Glossary of Terms
AUDIT To audit a course means to enroll in a course without receiving credit for it. Requests to audit a class must be approved by the instructor and registered by the 10th day of the semester. Audits do NOT count toward determining full-time status.
CATALOG The official publication by the University that details courses, faculties, policies and program requirements (the official title is Iowa State University Bulletin). The Catalog is published every two years. The Catalog dictates the requirements students must complete to earn the degree they are seeking. Catalogs are in effect for six years from the time of publication; the 2001-2003 catalog will, for instance, expire at the end of the Summer Session 2007. “A student may choose to graduate under the catalog in effect at the time of graduation, or one of the two immediately preceding catalogs, provided it covers a period of his or her enrollment. Full requirements of the chosen catalog must be met, except that adjustments will be made in instances where courses are no longer available or where programs have been changed.”
CLASSIFICATION is based on the number of credits earned. Students classified as Freshmen have fewer than 30 credits; Sophomores between 30 and 59.5; Juniors between 60 and 89.5; Seniors have 90 or more credits.
CONTACT HOUR You may hear people refer to the number of “contact hours” they have in their schedules. This is done to distinguish between the number of credit hours one is taking and the number of hours one actually is in class each week. With lecture courses, the number is usually the same; in laboratory and recitation periods, there can be a difference. A student is expected to spend two hours outside of class in preparation for each hour spent in lecture.
CO-OP This is a shortened term for “Co-operative Education”. Co-ops are defined as full-time, paid, non-credit work experience during the academic year. Political Science offers Co-Op registration under the course numbers Pol S 298, 398 or 498, which reflect the classification of the student enrolled. By registering for a Co-op, students retain full-time status.
DEAD WEEK The last full week of classes before Final Exams. It is called “Dead Week” because campus organizations are asked to plan no activities during this time. In regard to classes, it is the same as any other week; professors are free to give assignments or examinations as they see fit.
DEAN’S LIST An honor given to those who have completed at least 12 graded credit hours with a term grade point average of 3.50 or better. Those honored will receive a letter of notification from the Dean’s Office and names may be published in local newspapers.
DESIGNATED REPEAT Students are permitted to retake courses in which they have earned unacceptable grades. The first 15 credits you retake are replaced in the cumulative GPA. These 15 credits are termed “Designated Repeats” and are specially coded (with a “#”) on the grade slip. There are some conditions under which you must fill out a form notifying the Registrar that a course is being taken as a Designated Repeat -- if more than three semesters has passed, if the course number or credit is different, etc. There are a few courses, such as the half-semester seminars in Political Science (Pol S 312-315), which can not be taken as Designated Repeats. Otherwise, the first 15 credits repeated automatically count as Designated Repeats and replace the prior grade, regardless of what the grades are. Both grades show on the transcript, but only the most recent is used to calculate the GPA.
DOUBLE MAJOR A double major is a program for a single degree in which all requirements for two or more majors have been met. This student must satisfy the requirement of both majors, including any supportive course work outside the chosen majors. One program is designated as the “primary major” and serves as the primary source of advice and services for the student. Courses used to complete a secondary major may be used, within limitations, to satisfy general education requirements.
DOUBLE DEGREE Students earning a double degree must satisfy the requirements for both degrees, and earn at least 30 credits beyond the minimum total credits needed for the degree requiring the greatest number of hours.
DROP/ADD Officially termed a “Schedule Change/Restriction Waiver Form, this form is used to make changes to a student’s schedule. The forms note course drops, adds, section changes, changes to Pass/Not Pass status, and credit changes. Each academic term is divided into three periods: see the descriptions of Periods I, II and III.
ELECTIVES Credits taken to fulfill the minimum credit requirement but not applied to other requirements. Minors and second majors require that a certain number of credits (9 for a minor; 15 for a major) not be used to fulfill any other graduation requirements.
FINALS WEEK The last week of the semester. During this week, classes meet for exams, final presentations, etc., according to a schedule published by the Registrar’s Office. Final exam schedules are published in the Daily, the Schedule of Classes, posted on bulletin boards throughout campus, and on the ISU Home page.
GRADE There are five “grades” given at Iowa State: A, B, C, D and F -- and the pluses and minuses associated with them. These are used to calculate grade point averages.
GRADE REPORT Every student receives a grade report at the end of the term, posted to the Access Plus system. Students wanting paper grade reports may request them at the Registrar’s Office. Grade reports provide information on both term and cumulative achievement.
INCOMPLETE An “Incomplete” is a mark that may be assigned when circumstances beyond the student’s control prevent completion of the course. A student must be passing the course at the time the “Incomplete” is requested. The student and instructor must complete and file an Incomplete contract, which states the reason the mark was given, the requirements for resolving it, and the date by which it must be resolved (not to exceed one calendar year). Incompletes not resolved within one calendar year will automatically be changed to “F’s”, whether or not that student is currently enrolled. For further information, consult the ISU Bulletin.
INTERNSHIP An internship is a for-credit, discipline-related work experience. Political Science majors may earn credit for approved internships once they have achieved junior classification and completed at least six credits in political science courses.
