Glossary

A

Abbreviations

A

F – Fall term
W – Winter term
F-W – Fall and Winter terms
S – Spring term
IS – Intersession
SS – Summer Session
† – Course normally offered every second or third year
†† – Course offered occasionally

Courses not designated with a † or †† are normally offered at least once during the academic year.

Academic Probation

The establishment of specific requirements or conditions that a student must meet or fulfill within a stipulated time or else be suspended from further study at the university.

Academic Term

There are five academic terms in the calendar year: 1) Fall: September – December; 2) Winter: January – April; 3) Spring: May – August; 4) Intersession: May – June; 5) Summer: July – August.

Academic Year

The academic year in the undergraduate system, consists of two terms (totalling an eight-month duration), typically from September to April. Years are normally classified as first year (0.5 to 5.0 credits), second year (5.5 to 10.0 credits), third year (10.5 to 15.0 credits), fourth year (honours students only with 15.5 to 20.0 credits), fifth year (double degree students with 20.5+ credits) and are used to indicate the level at which a student is studying.

Audit

A course without credit toward a degree or program. The student will not be allowed to write the final examination and will not receive a course grade. The classroom and laboratory privileges and responsibilities will be at the discretion of the instructor. The deadline to revise the status of a course from credit to audit is the final date to withdraw without academic penalty. Tuition fees are usually one-half of the regular course fee. (Refer to Financial Services chapter.)

C

Co-operative Education Option

C

A program, structured so that relevant work experience is integrated with academic studies. (Refer to Arts, Science, and School of Business and Economics chapters: Co-operative Education Options.)

Co-requisite

A co-requisite for a course states a condition or conditions which must be satisfied concurrently with registration in the course. This condition will normally be registration in a specified course unless credit is already held for the co-requisite course.

Convocation

The ceremony that occurs in the spring and fall where degrees are conferred on the graduands. Refer to the Academic Dates chapter for spring and fall ceremony dates.

Course

A unit of study in a given discipline identified by a unique number and name in a given department. (See Course Description Definitions for information concerning all related definitions.) The weight or value of a course is defined as follows: a full-credit (1.0) course normally consists of three contact hours per week taken over an eight-month period (September - April). A half (0.5) credit course is normally conducted over a four-month period. A credit denotes a full-credit course with 1.0 indicated in the course description. A half-credit course is indicated with the 0.5 weight, and a quarter-credit course as 0.25 in the course description.

Course Withdrawal Definitions

Cancel: Withdrawing from all courses before classes have begun for a specific academic term.

Drop: Withdrawing from one or more courses, but remaining in other(s) for a specific academic term.

Withdraw: Withdrawing from all courses after classes have begun for a specific academic term.

Credit

A measure indicating the relative weight assigned a particular course. A credit can be obtained in a number of ways, for example, by successfully completing a full-credit (1.0) course, two half (0.5) credit courses or four quarter (0.25) credit courses. In the program and course descriptions, the following symbols are used following the course number:
One and a half (1.5) credits: (‡)
Full-credits (1.0): (*)
Half-credits (0.5): Do not have a symbol added to the course number.
Quarter-credits (0.25): (º)

D

Degrees in Absentia

D

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 (e.g., Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Department of Physics and Computer Science, Department of History)

Discipline

Same as a subject (e.g., English, history, physics). Refer to Discipline Codes in Using this Calendar section.

Discipline Codes

Link to Using this Calendar section.

E

Elective

E

A course chosen as part of a program but not a required course. The choice of elective may be subject to departmental approval or may have to be chosen from a stated group of courses.

Exclusion

An exclusion is a statement within a course description, indicating either that a student cannot hold credit for both the course to which the exclusion statement is attached and any course listed in the exclusion statement. It may also state that the course cannot be counted for credit in a program or toward the degree listed.

F

Field of Specialization

F

All the courses used to calculate the grade point average associated with the progression and graduation requirements for a specific honours program. This may include courses from a variety of departments as in the case of interdepartmental programs. (See University Undergraduate Regulations chapter, Progression Requirements: Honours Programs.)

G

Grade Point (GP)

G

A number grade based on an equivalent letter grade. (Grades section of University Undergraduate Regulations chapter.)

Grade Point Average (GPA)

The average of the grade points attained in specific courses. For purposes of calculation, the grade point (GP) earned in a 0.5-credit course will be given half of the weight of that earned in a 1.0-credit course. Likewise the GP earned in a 0.25-credit course will be given a quarter of the weight of that earned in a 1.0-credit course. (For an example of the calculation refer to the Grading System section of the University Undergraduate Regulations chapter.)

H

Honorary Degrees

H

Honorary degrees are conferred by the Senate of the university to recognize individuals who have distinguished themselves in public service, scholastics and contribution to the general welfare of the community, province or country.

I

Irregular Course

I

A course for which the specific content has not been approved by Senate. This includes all courses denoted as directed studies or special topics, and is subject to special regulations. (Refer to the University Undergraduate Regulations chapter, Courses section)

J

Junior Course

J

A course at the 100 - 199 level (e.g., SP101 or PS100*).

M

Major

M

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 3.0 credits or equivalent in one subject as specified in the program description.

O

Option

O

An area of concentration adjunct to a program. Also refer to Co-operative Option.

P

Practicum

P

(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 the Faculty of Music chapter.)

Prerequisite

A prerequisite for a course states a condition which must be satisfied prior to registration in the course. This condition may consist of a) obtaining credit for another course or other courses, or b) having a particular registration status, such as registration in a program and/or in a specified year, or as a senior student (i.e., a student who has obtained five or more credits), or c) having a minimum GPA (e.g., thesis courses).

Program

A group of courses, generally a combination of required and elective courses, which leads to a degree.

General program: A program consisting of a minimum of 15.0 credits and normally taken over three academic years.

Honours program: A program consisting of a minimum of 20.0 credits and normally taken over four academic years with an area of specialization.

Q

Qualified Off-campus Physician

Q

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.

S

Senior Course

S

A course at the 200 - 499 level (e.g., FR438 or HI247*). Such courses are normally restricted to senior students unless otherwise specified in the course description.

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 in the section, Classification of Students, but does not include a visitor.

Subject

A specific field of study.

T

Transcript

T

An official document prepared by the Office of the Registrar recording a student's academic performance and bearing the university seal. A transcript contains a chronological listing of courses and grades obtained. A fee is charged for each transcript.

U

University Interdisciplinary Course

U

UU300 A senior level 0.5-credit course in the humanities or social sciences. This unassigned university credit course has no specific department or faculty. Students apply to an Interdisciplinary Course Committee to register for the course. Only students with a 9.00 GPA or higher and a minimum of 8.0 university credits will normally be considered. Consult the University Undergraduate Regulations chapter for further details.

Official electronic version updated at 4:25 p.m. December 18, 2003

M. Watson, Editor Course Timetable