Glossary of Terms

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Accreditation - Certification that the College has met established standards and is nationally recognized by appropriate accrediting agencies.

Activity Period - A no-class period set aside for student activities and various presentations.

Adult Basic Education - Adult basic education classes are for individuals who need to improve basic reading, writing and language skills.

Adult Secondary - Adult secondary programs are for students who are older than 16 years of age and are seeking a high school diploma or a GED.

Advanced Placement - Earning of college credits prior to enrollment (usually during high school) by passing certain examinations, such as those administered by the College Entrance Examination Board.

American College Testing Program (ACT) - College entrance test which may be used for placement in college-level English and mathematics courses.

Articulation Agreement - Agreement between Florida's public community colleges and universities assuring junior-level status to students who complete the community college general education and graduation requirements in university parallel (A.A. degree) programs.

Assessment - Initial testing and subsequent evaluation of students to aid in placement and progress in reading comprehension, writing, English, arithmetic and algebra.

Associate in Applied Science Degree (A.A.S.) - Career or technical-focused degree designed for students who want to enter a specific employment field. A.A.S. degrees are not designed to transfer to a four-year institution.

Associate in Science Degree (A.S.) - Career education programs designed to allow students to immediately pursue careers which require a college degree at the technical or para-professional level. Some A.S. degrees transfer to a university.

Associate of Arts Degree (A.A.) - This degree is designed for transfer to a four-year institution. The equivalent of two years of full time academic course work at the community college plus two academic years at a university result in students receiving a bachelor's degree.

Audit - Credit classes taken for no credit. Usually used as a refresher course.

Career Programs - A.A.S. and A.S. Degree, Applied Technology Diploma, Technical Certificate, and Vocational Credit Certificate programs with courses designed to prepare students for specialized occupations.

Catalog in Force - The catalog of the year when a student first enrolls provided the student has maintained continuous enrollment. Its graduation requirement can be followed for up to five years.

CLAST Alternatives - Methods by which students can satisfy the CLAST requirement without taking the examination. The alternatives include minimum grades in certain courses and/or minimum scores on the ACT and/or SAT.

Co-Operative Education (Co-op) - Method of earning credit for employment under special arrangements.

College Credit Certificate - College credit program of study designed to provide the basic professional courses of an occupation.

College Night - An evening for students, prospective students, families and friends to meet and visit with representatives of more than 100 colleges and universities. Usually held in early October.

College-Level Academic Skills TEST (CLAST) - This test is required by the state to measure student achievement in reading, writing and computation. Students must earn passing scores to receive an A.A. degree or satisfy one of the CLAST alternatives approved by the state.

College-Preparatory Courses - A combination of placement testing and mandatory special courses designed to ensure that students have college-level reading, writing or math skills prior to attempting college-level courses.

Common Prerequisites - The State of Florida has identified Common Prerequisite courses for all university majors. These prerequisites must be completed by all students going into that field of study.

Computerized Placement Test (CPT) - Required test prior to registering for college-credit classes unless ACT or SAT scores are less than 24-months old. Used for placement in English, reading and mathematics courses.

Continuing Education Unit (C.E.U.) - One C.E.U. is awarded for every ten contact hours of instruction in an organized continuing education, non-credit course.

Continuing Workforce Education - Courses and programs designed to provide skills and knowledge to students pursuing short-term career enhancement goals.

Continuous Enrollment - Unbroken enrollment in Fall and Spring terms.

Corequisite - A course required to be taken at the same time as another course.

Course Load - The number of credit hours being attempted. A full-time course load is 12 credit hours or more of course work in a 16-week term; six credit hours in a 12-week term such as the Summer Term.

Credit by Examination - The award of credit based on the demonstration of knowledge as assessed on an examination. Examples of this include Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, CLEP and DANTES programs.

Credit Hour - One credit represents one hour spent each week in class during a 16-week term. For example, a student enrolled in ENC 1101 (3 credits) spends approximately 3 hours weekly in 16 weeks of class.

Degree Audit (also called a graduation check) - Formal list of courses completed and required to be completed to qualify for graduation. A graduation check is performed by the Registrar's Office at the student's request. A student should make such a request after successfully completing 40 semester hours and before their last term.

