Glossary of College Terms

Academic Probation: Students are placed on academic probation anytime their GPA drops below 2.0.

Academic Dismissal: Students are placed on academic dismissal when their GPA drops below 2.0 for three sequential semesters.

Adding: The process of enrolling in classes.

Articulation: Agreement between two different colleges/schools as to course equivalencies.

Associate's Degree (A.A. or A.S.): Two-year college degree awarded for successful completion of specific requirements including major, general education, and elective course work totalling 60 units.

Associate's Degree for Transfer (A.A.-T or A.S.-T): Two-year college degree awarded for successful completion of major courses, a transfer general education pattern (CSU GE or IGETC), and electives as needed totalling 60 or more transferable units.

Bachelor's Degree (B.A. or B.S. or A.B.): Four-year college/university degree awarded for successful completion of specific requirements including major, general election, and elective course work.

Bluebook: Examination notebook, which may be required for essay exams. Bluebooks are available at the Bookstore and in vending machines.

Class Section Number: Five-digit number identifying each specific course.

College Catalog: A reference book published bi-annually on the college website which includes: LAVC policies; procedures; campus resources; educational programs and requirements; and course descriptions.

Competency: LAVC graduation requirements showing proficiency in English, reading, and math.

Co-requisite: Course which should be taken simultaneously with another course, as recommended.

Counseling: Professional assistance with academic planning, career exploration, and personal issues.

Credits/Units: Term of measurement used to describe the number of units of credit the college awards upon completion of a certain class.

CSU General Education/Certification Plan: List of general education requirements for transfer to the California State Universities. CSU Certification is granted by LAVC to indicate completion of all lower-division general education requirements. The CSUGE Plan also satisfies general education requirements for an Associate's Degree. Petition for CSUGE Certification early in your last semester of completing all requirements in Admissions.

Dropping: Process of discontinuing enrollment in a class through your Student Portal or by going in person to Admissions and Records.

Educational Goal: The academic objective that a student plans to achieve at LAVC and beyond.

Electives: Courses of personal interest to the student which are not general education or major requirements, but could be used toward the 60-unit graduation requirement or the transferable unit minimum.

Full-Time Study: Course load of 12 or more units per semester (6 units per winter/summer intersession).

General Education: Portion of the graduation requirements which include completion of courses in variousl subject areas: Natural Sciences; Social and Behavioral Sciences; Arts/Humanities; Language and Rationality; Health and Physical Education.

Grade: Value placed on course achievement given on a four-point scale where A= 4 grade points, B = 3 grade points, C = 2 grade points, D = 1 grade point, and F = 0.

Plagiarism: Literary theft, to take ideas or writings from someone else and present them as your own.

Prerequisite: Prior knowledge required or course to be completed before registering for certain courses.

Progress Probation: Students are placed on Progress Probation when they withdraw from more than 50% of their course work for the semester.

Progress Dismissal: Students are placed on Progress Dismissal when they withdraw from more than 50% of their course work for three sequential semesters.

Registration: Process of officially enrolling in classes by using Student Portal at MyCollege.laccd.edu and paying fees.

Scantron Sheet: Examination form used in some classes for multiple-choice tests. Scantrons are available in the LAVC bookstore and in vending machines.

Schedule of Classes: Current listing of class offerings published online each semester giving the days, times, locations, and instructors for each class. Both Pdf and Searchable formats are available on the college website.

Semester: 16-week period of class work (3 unit class = 48-52 hours of instruction).

Student Educational Plan(SEP): A personalized academic plan indicating courses needed to achieve your academic goals.

Syllabus: An instructor's description and outline of a class, assignments, class policies. required text(s) and learning objectives.

Staff: A generic term indicating that a faculty member has yet to be assigned to a particular class.

T.B.A.: A term indicating that a course meets at a time "to be arranged" according to course requirements.

Transcript: A copy of a student's official record of courses attempted/ completed and their grades.

Transferable: Lower-division courses for which credits are accepted by four-year colleges or universities. (CSU) indicates acceptance by the California State University and (UC) indicates acceptance by the University of California as listed in the under course descriptions in the college catalog.

Unit: Term of measurement used to describe amount of credit the college awards upon completion of a class.

Withdrawal: A permanent "W" will be issued when you drop a class between the date designated in the Schedule of Classes as, Last Day to Drop without receiving a "W" and the final deadline to Drop with a "W".

Hold: An administrative block to the registration process usually due to a non-payment of fees or substandard academic progress.

IGETC: Inter-segmental General Education Transfer Curriculum or a list of the general education requirements for transfer to the University of California and/or California State University systems. IGETC Certification is granted by LAVC to indicate completion of all lower-division general education requirements. The IGETC Plan also satisfies general education requirements for an Associate's Degree. Petition for IGETC Certification early in your last semester of completing all requirements in Admissions.

Major: Specific area of study in which a student completes the required coursework to achieve a degree in that subject.

Part-Time Study: Class load of less than 12 units per semester.