Glossary

Academic standing:	A student’s official status of enrolment at the university as evaluated at the end of each semester; used to assess whether students are meeting the standards prescribed for continuing in the university and/or their programs.
Academic year:	The period from September 1 to August 31.
Appeal:	The request for review of a judgment regarding the application of regulations.
Award:	A general term used to mean any presentation, monetary or otherwise, made to a student.
Bursary:	A monetary award given to a student where the primary criterion is financial need.
Corequisite:	A course that must be taken concurrently with the course for which it is required.
Course:	A unit of work in a particular subject normally extending through one semester or session, the completion of which carries credit toward the requirements of a degree.
Cotutelle:	A bilateral doctoral enrolment/co-enrolment and exchange agreement between two universities (home institution and partnership institution) in different countries. Home institution refers to the university in which the graduate student is enrolled. Partnership institution refers to the university in which the graduate student will work to gain international research experience.
Credit hour:	The measure used to reflect the relative weight of a given course toward the fulfilment of degree requirements. Unless otherwise indicated, a course normally has a credit hour value of three.
Credit restriction:	Where two or more courses are closely related, credit may be limited to one of the courses.
Cross-listed course:	A course that is listed under two or more faculties and can be taken for credit from one faculty only.
Doctoral degree:	An advanced degree in a specific area of disciplinary or interdisciplinary study that includes course work and a candidacy exam and normally completed after receiving a master’s degree in a related subject area. Some doctoral programs may include a practicum or internship requirement. A doctoral degree requires intensive research and the creation and defence, before an examining committee, of a thesis that constitutes an original contribution to a field of study.
Field:	An area of study within a graduate program related to its demonstrable and collective strengths. A field appears on the academic transcript, but does not appear on the degree parchment.
Final examination:	Final examinations as referenced in the Graduate Academic Calendar and Course Catalogue should be interpreted in the ordinary sense of the word; usually covering all, or a very substantial portion of the material dealt within one academic term.
GPA:	The abbreviation for grade point average. A semester GPA is the weighted average of the grade points awarded on the basis of academic performance during a single semester. A cumulative grade point average (CGPA or cumulative GPA) is the weighted average of the grade points awarded in all courses completed and included.
Graduate diploma:	A prescribed set of degree credit courses and/or other forms of study that can be undertaken as a stand-alone program or to complement a graduate degree program, and to provide specialization, sub-specialization or inter- or multi-disciplinary qualification. A graduate diploma is comprised of at least 12 credit hours of graduate-level study.
	Graduate diplomas are classified as concurrent graduate diplomas (Type 2) and direct-entry (Type 3) graduate diplomas, consistent with the requirements as set out by the Council of Ontario Universities:
	A concurrent graduate diploma is offered in conjunction with a specified master’s or doctoral degree, the admission to which requires the candidate be already admitted to the master’s or doctoral degree. It requires advanced-level, usually interdisciplinary, study, at least 50 per cent of which is in addition to the general requirements for the degree.
	A direct‐entry graduate diploma is a stand-alone, direct-entry program, developed by a unit already offering a related master’s (and sometimes doctoral) degree, and designed to meet the needs of a particular clientele or market. UOIT Type 3 graduate diplomas may include non-degree credit courses to a maximum of 30 per cent of the total program credit hours.
Master’s degree:	An advanced degree normally completed after receiving a first degree in a related subject area. It contains a prescribed set of courses, and/or other units of study, research or practice within an area of disciplinary or interdisciplinary study, normally requiring at least 30 credit hours of study.
	Master’s degrees may comprise a thesis component, a project or major paper, or be primarily comprised of coursework:
	A master’s degree with thesis is a research-oriented program comprised of advanced courses and intensive research culminating in a thesis. The thesis constitutes at least nine credit hours and involves an oral examination with assessment by an external examiner.
	A master’s degree with a project or major paper is a research-oriented program comprised of advanced courses and intensive research culminating in a project or major paper. The project or major paper constitutes at least six credit hours of supervised research and assessment by a research supervisor and a second reader.
	A master’s degree by coursework primarily comprises course work, and may also include other units of study, research and practice.
Prerequisite:	A course that must be successfully completed prior to commencing a second course for which it is required.
Program:	A complete set and sequence of courses, combination of courses, and/or other units of study, research and practice, the successful completion of which qualifies the candidate for a formal credential, provided all other academic and financial requirements are met.
Registration:	The process of selecting, enrolling in, and being assessed fees for courses.
Registration period:	In a semester, the period extending from the first day of registration to the tenth lecture day, as stated in the academic schedule. In a session, it is the period extending from the first day of registration to the fifth lecture day.
Scholarship:	A monetary award to a student based primarily on academic merit, although other criteria may be considered based on donors’ requirements.
Semester:	Sixty days of lectures and an examination period.
Session:	A period of approximately six consecutive weeks in the summer semester consisting of 30 days of lectures. The first half of summer semester is designated as spring session; the second half is designated as summer session.
Special student:	A student who has applied and been accepted to take graduate-level courses without seeking a degree. Special students register formally in courses, with the consent of the instructor; such students submit assignments, write examinations, receive grades and may request an official transcript. Such students are charged full course fees.
Transcript:	The complete report of a student’s academic record.
Transfer credit:	Academic credit granted for work completed at an institution other than UOIT.
Visiting student:	A student admitted to another post-secondary institution, attending UOIT on a letter of permission.
Waiver:	Permission granted by the appropriate authority for exemption from a particular program requirement and/or a particular university regulation.