Department of General Education

BUS Business Administration
CIS Computer Science
HIS History
MAT Mathematics
COM Communications
ENG English
PSY Psychology
SOC Sociology

Definitions of Terms Used in Describing the Academic Program

Credit Hour – All scholastic work is measured according to the semester credit hour. This is the equivalent of one class of 180 minutes per week (plus preparation) or two laboratory hours per week (plus preparation) for 16 weeks.

Curriculum – The pattern of course leading to a specific educational objective. These are required sequential offerings which meet an educational objective.

Electives – Courses which may be chosen voluntarily by a student to contribute to a balanced program of education within his or her chosen curriculum or area of emphasis.

Grade-Point Average (GPA) – The GPA is the average determined by dividing a student’s total quality point by the total number of semester hours of credit that he/she has attempted. Quality points for one course are computed by multiplying the number of credit hours for a course by the student’s grade as measured on a four-point scale. The total quality points earned by a student is computed by adding together the quality points in each of the courses attempted.

Prerequisite – A course which must be completed prior to admission into another course.

Student Classification – Division of students into classes based on the number of credit hours completed.

Transfer of Credit – Applying credit hours earned at one educational institution to the completion of an academic program at another institution. The rule which applies to most transfers is that the grade earned in a transferred course must be a “C” or above, and the course must be similar to a course offered in the college to which the transfer is made.