ISU HOURS This is a designation applied to all credits taken for a grade (A - F) at Iowa State University.
MARK A designation used to mark credit or courses not taken for a grade. These include test-out
credit (T), Pass/Not Pass credits (P/NP), satisfactory work in Satisfactory/Fail courses (S), Incomplete (I), Non-reported grades (N) and Drops (X).
MIDTERM reports on your course progress issued at the midpoint of the semester. Instructors notify students earning grades of “C-” or below. Midterm reports are sent to your in-session address; a copy is sent to your adviser.
MINOR An option within the degree program, which demonstrates that the student has actively and consciously engaged in the intellectual issues central to a chosen discipline. Minors at Iowa State require completion of from 15 - 21 credits. Minors must include a minimum of 6 credits taken at Iowa State, numbered 300 or above, with grades of “C” or better. Minors must also include at least 9 credits not used to meet any other department, college or university requirement -- save those for total and total 300-level credits. In many minor programs, specific course requirements exist. Descriptions of minors available can be found in the ISU Bulletin, with specific requirements either detailed in the “Undergraduate Study” section of each department listing or available from the offering department.
RAN Number The 4-digit Registration Access Number issued to you each semester which permits you to register under the Access Plus or Touchtone Registration System.
PASS/NOT PASS An option for taking elective courses on a non-graded basis. To take a course under the P/NP option, students must have earned at least 40 credits and not be on Temporary Enrollment. Refer to the ISU Bulletin for more information on the rules and restrictions of P/NP.
PERIOD I The first five days of classes each semester. Students may change add and/or drop courses from their schedules using the Drop/Add form, via Access Plus, and/or through the Touchtone Registration System. Drop/Add forms must be signed by the instructor if adding a course that is full or has enrollment restrictions. Drops made during Period I do not count toward the drop limit.
PERIOD II Day 6 through Week 10 (usually the Friday of the tenth week of classes; the actual date is published in the Schedule of Classes). During Period II, students may make schedule changes, but fees and limits apply.
PERIOD III Usually the Monday of Week 11 to the end of Dead Week. Schedule changes are approved only for circumstances considered by the College to be beyond the control of the student. Period 3 changes require signatures and statements by the Instructor, Adviser and College.
PROJECTED CLASSIFICATION is used to determine your Registration priority for the next term. Projected Classification is derived by adding the credits in which you are currently enrolled to those already earned.
QUALITY POINTS Each grade has an associated numerical value. Quality points are determined by multiplying the value of the grade by the number of credits attempted.
QUALITY POINT DEFICIENCY Students must have a GPA of at least 2.0 to graduate. Because this standard is expected, the minimum number of quality points needed to achieve this average is calculated for students who’s cumulative GPA falls below a 2.0 average. Quality Point Deficiencies are determined by multiplying the total ISU Hours by 2, and subtracting from this figure the total number of quality points earned (ISU Hrs * 2) - TQP = QPD. Quality Point Deficiencies are calculated on the cumulative record. The QPD is used to determine Temporary Enrollment and Academic Dismissal; see the ISU Bulletin for more information.
RESTRICTION WAIVER An option on the Drop/Add form. Some courses carry restrictions for enrollment: classification, instructor permission, etc. Restriction waivers must be processed through the Registrar’s Office, and can not be processed over the Touchtone Registration System.
SATISFACTORY/FAIL An option for evaluating performance in some classes, as determined by the offering department. “S” grades do not count in the GPA; “F” grades do. In our department, Pol S 101 and Pol S 499 (Internship) are offered on a Satisfactory/Fail basis.
SATISFACTORY COMPLETION In most cases, “satisfactory completion” means that you must pass the course. For some courses, however, higher standards apply. In courses used to meet the Political Science major requirements, students must earn grades of “C-” or better, and must earn an average GPA of 2.0 or higher within the 33 credits of the major. Political Science majors are also required to earn grades of “C+” or better in each of English 104 and 105.
TEMPORARY ENROLLMENT Students are placed on “TE” as a warning that their academic progress is not satisfactory and that they must improve their academic performance to avoid dismissal from the university. Students with fewer than 90 credits attempted or earned (whichever is greater) will be placed on TE at the end of any semester or summer term when their cumulative Quality Point Deficiency equals 10 or more quality points. Students with 90 or more credits attempted or earned will be placed on TE when they have any Quality Point Deficiency. See the ISU Bulletin.
TOTAL COLLEGE CREDITS EARNED An entry on the Grade Report showing all credits earned from any institution. In some cases, credits earned may not be applied toward those required for graduation.
WITHDRAWAL A process indicating that the student found it necessary to leave to the university before the end of a term. Students considering Withdrawal should consult with their academic advisers and follows the procedures outlined in the ISU Bulletin. Otherwise, student records may be adversely affected and reentry or transfer to another institution may be difficult. A request for withdrawal during Period 3 will not be approved except for circumstances considered being beyond the student’s control. Students on Temporary Enrollment who withdraw from the University during Period 3 will be academically dismissed, except under extenuating circumstances.