Glossary: A-B
Accredited
to recognize (an institution of learning) as maintaining those standards requisite for its graduates to gain admission to other reputable institutions of higher learning or to achieve credentials for professional practice.
Academic advisor
the person who is available in an advising office or who has been assigned to answer your questions, assist in course selection, and help with other academic matters. The advisor may be a professional staff member or a faculty member.
Academic Year
the time during which classes are taught. In most Canadian universities, the university year usually starts in September and ends in May. It is normally divided into three terms or two semesters and concludes with a long vacation.
Admission
entry to a particular program or institution that is formally granted by the institution after a student meets set requirements.
Admission requirements
a set of rules established by each university / college for a student to be accepted.
Aegrotat
a student may receive course credit based on satisfactory term marks but has been unable to complete all course requirements due to demonstrated
exceptional circumstances, e.g. illness, death in the family, etc.
Affiliate
a related organization which is a legally separate entity, controlled by
separate boards of directors and not financially accountable to the University.
Alma mater
a school you graduated from, latin for “Nourishing Mother”.
Alumni
graduates or former students of a school, college or university.
Applied Degree
a degree in an applied subject such as accounting, interior design or forest technology.
Apprenticeship
a system of training regulated by law or custom which combines on-the-job training and work experience while in paid employment with formal off-the-job training.
Aptitude test
standardized tests measuring intellectual capabilities and characteristics.
Articulation
the process used by post-secondary institutions to determine which courses are equivalent to one another. Articulation is normally a course-to-course analysis or comparison, but it can also involve whole programs.
Assessment
a process by which either your need or your ability is determined.
Audit
formal examination of an organization’s or individual’s accounts or
financial situation.
Award
gifts of money to a student for use towards their educational costs.
Baccalaureate
a bachelor’s degree, awarded in recognition of completion of an undergraduate program of post-secondary studies.
Bachelor’s degree
earned upon completion of an undergraduate program, typically four years, at a college or university.
Bank Loan
a medium-term form of finance obtained from a commercial bank or other similar financial institution. The loan may be secured on the entity’s assets and the interest charged may be variable.
BCCAT
the British Columbia Council on Admissions and Transfer, who is responsible for the management of BC Transfer Guide and Education Planner.
Block transfer
the process whereby a block of credits is granted to students who have successfully completed a cluster of courses, certificate or diploma, recognized as having an academic wholeness or integrity, and related in a meaningful way to part of the degree program.
Bursary
a non-repayable monetary grant based on financial need.
Burnout
an extreme emotional state characterized by emotional exhaustion, a
diminished sense of personal accomplishment, and cynicism.