Academic Calendar--The official listing of important dates relative to semester/term start and end dates, deadlines and holidays.

Academic Load--The total number of semester hours for which a student is registered in one semester or summer term.

Academic Record--A history of all of the courses and other equivalent activities a student has taken and the grades he or she has received. See also "Transcript."

Academic Year--The period composed of fall and spring semesters.

Accreditation--The process of evaluating the academic qualifications or standards of an institution or program of study in accordance with pre-established criteria. Such accreditation is provided by one of the regional accrediting commissions of the various associations of schools and colleges for the institution or by an appropriate national association for a specific area. Most areas of study do not have accrediting agencies.

Advanced Placement--Approved admittance into a course beyond entry level as a result of demonstrated subject proficiency.

Advanced Standing--A procedure by which a student not formally enrolled in a course may receive credit for the course by passing a departmentally-administered test on the subject.

Adviser--A member of the University faculty or staff charged with the responsibility of interpreting academic requirements, developing course schedules, providing personal, academic, or career information, and monitoring adjustment to college and
academic progress.

Approved Elective--Course selected by the student and approved by his or her dean or designated adviser for the student's degree program; frequently from a restricted list of options.

Area of Concentration--The primary content areas of study in the Bachelor of General Studies degree program, not a major.

Articulation Agreement--Document that identifies courses that should be taken at one institution for degree completion at another institution.

Audit--To enroll in a course without the intention of receiving academic credit.

Auditor--A student who is officially enrolled in one or more courses for no credits.

Bulletin--A publication coordinated by Office of Admissions and Records that includes a list of courses and sections for a specific semester/term, information about registration, the final examination schedule, and the academic calendar.

Class Schedule--See "Bulletin."

Classification--A means of identifying the student by year of study and by course load. See "Freshman," "Sophomore,"
"Junior," "Senior," "Graduate Student," "Full-time Student," "Part-time Student," "Auditor."

College--At LSUS, one of four major academic divisions within the University that offer specialized curricula.

Core Requirements--See "GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS."

Corequisite--A course that must be taken during the same semester/term as another course.

Course--A prescribed unit of study or instruction (credit or non-credit) that is normally presented through a series of scheduled meetings of a class.

Course Load--The number of semester hours a student schedules in a given term.

Course Number--A three-digit system used to identify each course within an academic area. The first digit identifies the level of the course: 1 for freshman, 2 for sophomore, 3 for junior, 4 for senior, and those 5 and above for graduate-level courses. The last two digits are the unique identifiers for each course at the assigned level.

Credit--The unit of measure awarded for the successful completion of coursework. A minimum of 128 semester hours is required in each bachelor's degree curriculum.

Credit hours--The quantitative measure given to a course as stated in semester hours. See "Semester Hour."

Cumulative Grade Point Average--A student's grade point average for all college work based on the total number of quality points earned and the total number of semester hours attempted. See "Grade Point Average."

Curriculum--A program of courses comprising the formal requirements for a degree in a particular field of study.

Curriculum Sheet--A check sheet used by advisers to track the student's progress toward completion of a degree program.

Degree Plan--An evaluation, usually made no later than the beginning of the junior year by the student and adviser, of academic work completed and courses required for graduation.

Department--An instructional division within a college, such as Department of English in the College of Liberal Arts.

Division of Continuing Education and Public Service--An administrative unit that offers noncredit courses on campus and throughout the Ark-La-Tex as well as arranges for off-campus credit courses.

Drop--Official withdrawal from a course while the student is still enrolled in other courses. A student's failure to attend class does not of itself constitute dropping that course.

Elective--Course chosen by the student, or by the student and designated adviser, as opposed to a required course. The term "elective," without a qualifier, will be understood to be a free elective, chosen by the student at his or her option from all the courses offered by the University for degree credit, with due regard for prerequisites.

Equivalent--When used in a course prerequisite, either credit in a comparable course or adequate preparation by other experience. Determination of equivalency is left to the discretion of individual departments.

Freshman--A student with fewer than 30 semester hours of credit earned.

Full-time Student--An undergraduate student enrolled for 12 or more hours of resident credit in a regular semester or 6 or more hours of resident credit in a summer term or a graduate student enrolled for 9 or more hours of resident credit in a regular semester or 6 or more hours of resident credit in a summer term.

