Glossary of Terms
Terms & Phrases
Academic Credit: (or credit hours or credit): One academic credit is generally earned for every 14 hours in lecture during a semester.
Academic Probation: The result of a grade point average falling below an acceptable level.
Academic Year: Two 15-week semesters.
Accredited: Quality of academic programs has been approved by an outside rating agency.
Admission: Your acceptance for enrollment.
Advisor: Faculty member who offers you academic advice, explains requirements and assists in scheduling.
Anchor Access: Accessed from the My.LSSU Portal. Anchor Access is the most important online tool you will use at LSSU. Access to Registration, financial aid, tuition & billing information, all academic information, parking, employee information, addresses, etc.
Associate Degree: Awarded for a “two-year” program.
Bachelor Degree: or Baccalaureate — awarded for a “four-year” program.
Calendar: Important dates of the academic year.
Certificate: Normally requires one year of study.
College: Academic unit administered by a dean, comprising two or more departments or schools.
Corequisite: Course you must take during the same semester as another course.
Cognate: A specified course, generally in field other than your major, which you must take for your program.
Courses: Descriptions in this catalog generally show a course number, followed by the course name, and the number of academic credits shown at the right of the column.
ENGL110 First-Year
Composition I.....................3
Credit: See academic credit.
Curriculum: (major, program) Courses required for specific degree or certificate.
Departments: Academic units, each administered by a “chair” or “dean” and offering courses in one or more related disciplines.
Discipline: Group of related courses, such as mathematics.
Elective: Course distinguished from required course, selected it from a number of specified courses.
Field Placement: See practicum.
Financial Aid: Includes grants, loans, scholarships or work-study.
Full-Time Student: Enrollment of 12 or more credits in a semester (nine credits for graduate students).
General Education Core Requirements: Courses you must take in addition to your major to earn a bachelor’s (or an associate’s degree in liberal arts). Provides a broadly based education.
GED Examinations: (General Education Development examination): A test for students who did not finish high school. Can be used in place of high school graduation.
If you didn’t finish high school, but believe you learned enough in other ways to qualify for university, this is the test for you.
Grade Point Average (GPA): Number of points divided by the hours of credit attempted. It calculates your average grade for all classes. Cumulative grade point average is the average for all your classes numbered 100 and above.
Internship: (practicum, field placement or clinical): working in a ‘real life’ setting for academic credit.
Major (curriculum): A concentration of courses in your specific area of study.
Minor: A lesser concentration (20 credits or more).
My.LSSU: Web portal to Anchor Access, your email service, school announcements, etc.
Part-Time Student: Enrollment of fewer than 12 credits in a semester (fewer than nine for graduate students).
Practicum: Another word for internship.
Prerequisite: Certain courses you must successfully complete before enrolling in a specific course. You must satisfy prerequisites, and other stated conditions, before enrolling in a course, or have permission from an instructor to waive the prerequisites. It is your responsibility to be certain you have the approved prerequisites.
Program (also curriculum): A group of courses you must take in order to earn a degree or certificate.
Registration: Each semester you register for specific courses for the next semester, pay tuition, etc.
Required Courses: You must take these to earn your degree. Failed courses must be repeated.
School: See Departments.
Semester: Sometimes called "term": See academic year.
Term: Sometimes called "semester": See academic year.
Transcript: Official record of your coursework maintained by the LSSU Registrar’s Office.
Transcript, Official: Mailed directly from principal’s or registrar’s office of issuing institution to LSSU Registrar’s Office. It must bear the seal of the institution and signature or stamp of school official.
Withdrawal: Procedure when you drop a course or from school.
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