Academic terminology

Academic Status. Determined by regulations governing good standing, warning, probation, and disqualification.

Academic Probation. Student cumulative University of Nevada, Reno GPA is below 2.0. Please see the Registration and Records section of this catalog for further information.

Admission. Formal application and acceptance as a regular student in a degree program. Students are admitted to degree programs for fall and spring semesters only.

Advisement. Advisement is designed to help you make the important academic decisions you face in your education. Advisement has a formal aspect in which you are required to consult with an advisor every semester to ensure you are on track. Advisement also has an informal aspect in which advisors are available year-round to help you in your academic planning.

Advisor, advisee. The advisor is the faculty member assigned by the university to assist each student in planning the proper academic program. The student is called the advisor's "advisee."

AR. Academic Renewal. See the "Records and Registration" chapter of this catalog.

ASUN. Associated Students of the University of Nevada.

Audit. To take a course without earning credit or a grade.

College/School. The largest academic units consisting of smaller academic units called departments or programs.

Core Curriculum. The core curriculum is the foundational education that students must fulfill as part of any undergraduate degree program at the University. Visit our Core Curriculum section for more information.

Corequisite. A course that must be taken simultaneously with another. Students should check the co- or prerequisites carefully before registering to be sure that they have been met. Many co, dual, or prerequisites are enforced within the registration system. Transfer courses with equivalent content are accepted in lieu of stated co, dual, or; however, students may be required to get a memo from the department to enroll if the transfer course was not identified as a direct equivalent in the transfer articulation process. The University, college and department reserve the right to administratively drop students from a course for which they do not meet the co, dual, or prerequisites.

Course Catalog. The course catalog contains the official degree descriptions and policies of the University.

Credit. Described in semester credit hours, a credit is defined as three hours of work per week for one semester. Usually this work is made up of one period in class plus two hours of preparation for lecture-seminar classes, or three hours of laboratory classes. In other words, this generally equates to one credit per hour spent in class per week.

Credit Load. The total credits for which a student is registered in any registration period.

Curriculum. A structured set of learning objectives.

Department. An academic unit of a college.

Dismissal. If a student remains of probation for three consecutive regular semesters, he or she is dismissed. Once dismissed, the student is not allowed University enrollment for a period of one year. See "Records and Registration" chapter of this catalog for further information.

Emphasis. Subdivisions of a major that contain a differing focus, but do not contain 18 credits of sufficiently different coursework (12 credits for graduate level programs). The emphasis name will not appear on transcripts.

Extracurricular. Those activities that are part of student life, but are not part of the regular course of study, such as debate, dramatics and athletics.

GPA. Grade-point average.

GSA. Graduate Student Association.

Good Standing. A 2.0 in any given semester as well as a cumulative 2.0 on all University work. Students must be in good academic standing to be eligible to receive financial aid.

Grade Points. Grades are evaluated in terms of quality points. For each credit of a letter grade completed, the following grade points are earned:

• A = 4 grade points
• A- = 3.7 grade points
• B+ = 3.3 grade points
• B = 3 grade points
• B- = 2.7 grade points
• C+ = 2.3 grade points
• C = 2 grade points
• C- = 1.7 grade points
• D+ = 1.3 grade points
• D = 1 grade point
• D- = 0.7 grade points
• F = 0 grade points

In order to graduate, undergraduate students must have an average of two grade points for each credit attempted for regular letter grade, and graduate students must have an average of three grade points for each credit attempted for letter grade, including all courses that are failed or repeated.

Graduate Special. A post-baccalaureate student not admitted to advanced degree study.

Graduate Standing. An advanced-degree-seeking student officially admitted to graduate study.

Graduate Study. Work beyond the bachelor's degree, usually toward a master's or doctoral degree.

Incomplete. The "I" symbol is a mark that is given when a student has been performing satisfactory work, but, for a reason beyond the student's control, has been unable to complete the required work for the course. Incomplete grades revert to grades of "F" if not made up within one regular semester.

International Student. An individual who is attending the University on a student visa.

Major. Primary subject or field of study.

Minor. Secondary subject or field of study.

MyNEVADA. MyNEVADA is the University's online portal for applicants, students, faculty and staff. MyNEVADA provides personalized, secure access to information and tools you need to handle your University business.

Nondegree Student. Special student status for undergraduate students not seeking a degree. Registration is limited to six undergraduate credits per semester. Nondegree students are not eligible to receive financial aid.

Non-resident Tuition. Non-resident students pay tuition in addition to per-credit registration fees.

Not Reported. The symbol "NR" is assigned when an instructor does not indicate a grade for a student in a course. "NR" must be resolved by the end of the next regular semester or it will revert to an "F."

Prerequisite. A course that must have been successfully completed prior to another course. Course prerequisites are designed to ensure appropriate course sequencing and/or to provide students the necessary background in the course.

Students should check the co- or prerequisites carefully before registering to be sure that they have been met. Published co- or prerequisites are enforced within the registration system for all undergraduate courses. Transfer courses with equivalent content are accepted in lieu of stated co- or prerequisites; however, students may be required to get a memo from the department to enroll if the transfer course was not identified as a direct equivalent in the transfer articulation process. The University, college, and department reserve the right to administratively drop students from a course for which they do not meet the co, dual, or prerequisites.

Recommended Preparation. Denotes that the instructor will assume that students know material covered in the course(s) listed. Students who register for a course without the recommended background may experience difficulties and are encouraged to consult with the instructor prior to registration.

Registration. Enrolling in classes.

Registration Fees. All students pay per-credit registration fees.

Regular Student. A degree-seeking student who is officially admitted to the University.

Required Subjects. Those subjects that are prescribed for the completion of a particular program. The student, after consulting the appropriate advisor, may choose elective subjects; the required subjects are determined by the college.

Resident Alien. A student attending the university as a permanent immigrant who has not attained U.S. citizenship.

Resident Credit. Credit which is earned for regular classes conducted on campus, as well as correspondence courses, continuing education classes, and other distance education courses offered through the University of Nevada, Reno.

Schedule, Class. The semester list of courses offered, including the names of the teachers, the days, hours and locations of classes.

Schedule, Student. A listing of the courses that the student takes each semester.

Semester. 75 instructional days.

Special Fees. Additional fees required such as lab fees.

Specialization. Those subdivisions of a major that meet the requirement of 18 credits (12 credits for graduate degrees) of sufficiently different coursework from the other subdivisions. The specialization name will appear on transcripts.

Suspension (Disciplinary). The involuntary separation of a student from the university for unsatisfactory conduct.

Transcript. A certified copy of the student's permanent academic record on file in the Office of Admissions and Records. The transcript lists each course that the student has taken and the final grade received.

Undergraduate. A student who has not yet obtained a bachelor's degree.

Withdrawal. The act of officially leaving the university. Students may also drop individual courses without withdrawing from the University. Consult the schedule of classes for specific dates in which the dropping of classes is allowed. Students who drop classes between the seventh day of classes and the end of the eighth week of classes receive grades of "W" on their transcripts. Complete withdrawal from the University results in "W" grades if the student is passing classes at the time of complete withdrawal.