General Education Requirements--Courses and other requirements which must be met by all candidates for any bachelor's degree.

Good Standing--A status assumed or stated that a student is eligible to continue at or return to an institution unless noted otherwise.

Grade Point Average (GPA)--A mathematical measurement of academic performance, computed by multiplying quality points by credit hours for courses in a semester, a major, or a total program; adding them; and dividing the sum by semester hours attempted.

Grade points--See "Quality Points."

Graduate Student--A student who has received a baccalaureate degree and has been officially admitted to graduate study.

Independent Study--A method of instruction in which studies by individual students are carried on with a minimum of external guidance.

Junior--A student with at least 60 semester hours of credit.

Lower Level--Freshman and sophomore level courses at LSUS that begin with a 1 or 2.

Major--Primary field of study. There is no "major" in the General Studies program. See "Area of Concentration."

Matriculation--The state of being registered for coursework.

Minor--The student's field of secondary academic emphasis.

No Preference--The state of being registered for credit and working toward a degree but undecided yet as to a major.

Part-time Student--An undergraduate student enrolled for fewer than 12 hours of resident credit in a regular semester or fewer than 6 hours of resident credit in a summer term or a graduate student enrolled for fewer than 9 hours of resident credit in a regular semester or fewer than 6 hours of resident credit in a summer term.

Prerequisite--Requirement to be met before a certain course may be taken. May be in the form of specific coursework or approval of the department chair in instances where "consent of the department" is required.

Probation (academic or disciplinary)--A status assigned because of unsatisfactory grades or conduct.

Quality Point--Numerical value assigned to each letter grade when given as the final grade in a course, which provides a basis for determination of a grade point average. At LSUS "A" = 4, "B" = 3, "C" = 2, "D" = 1, and "F" = 0. In a 3-credit-hour course, a "B," or 3, is multiplied by 3; a "C," or 2, is multiplied by 3; etc.

Re-entry Student--An LSUS student who returns to take additional coursework, and who has remained out of school one or more semesters (fall and/or spring), and has not taken coursework at another college or university during the intervening periods of enrollment. For students who did take coursework elsewhere, see "Transfer Student."

Residency--(1) Source of courses studied: To earn an LSUS degree, a student must successfully complete a minimum number of the final hours of academic work through LSUS course offerings. (See "Semester Hour Requirements" for more information.) (2) Residency status: determined by location of a student's official domicile and other factors, is used as a basis for determining tuition charges.

Resignation--The official process by which a student withdraws from all courses during a university semester or summer term. The withdrawal is usually initiated by the student, but may be done in certain instances by university personnel. See also "Drop."

Registration--The process by which a duly admitted student, upon payment of required fees, is enrolled in classes.

Section--Specific designation (beyond the course number) of each course offering that distinguishes room location, meeting time, and instructor.

Selected Topics Course--A course whose subject matter may vary from semester to semester; it may include current or special topics. The instruction may be by seminar, lecture, or some other method.

Semester Hour--The unit by which coursework is measured. The number of semester hours assigned to a lecture course usually is determined by the number of hours the class meets per week.

Seminar--A method of instruction in which a group of students engaged in research or advanced study meets under the guidance of one or more faculty members of the University for presentation and discussion of approved topics.

Senior--A student with at least 92 semester hours of credit earned.

Sophomore--A student with at least 30 semester hours of credit earned.

Special Topics--A term describing possible subject matter in selected topics courses or in other course types.

Student number--A student's social security number is his or her permanent identification.

Student Schedule--The sections of courses in which a student is enrolled.

Suspension (academic or disciplinary)--A university-assigned status that prohibits students from registering for courses for a specified time period. See also "Probation."

Transcript--The continuous, formal, and official record of a student's academic work at a university. See also "Academic Record."

Transfer Student--A student who terminates enrollment in another college or university and subsequently enrolls in LSUS.

Trial Schedule--A form used to indicate a student's preliminary schedule that is developed as a result of a meeting between the student and his or her academic adviser.

Upper Level--Courses offered at the junior and senior levels designated by a course number beginning with a 3 or 4. Students who have not satisfactorily completed 60 hours are generally prohibited from enrolling in courses at this level.

Upper classman--Any undergraduate who is classified as a sophomore, junior, or senior.

Withdrawal--See "Resignation."