Academic Advisor - A faculty or staff member assigned to help students select courses and plan programs.

Academic Calendar - The two-year calendar beginning with the Fall semester and recording the important academic dates by semester; includes Fall, Spring, and Summer semester dates.

Academic Dishonesty - Behavior punishable by exclusion/expulsion under the rules of the Student Handbook; includes but is not limited to plagiarism, cheating, and computer crimes.

Academic Placement - Testing to determine beginning level courses in mathematics, English, reading, and ESL.

Academic Requirements - Specific combinations of academic courses required to complete a degree, career, certificate, or dual program.

Academic Support Services - Those services which enhance student learning; includes Academic Computer Laboratories and Classrooms, Learning Communities, Learning Resources, Instructional Support Services, and the HEDS 1011 course.

Academic Year - Starts at the beginning of the fall semester, ends at the close of the spring semester; does not include summer session.

Accreditation – To show official certification by an external academic organization that a college meets all requirements for academic achievement, curriculum, facilities, and educational integrity.

Advanced Placement - Eligibility to enroll in courses beyond the entry level through transfer credit or examination.

Alumnus/Alumma - Any student who has previously attended the college, whether or not he/she graduated is eligible to belong to the Alumni Association.

Associate Degree - A degree granted after completing at least two years of full-time academic study beyond the completion of high school and fulfillment of graduation requirements.

Auditing - Registering for and attending class(es) regularly without being held responsible for the work required for credit. (No credit hours earned and full tuition must be paid. The grade “V” appears on the record.)

Awards Package - The combination of grants, scholarships, and other monies or awards offered an entering student with his/her acceptance letter.

Baccalaureate Degree - A degree granted after completion of at least four years of full-time academic study beyond the completion of high school and fulfilment of graduation requirements.

Board of Regents - The 16-member governing body of the University System of Georgia.

Certificate and Career Programs - Programs which are intended to be terminal programs leading to job placement rather than to transfer to a senior institution.

Certificate of Immunization - Official state, county, or college form indicating that a student has received all the immunizations required by the Board of Regents; not needed by those students who ONLY take Distance Learning classes.

Classification - A term based on the number of credit hours earned to classify a student at the freshman or sophomore level.

Closed Course or Section - A course or section of a course which has reached maximum enrollment. Students may not enroll in closed courses or sections.

College Preparatory Courses - Those high school courses leading to a College Preparatory seal necessary for admission to a Board of Regents institution, as opposed to courses adequate for a technical or fine arts seal.

Commencement - Award ceremony honoring students who have fulfilled requirements for graduation.

Concurrent Enrollment - A condition of enrollment stated in a course prerequisite which allows a student to enroll in a course and its co-requisite at the same time.

Continuing Education Unit - Recognition for participation in a non-credit program or workshop.

Core Curriculum - Courses comprising the four major areas of humanities, sciences and mathematics, social sciences, and courses related to the major.

Co-requisite - A course that must be taken in conjunction with and at the same time as another course. Co-requisites are indicated in the course descriptions.

Counselor - A professional who helps students with academic advising, career information, and life-planning.

Course Description - An explanation of the content of a course. Descriptions for every credit course offered by the college appear alphabetically in the Course Description section of this catalog.

Course Number - A four-digit number that follows the course prefix.

Course Prefix - A four-letter code that identifies the discipline in which a course is taught, e.g., ENGL English, HIST History, EDUC Education.

Course Section Number - A three-digit number used in college class schedules that indicates the different days, times, locations, instructors, and starting dates that a course will be offered in a particular semester. Most courses have more than one section, but students may register for only one.

Credit by Examination - Credit granted upon successful completion of a standardized test such as the examinations offered by the College Level Examination Program (CLEP). (The grade “K” appears on the record.)

Credit Hour - A unit of academic credit measured in semester hours or quarter hours. One credit hour usually represents one hour of class time per week.

Credit Load - The total number of credits for which a student registers during a given semester.

Credit Overload - Registration for more than 18 credit hours in any one semester. Permission from the Academic Dean is required.

CRN - A five-digit number printed on the left of the course section line in the Schedule of Classes. The CRN is used in online registration.

Curriculum - All the courses of study offered by the college. May also refer to a particular course of study and the courses in that area.

Deadline - This is the date by which certain information must be received by any given office or unit. (Current deadline dates are printed in the catalog and course schedule.)

Dean’s List - A listing of students who have achieved a specified grade point average announced at the end of the semester.

Degree Requirement - A specifically identified course or examination that must be satisfied in order to become a candidate for a degree or certificate.

Distance Learning - A method of course delivery that allows Georgia Perimeter College students to participate in course work available via the Internet.

Diversity - The mix of students from various cultural, racial, ethnic, religious, age, gender, and social groups that make up the college student, faculty, and staff population.

Dual Enrollment Program - A program that makes available to qualified high school students Georgia Perimeter College courses for full academic credit.

Dual Programs - Programs which include courses from both Georgia Perimeter College and DeKalb Technical College.

Elective - An elective is a course selected from several. It implies options and choice; however, it should be stressed that Physical Education activity electives will not count as general academic electives.

Enrollment - A student who has registered for classes and paid all fees is considered to be enrolled.

Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) - Establishes what rights students have to their own records and to the confidentiality or sharing thereof.

Federal Work Study Program - Program designed to allow students to work twenty hours per week while enrolled in classes to provide funding for their studies.

Fees - The expenses payable by the student to the college in order to be officially enrolled. Examples of such fees include the application fee, matriculation fee, and student activity fees.

Financial Aid - Money received from various sources to help students with college costs.

