Glossary

Undergraduate Terms:

Antirequisite: A course which cannot be taken for credit before, after, or at the same time as the course which is listed.
   
Bachelor’s Degree: It is the first level of university degrees, for example, a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Business Administration or Bachelor of Science.  It is also referred to as an undergraduate degree.   

Breadth: A requirement in most programs, that students complete at least six credits in each of the areas of humanities, sciences and social sciences.
  
Corequisite: A course which is required to be taken concurrently with the course with which it is listed as Corequisite.   

Cross-Listed Courses: Courses which may be credited towards more than one discipline. (e.g. ENGL 2206)  

Cross-Coded Courses: Courses which may be listed under two different codes in two different disciplines.  The courses in the two disciplines will be Antirequisites for one another.  (e.g. ADMN 2606 and ECON 2126).

Credits: The academic weight assigned to a course.
  
Discipline: This refers to an area of study, or to the faculty who teach in that subject.   

Electives: Courses taken outside of the major requirements, chosen by the student, and used to fulfill their program requirements.   

General Degree: A general degree is normally a 3-year undergraduate degree.  Students who have completed the fourth year of an honours degree but have failed to achieve the required overall average may graduate with a 4-year general degree or have the option of taking (or retaking) additional courses in order to qualify for the honours degree.   
 
Graduate Degree: The level of university degree beyond the undergraduate degree. Graduate degrees include master (MA, MBA, MEd, MSc) and doctoral (PhD) level degrees.   

Honours Degree: An honours degree is a 4-year undergraduate degree.  In order to graduate with an honours degree, students must achieve the required overall average. 
  
Hours: The number of hours for a course, listed as the number of hours scheduled per week in the fall and/or winter terms.  Three credit courses require a minimum of 36 hours in total and six-credit courses require a minimum of 72 hours in total.   

Laboratory: The hours required in a course, typically in the sciences, for experimentation.  This experimentation is normally held in a smaller “laboratory” setting and led by a professor or laboratory instructor.   

Lecture: Typically the largest part of a course’s hours, usually led by a professor.   

Major: The student’s discipline(s) of specialization.  Specific courses are required to meet major (or program) requirements. 
 
Mastery Course: A course that is entirely graded on the basis of a student’s grasp of a skill or skills.  Students are graded on a pass/fail system and these courses are not counted when academic averages are computed for purposes of making academic standing decisions (e.g. CRJS 4346). 
  
Minor: A secondary level of specialization in a discipline, in addition to the major(s).  Specific courses may be required to meet minor requirements.   
Prerequisite: A course which is required to be successfully completed before the courses listed.  This course ensures that students have the required background to complete the listed course successfully.
  
Seminar: A course, or portion of a course, taught through small group discussion or instruction.    

Sequence: The minimum 18 credits required in each of two disciplines for a liberal degree program.   

Service-Learning: An opportunity provided in a number of courses where students volunteer a set number of hours over the semester at a not-for-profit organization chosen to complement the course.  Students use the skills and theory acquired in class, and apply that knowledge in a community-based setting.   

Studio: A studio session is a teaching period where students spend time in a learning environment that emphasizes student creative involvement with visual art media including, for instance, drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, and sculpting. 
 
Tutorial: The small group discussion portion of a larger class, which may be led by a professor or by a tutorial assistant.
  
Undergraduate Degree: It is the first level of university degree otherwise known as a Bachelor’s degree (BA, BBA, BEd, BSc). The next level of university degrees are the graduate degrees which include the Master (MA, MBA, MEd, MSc) and the Doctoral degrees (PhD). 
 
Upper Level Courses: Any level of course beyond the first year (1000) level    

Graduate Studies Terms:

Graduate Advisor/Chair: Each graduate program has a Graduate Advisor or Graduate Chair. The Graduate Program Advisors/Chairs are very important contacts for all graduate students and the main liaison between the graduate program and the SGS. Questions regarding a specific program should be directed to the Graduate Program Advisor or Chair.

Research Supervisor: For research-based programs, graduate students are assigned a Research Supervisor. Depending upon the program, the Supervisor may be assigned at the time of acceptance into the program, or within a specified period once the student has commenced her/his Program.
Supervisory Committee: For research-based programs, and depending upon the program, a Supervisory Committee normally consists of one to three other faculty members, aside from the Supervisor, who aids in the supervision and ultimately, the examination of the thesis research.

Time-to-Completion: The normal time allowed for completion of a graduate program. This period includes the Residency Period, plus time allowed for the completion of the thesis, MRP/Thesis or course work. Time-to-completion varies for each program.

Leave of Absences: An interruption in a student’s studies due to serious circumstances beyond the control of the student, such as medical reasons, maternity or paternity reasons. A leave of absence will not normally exceed three terms.

Extensions to Graduate Programs: The addition of a term beyond a student’s program of study. Extensions are at the expense of the student.
Defense (Thesis/ MRP): Is the final step towards completion of some Master’s degrees or a Ph.D. Students must pass an oral examination before an Examination Committee in defence of their thesis or MRP.

Thesis: A written work of research culminating the master’s degree or PhD. The thesis is based on an individual research conducted by a student and supervised by their Faculty Advisor/Research Supervisor. The Thesis must be defended before an Examination Committee.

School of Graduate Studies Academic Year: The School of Graduate Studies operates on a trimester basis, with three terms defined as: fall term (September to December); winter term (January to April); and spring/summer term (May to August). The academic year begins with a fall term followed by a winter term.

Directed Studies: An individualized study course which allows students to explore a subject specific to their program of study and research interest.
Tri-Council: The federal Government’s three research fund (scholarship & grant) granting councils, NSERC, SSHRC, and CIHRC. The councils are responsible to the Government of Canada for the administration of research funds.

NSERC: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, a federal government agency which provides funding for research in natural sciences and engineering.

SSHRC: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, A federal government agency which provides funding for research in social sciences and humanities.

CIHR: Canadian Institutes of Health Research, a federal government agency which provides funding for research in Health.

MRP: A Major Research Paper based on an individual research conducted by a student and supervised by their Faculty Advisor/Research Supervisor. The MRP must be defended before an Examination Committee.

Faculty Advisor: Faculty Advisors assist students with the development of their research topic outline for a research based route.

Comprehensive Exam: A specific type of examination that must be completed by graduate students in some programs. The comprehensive exam is used to test the knowledge of a student’s subject area and two or more related areas, and may be used to determine a student’s eligibility to continue his or her program of study

Examination Committee: A committee normally consisting of a Student’ Supervisor Committee, External Examiner and Chair, who makes a decision regarding the outcome of a Student’s MRP or Thesis oral defence.