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Glossary of Useful Terms

This glossary provides definitions for terms you might encounter during your academic career. Many of the terms also include a hyperlink that will take you to another web page which provides further information about the topic. Terms which are hyperlinked are blue and underlined. Click on a hyperlinked term to find out more about that term.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Accredited A college or program which has been certified as fulfilling certain standards by a national and/or regional professional association. Students in California should inquire as to whether a school is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. (IVC is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.)

Add/Drop Formally enroll in (add) a class /remove yourself from (drop) a class after you have registered.

Application The process of submitting a request to be accepted as a student.

Articulation Formal agreements between colleges/universities regarding policies, course equivalencies, general education programs, etc.

Associate Degree An Associate in Arts or Associate in Sciences degree, awarded by a community college upon completion of a set program of study, usually done in two years (fulltime), though completion time may exceed two years.

Bachelor's degree A Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, or related degree, awarded upon completion of a program of study, usually done in four years (full-time).

California Community Colleges A system of higher education that includes 107 colleges and numerous branch campuses offering certificates, associate degrees, and preparation for transfer.

California State University A system of higher education that offers bachelor's and master's degrees. Listed below are the campuses:

Office of the Chancellor
Bakersfield
Chico
Dominguez Hills
CFresno
Fullerton
Hayward
Humboldt
Long Beach
Los Angeles
California Maritime Academy

Monterey Bay
Northridge
Cal Poly Pomona
Sacramento
San Bernardino
San Diego
San Francisco
San Jose
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
San Marcos
Sonoma
Stanislaus

Certificate Normally awarded upon completion of a concentrated occupational program. Certificates typically take a year's worth of course work.

Codes of Conduct A summary of IVC expectations of student behavior.

College Catalog Published once a year, the catalog describes college programs, services, degrees, graduation requirements, academic policies, and courses taught throughout the year.

Concentration An option or special emphasis within a degree program.

Concurrent Enrollment As a condition of enrollment, students must be enrolled in a target class and a companion class (corequisite) during the same semester (e.g., Computer Information Science 1 requires that you concurrently enroll in a CIS 50 Lab).

Corequisite Enrollment in a companion course is required. The information presented or the practice gained in the corequisite course is considered necessary for success in the target course.

Course Number The number or letter following a course title (i.e., Accounting 211A or History 32).

Credit/No Credit A policy of granting credit, but no grade, for satisfactory completion of a specific course. The Credit/No Credit policy at IVC is described in the college catalog.

CSU Certification A group, or "pattern," of courses that community college students may complete to fulfill lower-division general education requirements toward the bachelor's degree at any California State University campus.

Electives Courses that are not required but are taken by the student out of personal interest for unit credit.

Full-time Student A student who is enrolled in a minimum of twelve (12) units. Fifteen (15) units per semester will allow more rapid progress toward degree completion or transfer.

General Education The General Education Requirement is one of the requirements for a degree. It is a pattern of courses which all students are expected to complete regardless of their major to ensure that they have a broad, basic education.

IGETC A pattern of courses (Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum) that community college students may complete to fulfill lower-division general education requirements if they intend to transfer to the UC (University of California) or CSU (California State University) system.

Independent and/or Private Colleges and Universities Includes over 70 California independent colleges and universities offering various degrees, levels of academic rigor, educational environments, and majors.

Liberal Arts Programs/courses in the humanities, natural sciences and social sciences.

Lower Division Courses offered for freshman/sophomore-level credit. Also refers to students whose class level is freshman or sophomore.

Major The student's major field of interest and program of study which, when combined with other requirements, leads to a degree.

Matriculation The process of initially enrolling in college and participating in assessment, orientation and advisement.

Minor A secondary field of study outside of the major field. Minors are not required.

Occupational (Vocational) A program of study which focuses on job skills and includes course work only in the specific vocational area.

Part-Time Student A student who is enrolled in fewer than twelve (12) units a semester.

Prerequisite Ability, training, or experience that the student must have attained before enrolling in the target class. Indicates that mastery of a certain body of knowledge is necessary if students are to be successful in the target course (the course that has the prerequisite). Most commonly, such knowledge is measured by the successful completion of the prerequisite course listed in the class schedule. "Successful completion" of a prerequisite course is defined by a grade of "A," "B," "C," or "CR." Grades that are not acceptable are "D," "F," or "NCR."

Probation Whenever a student who is enrolled in at least twelve (12) units fails to complete at least half (50 percent) of all units in which he or she is enrolled, or his/her cumulative grade point average drops below 2.0, the student is placed on probation.

Quarter System Approximately ten weeks of instruction offered three times a year, during the fall, winter and spring. Some colleges also offer a summer quarter.

Registration The official process of selecting your specific courses and having your enrollment confirmed. The process must be repeated each semester/ summer session in which you wish to be enrolled.

Schedule of Classes A brochure published each term lisitng the courses offered, class times, instructors' names, room numbers and important dates to remember. Schedules are available on campus prior to registration.

Semester System Approximately fifteen to sixteen (15-16) weeks of instruction offered twice a year during the fall and spring.

Student Number A six-digit number assigned to you at the point of application that identifies you as an IVC student.

Summer Session Many collegesincluding IVCoffer four- to six-week summer sessions, as well as special workshops and institutes.

Transcripts The official college record of all courses attempted and completed.

Transfer Program A community college program which provides the first two years of transferable course work in preparation for the baccalaureate (bachelor's) degree.

Undergraduate Courses offered for freshman- through senior-level credit. Also refers to students who have not yet completed a bachelor's degree.

Unit A value that indicates the amount of credit given to a class. (It often reflects the weekly time interval required for class attendance.)

University of California A system of higher education that offers bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees. It includes the following undergraduate campuses:


Berkeley
Davis
Irvine
Los Angeles
Riverside
San Diego
San Francisco
Santa Barbara
Santa Cruz


Upper Division Courses offered for junior/senior-level credit. Also refers to students whose class level is junior or senior.

Waiting List A secondary enrollment list created when a class has reached its maximum enrollment during registration. During the first week of instruction, instructors will add students to their classes in the order in which students' names appear on the waiting list if and as seats become available. If you are on a waiting list for a class, you are not enrolled in the class until/unless you have formally added it.

Withdrawal The process by which a student officially drops a class or classes during a semester.

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