Degree Seeking Students - Students who have been admitted to a degree awarding program (A.A., A.S., or A.A.S.) or a college credit technical certificate program.

Distance Learning (Video Courses, On-line Courses, Mixed Modality courses, etc.) - Videotaped online over the Web or computer delivered lessons, readings in a study guide and textbook, faculty interaction and/or testing that is an alternative to traditional, campus-based instruction.

Drop/Add - A designated time period during which students can drop or add classes and make adjustments in their schedule without penalty or cost.

Dual Enrollment - Enrollment by a high school student in one or more courses that count for credit in both high school and college.

EAP (English for Academic Purposes) - College credit English as a second language courses for non-native speakers of English.

Early Admissions - Full-time college enrollment by eligible high school seniors.

Elective - Courses in excess of the general education requirement. In most cases, the course should relate to the student's major. Consult your counselor or adviser for more information.

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) - Courses for students who are speakers of languages other than English and who need to improve their basic English skills in reading, writing, grammar, listening, and speaking.

English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPA) - Generic term for any English language proficiency test for non-native speakers of English. See LOEP.

Entry Assessment - An evaluation of basic skills to determine course placement. Course placement may include college-preparatory and/or college-level courses. See CPTs, ELPA and LOEP.

Fee - A financial charge for courses or services.

Financial Aid Transcript - Official record of financial aid funds received by a student. This is required of all students who transfer from another institution and apply for financial assistance.

Foreign Language Requirement - A requirement of Florida's state universities. Universities generally require two years of the same foreign language at the high school level or 8-10 credit hours at the community college level.

Full Cost of Instruction Fee - The amount, exclusive of state funding, established by the College to pay all costs associated with teaching a course.

Full-Time Student - Enrollment for 12 or more credit hours in Term I or II, six or more semester hours in Term IIIA or IIIB and other A or B terms.

General Education - Thirty-six credit hours of liberal arts courses required in university parallel, A.A. Degree programs. A lower number of General Education credit hours are required in A.A.S. and A.S. Degree programs.

General Education Diploma (GED) - The State of Florida awards the equivalent of a high school diploma for students who pass all categories of a GED test. The GED program consists of courses that prepare students to take the GED test.

Gordon Rule - State Board of Education (SBE) Rule 6A-10.030, also known as the Gordon Rule, requires students graduating with an A.A. Degree to meet specific requirements in the areas of writing and mathematics. Satisfactory completion of this rule requires that a student earn a grade of "C" or better in each applicable course.

Grade - Alphabetical measures of academic success ranging from excellent (A) to failure (F).

Grade Foregiveness Policy - The Grade Foregiveness Policy permits students to repeat a course in an attempt to improve a grade. Repeating a course is permissible only for courses in which a student earned a "D" or an "F." A student will be limited to two repeats per course. Upon a third attempt, the grade issued will be the final grade for that course.

Grade Point Average (GPA) - A measure of the student's scholastic standing obtained by dividing the total number of grade points earned by the total number of credit hours attempted.

Grade Points - A numerical value assigned to each grade for the purpose of computing grade point average (GPA).

Graduation Application - The application a student must file in the Admissions and Records Office to be awarded a degree. This application must be submitted by the deadline date listed in the College Calendar.

Grant - Funds which do not require repayment awarded for college expenses to qualified students in financial need.

Independent Study - Capable students may acquire course credits at their own pace through non-classroom, student-faculty interaction. An additional fee is charged. Special permission is required.

International Student - A student who has entered the United States on a non-immigrant visa, most often an individual on a student visa. Immigrants, refugees and U.S. citizens who do not speak English as a native language are not classified as international students.

Learning Community - Courses that are thematically linked and integrated across different subjects or disciplines with the purpose of enhancing student learning and success. Typically, students are concurrently enrolled in two or more courses, and they participate in group study sessions, career exploration, community service and personal/professional development activities.

Levels of English Proficiency (LOE) - A test designed to determine the English ability of students whose native language is not English.

Limited Access Programs - Some specialized programs are regularly identified as limited access. They have additional admission criteria, and the number of students who may enter the program is limited. Limited access programs may have specific enrollment eligibility requirements imposed because of the following: (a) physical facility limitations; or (b) state licensure rules and regulations established and implemented pursuant to laws, rules and regulations over which the College has no discretionary authority. Limited access program students are selected for admission to these programs based upon Equal Access/Equal Opportunity standards, past student performance, current academic performance and continuing academic potential.