Foundation - Body established to provide additional non-legislative funding for the college; also provides some scholarships for students and awards for students, faculty, and staff.

Full-Time Student - A student enrolled for a minimum of 12 credit hours each semester. The normal fulltime course load is 15 credit hours per semester.

GPA - The term means Grade Point Average; however, all GPAs are not the same. In fact, there are several different uses and methods for calculating GPAs. Below are listed some of the most common.

Transfer GPA - This refers to the average of all courses attempted at all other post-secondary institutions from which Georgia Perimeter College normally accepts credit.

Institutional GPA - This is the average of all grades for courses attempted at Georgia Perimeter College according to the policies in place when the course was initially attempted.

Overall GPA - This term means the combined average of the Transfer GPA (if applicable) and the Institutional GPA.

HOPE GPA - This is the average of all college-level work attempted after high school graduation, including any remedial work.

Georgia Residency Requirements - The requirements for identifying or establishing permanent residency in the state of Georgia for the assessment of matriculation fees.

Grade Point - The numerical value given to letter grades. An “A” is equivalent to 4 points per semester hour, a “B” to 3 points, a “C” to 2 points, a “D” to 1 point, and an “F” to 0 points.

Grant - Financial assistance awarded to students that does not have to be repaid, usually based on need.

Honors Program – An academic and student services program for eligible students in all programs of study, offering special sections of many courses that emphasize interdisciplinary investigation and independent research in small classes and seminars.

Hybrid Course - Course which is taught with a substantial portion (usually 50%) online and the remainder in a face-to-face classroom.

Incomplete - The grade “I” is sometimes granted when a student is temporarily unable to complete course requirements such as the last test or the final exam because of unusual circumstances. Learning Support students may not receive an “I” in any required Learning Support course.

Independent Study - A course of study undertaken by a student under the supervision of one or more faculty members outside the classroom.

International Student - Any student or applicant who was born and/or received a secondary or college/university education outside the United States.

Laboratory Section - Courses that include time in the laboratory have separate sections for lecture and lab. Lab sections are always identified with a course number and the letter “L”. Students must register for a lab section with the same number as the lecture section.

Learning Communities - Linked groups of courses, usually two or three, around a common theme or to enhance student retention and completion of Learning Support courses.

Learning Support Courses - Pre-collegiate courses intended to bring student’s knowledge of mathematics, reading, and English up to collegiate standards; placement determined by testing.

Loan - Financial assistance to students that must be repaid. Low interest loans are available, and financial need may or may not be a factor.

Major or Program of Study - A concentration of related courses generally consisting of 18 semester hours of credit.

Matriculation - The process of obtaining enrollment at the college.

Non-Attendance (No Show) - Report generated by each instructor indicating which students were not present at any time, online or face-to-face, during the first two weeks of each semester or half-semester (for half-semester courses).

Non-Traditional Student - Any student who has been out of high school for at least five years before entering college for the first time.

Official Copy - A document that is either a) original, b) a photocopy of the original made and stamped “saw original” by a member of the Georgia Perimeter College Enrollment and Registration Services or International Student Admissions staff, or c) a photocopy made and attested to by a notary public.

Orientation - Scheduled time for a student to become familiar with the college, its programs, policies, and expectations.

Part-Time Student - A student who takes fewer than 12 credit hours during a semester.

Placement Test - A test that measures a student’s aptitude in a particular subject and is used as a prerequisite for enrollment in some courses.

Portfolio - A collection of work (e.g., paintings, writings, etc.) that may be used to demonstrate competency in an academic area.

Post-secondary Education - Any education after completion of high school, GED, or equivalent home school program.

Prerequisite - A course requirement that must be met prior to enrollment. Students not meeting prerequisites may be dropped from class by the college.

Regents’ Test - A reading and writing test that must be successfully completed by most students enrolled within the University System of Georgia.

Registrar - Professional who is responsible for student records, transcripts, and registration procedures.

Registration - Process of selecting and enrolling in classes, including payment of fees.

Registration Hold - May be placed on a student’s registration as a result of academic exclusion, an unfulfilled obligation to the college, or a disciplinary action by the college.

Repatriation Insurance - Required for all International students.

Residence Requirement - The required number of credit hours of course work that must be completed at Georgia Perimeter College before a degree will be granted.

Satisfactory Academic Progress - Formula based on number of hours taken, number of hours completed, with consequences if not maintained.

Schedule Adjustment Period (Drop/Add) - Day or days at the beginning of a semester in which students can change classes without financial or academic consequences.

Semester Calendar System - A semester is a unit of time, 15 weeks long, in the academic calendar. A full academic year consists of two semesters.

Senior Citizen (Prime Timer) - Student over the age of 62, who can register for up to 12 hours of coursework prior to meeting general admission requirements; tuition fees are waived.

Semester Hour - A unit of academic credit.

Scholarship - Financial assistance to students awarded on the basis of academic achievement. Financial need may or may not be a factor.

Student Employment - Part-time jobs made available to students with financial need through federally funded programs (work-study) and to students without need through individual departments (regular student assistant program).

Student Life - Includes social rather than academic opportunities for students including participation in clubs and in Student Government Association.

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) - Test required of students whose first language is not English.

Transcript - An official record of all courses that a student has attempted, all college level credit hours earned, and all grades received at the college.

Transfer Student - Students who have previously been enrolled in an accredited college. All previous college attendance must be reported at the time of application.

Transient Student - Students currently enrolled at another college may apply for the privilege of temporary registration at Georgia Perimeter College. These students expect to return to their home institution and who have transient permission from those institutions to attend GPC.

Tuition - Amount of money charged for classes.