GLOSSARY
Academic Year: Two terms; in the undergraduate system years are
traditionally classified as
first year, second year, third year and fourth year and are used
to indicate the level at which a
student is studying.
Academic Term: There are three academic terms in the calendar
year: 1) from January 1 to
April 30 - Winter, 2) from May 1 to August 31 - Spring, 3) from
September 1 to December 31 -
Fall
Convocation: The ceremony that occurs in the spring and fall
where degrees are conferred on
the graduands.
Co-operative Option: A program, structured so that relevant work
experience is integrated with
academic studies. (For details see page xxx.) 
Course: A unit of study in a given discipline identified by a
unique number and name in a given
department. (See page xxx for detailed information concerning
further related definitions.)
Credit: A measure indicating the relative weight assigned a
particular course. (For details see
page xxx and page xxx.)
Degrees in Absentia: Degrees awarded to graduands who are not
able to be present at the
Convocation ceremonies.
Department: An academic department as duly constituted by the
Senate and Board of Governors
(eg. Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Department of
Physic and Computing,
Department of History)
Discipline: Same as a subject (eg. math, English, physics)
Elective: A course not required in a program, chosen by the
student. The choice of elective may
be subject to departmental approval or may have to be chosen from
a stated group of courses.
Field of Specialization: Courses offered by the department
associated with the specific Honours
Program, but can include other individual courses offered by
other academic departments as in
the case of Interdepartmental Honours Programs. These courses are
used to calculate the
cumulative grade point average associated with progression and
graduation requirements. (See
Academic Regulations-Progression Requirements: Honours Programs.)
Grade Point (GP): A number grade based on an equivalent letter
grade.
Grade Point Average (GPA): The average of the grade points
attained in specific courses.
Honorary Degrees: These degrees are conferred by the Senate to
recognize people who have
distinguished themselves in public service, scholastics, and
contribution to the general welfare
of the community, province or country.
Internship Option: A program structured so that relevant work
experience is integrated with
academic studies. (For details see page xxx.)
Irregular Course: A course for which the specific content has not
been approved by Senate.
This includes all courses titled Directed Studies, or Special
Topics. (For regulations see page
xxx.)
Major: The main area of concentration in a general program or a
secondary area of
concentration in an Honours program.
Minor: A secondary area of concentration in an Honours or General
program requiring a
sequence of at least three full-credit courses or equivalent in
one subject as specified in the
Calendar.
Option: An area of concentration adjunct to a program. Also see
Co-operative Option and
Internship Option.
Practicum: (Music) A program, structured so that relevant work
experience is integrated with
academic studies. Normally, a student registers full-time but
completes a year's course
requirements over three terms rather than over the usual two
terms. (For details see page xxx.)
Program:  A group of courses, generally a combination of required
and elective courses, which
leads to a degree.
    General Program: A program normally taken over
      three academic years.
      The courses are taken at the general level.
    Honours Program: A program normally taken over
      four academic years
      with an area of specialization taken at the honours level.
      Qualified off-campus physician: A qualified off-campus physician
      means a person licensed to
      practice medicine or dentistry in Ontario or any other
      jurisdiction, a psychologist registered
      under the Psychologists Registration Act or a person certified or
      registered as a psychologist by
      another jurisdiction.
      Required course: A course which is identified as being a required
      course for a Program.
      Session: A particular period in the academic calendar; two
      consecutive terms; Intersession,
      Summer Session.
      Student: A student is a person who is registered in a Program
      that leads to a degree, diploma
      or certificate of the University and includes all students
      described under the heading of
      "Classification of Students", but does not include a visitor.
      Subject: A specific field of study.
      Term: A particular 12 to 15 week period: Fall Term (September to
      December); Winter Term
      (January to April); Spring Term (May to August).
      Transcript: A document prepared by the Registrar's Office
      recording a student's academic
      performance.