatory Student Fees:: Required fees other than tuition, including student fees (such as library, technology and student life fees), required course materials, and Kwantlen Student Association (KSA) fees.
Minor:: A minor is a secondary subject or discipline of study within a Bachelor's degree.
Open Intakes:: Programs for which a limit has not been set on the number of students admitted per application cycle.
Part-Time:: At KPU, a student who is registered in less than 9 credits hours of study in a semester is considered a part-time student.
Policies:: All official policies related to being a student at KPU can be found at kpu.ca/policies. These include information about tuition fees, grades, and withdrawal from courses.
Post-Baccalaureate:: An academic program 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.
Preparatory:: Students can prepare for vocational or undergraduate studies by upgrading specific courses, or earn a specific preparatory credential.
Prerequisite:: Course that must be successfully completed previous to registering in a given course. For example, a student must successfully complete ENGL 1100 before registering in ENGL 2300. A prerequisite course must be completed with a minimum grade of C unless otherwise stated. Pre-requisite requirements can be found in the Course Description section of the University Calendar.
Prior Learning Assessment (PLA):: A process used to grant credits towards a certificate, diploma, or degree in recognition of learning gained through previous work, training, or informal experience.
Program:: A defined set of courses of instruction that lead to a credential approved by KPU Senate. A program or units of study also consists of a) a unit of study, under the governance of Senate, that results in the granting of a degree or a non-degree credential or b) a unit of study that constitutes the designation of major or minor, or c) a unit of study that constitutes a department.
Program Requirements:: Curricular stipulations that must be fulfilled by a student in order to become eligible to receive a particular credential.
Program Change:: Any changes to a program that require re-approval by Senate.
Program Suspension:: A temporary cessation of a program whereby students will not be admitted to or declare into a program for a defined period of time.
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 KPU this is done online for most courses.
Scholarship:: A monetary award based primarily on academic achievement and, in some cases, in combination with demonstrated leadership or community service.
School:: An educational administrative division that may be constituted by the Board of the University to function in the full capacity of a Faculty. For example, the School of Business. Alternatively, a School may be an educational administrative unit which functions within a Faculty, similar to a Department.
Sponsoring Agency:: A third party agency providing sponsorship funding for KPU students.
Tuition Fees:: Fees charged to cover the instruction of a learning activity, and not assignable to a service (related or otherwise) associated with the learning activity..
Undergraduate:: A student admitted to a post-secondary institution who has not yet earned a bachelor's or equivalent degree. Also, the level of post-secondary studies below a Master’s degree.
University Calendar:: The University’s official publication of academic programs, courses, and regulations. It includes all the academic programs at KPU, the requirements for admission, the curricular requirements for graduation, the dates of the academic terms, the fees, and University rules and regulations. It is published annually by the University Registrar and found online at: kpu.ca/calendar
Upper Division Requirements:: These are requirements that should be completed after the first 60 credits of a Baccalaureate degree; also referred to as 3rd-year and 4th-year requirements. Generally, these requirements are met with courses numbered 3000 - 5999.
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, a 'W' will be shown on the transcript, and the course will not be used in the calculation of the grade point average.

Last Updated: 10-Jul-2018