This page provides a list of commonly used academic terms found in this calendar. The definitions provided are intended to help readers understand the outlines of academic regulations and programs that follow.
Academic Session - The school year from September until April.
Audit - A student may, with the instructor's permission, attend classes in a given course without receiving credit. These audited courses will not be considered as meeting pre- or corequisites for any course or program at The King's University.
Baccalaureate - The degree of bachelor granted by universities and colleges.
Bachelor - A degree granted by a university.
Bursary - A non-repayable fund, issued based on individual financial need and satisfactory academic status.
Cognate - Courses in another discipline required for a certain concentration or major; but which are not part of the major/concentration discipline.
Concentration - A specific area of study in a three-year degree program or as part of an environmental studies program
Corequisite - A course which must be taken prior to or in the same term as a given course.
Credit - The weight value assigned to a course.
Cross-listed Course - A course listed for credit under more than one discipline. The course may only be taken once for credit, regardless of the disciplinary designation.
Cumulative Grade Point Average - An average calculated by dividing the total number of grade points obtained (credits x grade points) by the number of credits attempted during the student's entire academic history at an institution. For repeated courses only the credits and grade points of the highest grade are used.
Directed Reading - Courses numbered 499 in areas of study within a certain discipline not covered in a specific course. Students desiring to do a directed reading course should contact the faculty member with whom they wish to study.
Discipline - A subject area or branch of knowledge.
Drop - A student may, prior to the specified deadline, drop a course. Dropped courses do not appear on a student's transcript.
Elective - A credit course which does not meet any specific program requirements.
ELAT - English Language Admissions Test, one way of meeting the admission requirement for those applicants whose native language is not English.
Faculty - The academic teaching staff of a university.
Final Admission - Admission based on final results.
Full-time Student - A student enrolled in 9 credits or more per term.
Grade Point Average (GPA) - An average calculated by dividing the total number of grade points obtained (credits x grade points) by the number of credits.
Grant - A non-repayable (government) fund, distributed based on financial need. You must apply for a grant.
Initial Admission - Admission based on interim results.
Interdisciplinary Studies (INST) - Courses and conferences that explore how all of the natural and cultural dimensions of creation fit together as a whole.
Loan - A repayable fund distributed based on financial need. Loans are interest bearing and depending on the type of loan (government or bank), interest payments may be required during the academic study period. Students who require loans must apply for them through the relevant government or bank procedures.
Major - A specific area of study in a four-year degree program.
Official Transcript - An official document that lists the entire academic record of a student at an educational institution. In order to be official, transcripts must be sent directly from the appropriate government department or institution maintaining their records.
Part-time Student - A student enrolled in fewer than 9 credits per term.
Prerequisite - One or more courses that must be completed before a student is eligible to register in a given course.
Probation - Status of a student with academic difficulties which allows the student to continue studies subject to meeting terms required for returning to satisfactory standing.
Registration - The process of choosing, enrolling in and paying fees for courses taken in a term.
Residency Requirement - The number of courses required at the home institution to receive a degree. Normally, a student in the B.A. or B.Sc. (3-year) program must complete at least 33 credits at The King's University. Normally, a student in a four-year program must spend at least two full years to complete that program. These two years consist of 60 credits in programs requiring a total of 120 credits, 63 credits in programs requiring 123 credits, and 72 credits in programs requiring 126 credits. A student in the B.Ed. program must normally take at least 51 credits at King's. Also, each student must normally take at least 18 credits of the last 30 credits in the program at King's.
Scholarship - A non-repayable fund, issued based on previous academic achievement.
Spring term - Two Spring terms are offered in May and June. Courses run 3 hours a day for 13 days not including a day for a final exam. Additional time is required for courses with a lab. Courses to be offered in the Spring terms are announced in late November for the current academic year. For a list of courses being offered please contact Admissions or Registration and Student Finance.
Term - The Academic Session is divided into two regular terms: the Fall term (September through December) and the Winter term (January through April).
Term Grade Point Average - An average calculated by dividing the total number of grade points obtained (credits x grade points) by the number of credits attempted during a term.
Transfer Credit - Credit granted toward a degree for work completed at another recognized institution.
Tuition - The price for courses.
Unclassified Student - A student who applies and presents the necessary prerequisites on an official transcript may be admitted as unclassified. An unclassified student may not take more than one course in a given term, has no ongoing status as a King's student, and is admitted subject to availability of open spaces in the classes applied for. Unclassified students must reapply for each term.
Visiting Student - Students who are enrolled in a program at another recognized post-secondary institution and who present a letter of permission to take courses specified in the letter. Visiting students must reapply for each term.
With Distinction - A designation awarded to any student completing an undergraduate degree with an overall Grade Point Average of at least 3.50 on the last 60 credits. Bachelor of Education (After Degree) students require a 3.70 to receive this designation.
Withdraw from a Course - A student may, prior to the specified deadline, withdraw from a course. These courses remain on a student's transcript with a grade of 'W'. There is no academic penalty for a grade of 'W' and it is not included in any GPA calculations.