Students - Delta College

Definitions of College Terms
Don’t get lost in College jargon. Understand these terms, which generally
are common to all colleges, and your academic life will be easier.
Academic Year: September through the following August. Includes
the Fall Semester, Winter Semester, Spring Semester, and Summer
Session.
Academic Credits: See Credits.
Accredited: Certified by a specific state, regional, or national organization
as meeting standards of quality in instruction, staffing, facilities,
finances, and policies.
Add: Changing your schedule by adding a course after your initial
registration.
Admission: Being accepted by Delta so you can register for courses.
Assessment: Basic skills tests in English, reading, and math to assist you
in selecting courses at the appropriate level. Generally, assessment is
required for new students.
Associate Degree: Degree (diploma) granted after successful completion
of a program of study which has a minimum of 62 credits.
Audit: Registering for and attending a course, but receiving no grade
or credits. Regular tuition and fees must be paid. Audits do not count
toward completion of a program or graduation.
Caution: A warning status due to low grades.
Centers: See maps, page 222.
Certificate: Document granted upon successful completion of a program
of study which has less than 62 credits.
Concurrent Course: Often referred to as Corequisite. A course that
must be taken during the same semester as another course is taken.
Concurrent courses are listed at the beginning of the course description.
See Section VI for Academic Course Descriptions.
Contact Hours: The total hours of lecture and laboratory instruction
required for each course.
Corequisite: See Concurrent Course.
Course: A single subject, such as ENG 111, taken for one semester.
Credits: Also referred to as Academic Credits, Credit Hours, and
Semester Hours. Each course is assigned a number of credits which
generally indicates the number of hours per week the class meets; i.e.,
a three credit course generally meets three hours each week. Courses
with labs and occupational courses, however, generally meet more hours
than the number of credits they carry. Tuition and fees are ordinarily
charged by credit.
Curriculum: See Program of Study.
Drop: Changing your schedule by dropping a course after your initial
registration.
Dual Degree: An Associate degree that is earned by completing two
specified curricula concurrently. Approved curricula combinations are
listed in Section III, Programs, Dual Degrees.
Elective: A course you may elect (choose) to take as opposed to a course
you are required to take.
Fees: Special charges for courses or services other than tuition.
Financial Aid: Money received from various sources (grants, loans,
scholarships, jobs) to help students with college costs. Most, but not
all, forms of aid are based on financial need.
Financial Aid Transcript: A document you are required by federal
regulations to have every other college you attended send to the Delta
College Financial Aid Office, which lists any federal aid you may have
received or states that you received no aid. Required of financial aid
recipients before aid can be awarded.
Freshman: Academic student who has earned 29 or fewer credits.
Full-Time Student: Enrolled in 12 or more credits in a semester.
G.E.D. (General Educational Development): A high school equivalency
certificate for adults who did not receive the traditional high school
diploma. It is earned by passing the national G.E.D. exam, which may
be taken through Delta Assessment/Testing Services Office.
General Education: A group of courses in the areas of social science,
natural/physical science, communication, and humanities which provide
a common and broadly-based body of knowledge.
GPA (Grade Point Average): The GPA is determined by dividing the
grade points earned (see definition of grade points) by the number of
credits attempted, excluding courses in which you received final grades
of “P,” “I,” “X,” “WP,” “WE,” “WI,” “W,” or “NC.” The semester GPA
includes grades in each semester; the cumulative GPA includes grades
from all semesters at Delta.
Delta College 2009-2010
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