Mar 19, 2024  
2017-2018 Graduate Bulletin 
    
2017-2018 Graduate Bulletin [ARCHIVED]

Glossary of Academic Terms


Academic Probation
A condition of attendance under which students are allowed to remain at the university with the understanding that they meet set academic standards within a set period of time. Failure to meet the standard results in dismissal from the university.

Add and Drop
The process of changing a course schedule by dropping or adding a course during the prescribed time at the beginning of each semester.

Audit
Students register and attend class, but do not take examinations. No credit hours are earned, and the cost of the class is less than regular tuition. “AU” will appear on the grade record.

Bachelor’s Degree
The degree received after completing a specific program of undergraduate study and fulfilling all graduation requirements.

Certification
A recognition of professional achievement bestowed by an outside organization.

College
An administrative division of the university housing academic departments, degree programs and other administrative units. At UW-Stout these are: Arts, Communication, Humanities and Social Sciences; Education, Hospitality, Health and Human Sciences; and Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics Management.

Concentration
A component within a degree program that examines a selected area of the student’s chosen professional field in greater detail. A concentration may be part of the university’s planned offerings or designed by the student.

Corequisite
A course that must be taken at the same time as another course.

Credit Hour
UW-Stout defines a credit hour as an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that reasonably approximates: [1] At least 750 minutes of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of 1,500 minutes of  out-of-class student work for one semester credit hour, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time (e.g. compressed courses); or [2] At least an equivalent amount of work as required in part one [1] of this definition for other academic activities as established by UW-Stout, including distance education, online, hybrid, or other indirect faculty instruction, laboratory work, internships, co-op experiences, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours. This definition of the semester credit hour applies to all academic credit bearing activities at all levels (graduate and undergraduate). 

Credit Load
The number of credits a student registers for during a semester.

Degree Program
A planned program of study leading to a degree.

Degree-Seeking Student
A student who has been admitted to a degree program and is seeking degree.

Disadvantaged
Deprived of basic social rights and security through poverty, discrimination, or other unfavorable circumstances.

Educationally Disadvantaged
Deprived of a socially adequate education through poverty, discrimination, or other unfavorable circumstances.

Emphasis
A designated group of courses within a degree program that affords increased exposure to a specific area in the student’s chosen professional field.

Full Time Student
A graduate student who enrolls for at least nine credits during the fall or spring semester.

Good Standing
Maintaining an academic record that meets UW-Stout’s requirements; eligible to continue at or return to the university, or to transfer to another institution.

Grade Point
The numerical value given to letter grades, based on an “A” receiving four points, a “B” three points, and so on.

Grade Point Average (GPA)
The numerical value assigned to a student’s scholastic average, computed by dividing the total grade points by the total credit hours attempted.

Grant
Financial assistance that does not have to be repaid.

Hold
A barrier placed on a student’s ability to register for classes or receive transcripts as a result of unpaid monetary obligation or other action by the university.

Incomplete
The grade assigned only if a student is temporarily unable to complete course requirements because of unusual circumstances.

Independent Study
A course of study designed by a student and undertaken outside the classroom, under the supervision of one or more faculty.

Interdisciplinary
Drawing on two or more disciplines in a single course or program.

Internship
Work in a company or agency related to a student’s degree program and career plans, usually for academic credit and often also for payment.

Major
A planned program of study leading to a degree. Term is often used interchangeably with degree program.

Major studies
A component within a degree program that provides fundamental education for a particular career discipline.

Practicum
Directed work experience related to a program of study.

Prerequisite
A course or experience that must be successfully completed before enrollment in a designated course.

Professional Development Certificate
An alternative academic credential for individuals seeking to obtain new knowledge and skills or to update their knowledge and skills in a specific area.

Professional Electives
Required credits that are not prescribed by the program by designation of a specific course, but that are professional and specific in their content as they pertain to the major.

Registration
The process of enrolling in and paying for courses each semester.

Selectives
A group of courses from which a student must choose a prescribed number of credits to meet a program requirement.

Semester
A unit of time, generally 16 weeks long, in the academic calendar.

Special Student/Non-Program Student
A nondegree-seeking student who holds a bachelor’s degree and enrolls in graduate courses for credit.

Transcript
An official copy of a student’s permanent academic record.

Transfer Credit
Academic credit earned at another accredited institution and accepted toward a UW-Stout degree.

Tuition
The amount of money that must be paid for a course.