College Speak:
A Quick Guide to Academic Words and Phrases*
Cumulative GPA- The total GPA to date based on all courses taken.
Dean’s List- Each undergraduate student who completes a minimum of 12 hours of courses taken
on a letter-grade basis during the fall or spring semester and e arns a grade-point average of at
least 3.50 is eligible for the Dean’s List.
Freshmen- Students who have earned less than 24 semester hours of credit.
Full-time student- A student taking at least 12 semester hours.
Grade Point Average (GPA)- This is also known in some schools as the Grade Point Ratio
(GPR). The GPA is a numerical representation of the academic progress being made by the
student. A 4.0 is a perfect GPA. The GPA is calculated by dividing quality points earned by the
number of hours taken on a letter-grade basis. GPA is calculated for individual semesters and a
cumulative GPA is calculated for all coursework combined.
Hour(s)- An hour in college is not quite the 60 minutes to which one is accustomed. An hour in
college is usually defined as 50 minutes of class time. For example, a three-hour course will
usually meet for 150 minutes every week. It may be divided in a number of ways: (a) 3 classes
of 50 minutes each, (b) 2 classes of 75 minutes each, or 1 class of 150 minutes. Most colleges
require at least 122 hours for graduation. This will vary with the school and the major. There is
also the unique situation with many laboratory courses. Many of these—whether science,
architecture, or other subject areas—give only one hour credit for 2 or 3 hours in class. The
number of earned hours determines the student’s classification. See Probation.
Juniors- Students who have earned at least 54 but fewer than 87 semester hours of credit.
Major- A student’s chief course of study; involves taking a number of specialized courses
Minor- A student’s secondary course of study; involves fewer specialized courses than a major.
Part-time student- A student taking less than 12 semester hours.
Probation (Academic)- The status a student receives if his GPA falls below the minimum
required for the classification. Students may continue enrollment on academic probation.
Freshman (0-23 earned hours)- minimum cumulative GPA is 1.5; Sophomore (24-53 earned
hours)- minimum cumulative GPA is 1.75; Junior (54-86 earned hours)- minimum cumulative
GPA is 1.9; Senior (87 or more earned hours)- minimum cumulative GPA is 2.0. Many colleges
have a minimum GPA before you are allowed to begin your major course of study.
Quality Points- Semester hours earned times the value of the letter grade.
Sophomores- Students who have earned at least 24 but fewer than 54 semester hours of credit.
Seniors- Students who have earned at least 87 semester hours of credit.
*Exact definitions of these terms and phrases can differ from college to college. The Undergraduate Catalog at each
school will have the definitions that apply to their students.
PROTEAM DREAMQUEST CURRICULUM
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