Terms & Definitions
Alumni – Individuals who have attended or graduated from Greenville University (or formerly Greenville College).
Audit – Grading option that allows completion of a course without receiving credit or a grade. Audited courses cannot be used to fulfill a degree requirement.
Board of Trustees – Governing body of Greenville University.
Catalog – College document that lists academic regulations, programs, and course offerings for a particular academic period.
Classification – Designation given to students based upon the number of credits earned.
- Freshmen – 0 to 29.5 credits
- Sophomore – 30 to 59.5 credits
- Junior – 60 to 92.5 credits
- Senior – 93 or more credits
- Graduate – Any student in a master’s level program
- Unclassified – Any student enrolled in classes but not pursuing a degree
Course Schedule – Listing of current courses available for a specific semester.
College Level Examination Program (CLEP) – Program that allows students to receive credit by examination instead of course enrollment.
Commencement – Ceremony held at the end of the spring semester to recognize both graduates and candidates for graduation. Participation in commencement does not guarantee graduation.
Credit Hour – Standard unit of measuring coursework.
Cross-Listed Courses – Two different courses that, while are not identical, are similar enough that students can only receive credit toward graduation for one.
Dean – The highest administrative officer of a college.
Declaring a Major/Minor – Indication from student that s/he wishes to pursue a particular major and/or minor.
Degree – Greenville University awards three undergraduate degrees (Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music Education, and Bachelor of Science) and two graduate degrees (Master of Arts and Master of Science). Each degree has different requirements that must be completed.
Degree Audit – Advising tool designed to assist in tracking a student’s progress towards completing general education, major, and minor (if applicable) requirements.
Department Chair – Faculty member responsible for a department within a School.
Diploma – Document provided by the college certifying that the student has earned a degree.
Drop – When a student is released from a course at the very beginning of a term (restrictions apply). Dropped courses do not appear on the transcript.
Dual Enrollment – A high school student who is receiving high school credit while also being enrolled in a college level course.
Enrollment Status – Term used for reporting a student’s academic load to external agencies.
Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) – A federal law pertaining to the privacy of a student’s educational records, and who has rights to view them.
First-Time Student – Students who have graduated high school with in the last eight months and have not been enrolled in another institution of higher education since graduation.
General Education – Group of foundation courses required of undergraduate students regardless of the student’s major.
Grade Point Average (GPA) – Calculation derived from the division of grade points earned by the number of credits attempted.
Graduation Application – Form completed by students who believe they are eligible to graduate. This form triggers a review of the student’s academic record, inclusion of their name in the commencement program, and diploma ordering.
Graduation – The time when all requirements for a degree have been met. Graduation dates are the 31st of January, May, August, and December.
Incomplete Grade – Assigned when a student has not completed all work for a course and the instructor agrees to allow additional time for completion of the course.
Interterm – Three week period between the fall and spring semester (during the month of January) when a student can take and focus on one course.
Latin Honors – Honors awarded at graduation based on the student’s academic performance. All post-secondary education courses are included in the calculation not just Greenville College courses.
- cum laude – 3.5 GPA required
- magna cum laude – 3.85 GPA required
- summa cum laude – 3.95 GPA and completed honors thesis required
Major – Collection of courses and requirements, that is designated as the student’s primary area of study. Appears on the student’s transcript.
McAllaster Scholars – Designed to serve the needs of academically talented, high-achieving students accepted into the honors program.
Minor – A collection of courses indicating additional study in an area beyond the major. It is not as comprehensive as a major, and also appears on the student’s transcript.
my.Greenville – Online resource for students to access their academic and financial information.
Pass/Fail – Grading option that does not affect a student’s GPA.
Prerequisite – Specific requirement(s) that must be completed prior to enrolling in a given class or program.
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) – Minimum standard of academic achievement that students must maintain in order to be in good standing. Students falling below the standard will be placed on academic warning or dismissed.
Semester – Instruction period offered each fall and spring that are 15 weeks in length.
Semester Honors – Recognition given to students for their academic achievement at the end of a semester.
- Dean’s List – 3.5 semester GPA for students with 29.5 or less credits earned; 3.7 semester GPA for students with 30 or more credits earned.
- College Scholar – students who have received Dean’s List recognition three consecutive semesters.
Syllabus – Document describing the objectives, outcomes, assessment activities, and structure of a course; syllabi are made available to students during the first week of class.
Transcript – Serves as the student’s official academic record and the college’s official record of credit and degrees awarded, including courses taken by a student and the grades received in each course. Degree, major, minor (if applicable), graduation date, academic dismissal, and graduation honors also appear on the transcript.
Transfer Student – Student who attended another institution of higher education between high school graduation and enrollment at Greenville University.
Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) – Individual responsible for the academic programs of the College. School Deans, Faculty, Librarians, Coaches, and academic administrative offices report to the VPAA.
Warning – Status that indicates unsatisfactory academic progress. Students may be subject to academic load limitations and/or other restrictions.
Withdrawal – When a student is released from a course during a specific time period of a term. Withdrawn courses appear on the transcript with a grade of W that does not affect the GPA.