Non-credit - A course for which college credit is not granted.

Non-Degree Seeking Students - Students wishing to earn college credit for self-enrichment, teacher certification or transfer to another college.

Online Courses - College credit courses offered through technologies that include Internet discussion groups, e-mail, online conferences and other Web-based instructional strategies.

Online Educational Plan (OEP) - Opportunity for students to plan several semesters of courses to complete an associate degree or certificate. The plan is entered into the college's online system where students, counselors and faculty advisers can access it to help students achieve their academic goals.

Orientation - Prior to registering for courses, new students may participate in a Student Orientation program that may include a campus tour; information on educational planning and college resources; and group advising.

Part-Time Student - Students enrolled for fewer than 12 semester hours in Term I and II or fewer than six semester hours in Term IIIA or IIIB or other A and B terms.

Post-Secondary Adult Vocational (PSAV) - Career training programs for students planning to enter vocational and technical career fields which do not require a degree.

Prerequisite - A course or placement score requirement that must be satisfactorily completed before taking the next higher level in a related course.

Probation - A status given to students who fail to maintain satisfactory academic progress.

Provisional Student - A student who has not met all necessary requirements for admission and, thus, has restrictions on the courses that may be taken.

Quality Points - The value, ranging from 4 to 0, for grades from A to F for all courses completed, used in determining a grade point average. (Also see GPA.)

Recreation and Leisure - Recreation and Leisure courses are provided for special interest groups in the community, and they do not count toward any degree or award. The fees for those courses cover the full cost for instruction.

Registration - The process of enrolling for courses. May be accomplished in person, by telephone or online. Non-credit registrations can also be done by fax or mail.

Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) - ROTC programs are offered at the University of Central Florida. Students may, through cross- or dual-enrollment, earn college ROTC credit and degree credit.

Residency - To qualify for in-state fees, students must sign a notarized statement confirming that they have resided in Florida 12 consecutive calendar months prior to the start of classes for the term in which they wish to enroll.

Restricted Access Programs - Some specialized programs are designated restricted access. They have additional admission criteria established and implemented related to past student performance, current academic performance and/or continuing academic potential. Equal Access/Equal Opportunity standards also apply to admission to restricted access programs.

Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) - One of the tests accepted for entry placement.

Student Activities - The office responsible for coordinating social; cultural; intellectual; recreational; leadership; group development; campus and community service projects; lectures and concert programs; and advising for student organizations.

Student Course Load - Number of credit hours carried by a student each term.

Student Government Association (SGA) - Official representatives of the student body to the administration in matters concerning student life.

Student Support Services - Support, advising, assessment, tutoring and other services provided to students who are qualified due to educational, economic, cultural, verbal or physical disadvantage. A federally funded program.

Suspension - Student status under which they are not permitted to attend college for a specific period of time.

Term - Time period during which classes meet. Fall and Spring terms are approximately 16 weeks. Summer term is 12 weeks. A three-credit course meets approximately 45 hours during a term.

Transcript - A student's official academic record of college courses, grades, biographical and test data.

Transfer Student - Student who attended a college or university before coming to present institution.

Transient Student - One who attends a few classes at one educational institution to complete degree requirements at another institution. A transient student letter from the host institution must accompany the student at the time of registration.

Tuition - Financial charge for each credit hour of instruction.

University Parallel Program - Courses of study leading to the A.A. degree which parallel the lower-division requirements of a bachelor's degree.

Vocational Credit - Vocational Credit is different from college credit. It does not transfer to other colleges and universities and is not applicable to college credit certificates or degrees. Accumulation of Vocational credits in a specific area may result in a Postsecondary Adult Vocational (PSAV) Certificate. Thirty clock-hours of instruction equal one vocational credit. Fees for vocational credit courses are charged on the basis of vocational credit.

Weekend College - Classes offered Friday evening, Saturday or Sunday.

Withdrawal - A student can withdraw (by completion of proper forms) from any course in a term by the established date. Withdrawals after that date will be granted only through established institutional procedures. A student will be limited to two withdrawals per course. Upon the third attempt, the student will not be permitted to withdraw and will receive a grade for that course.

Did you know?

SCC is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.