Glossary of Terms at Palomar College

• Academic Renewal.: A policy which allows a student to petition to exclude prior substandard course work from their transcript which is not reflective of their current demonstrated ability. Obtain petition from the Counseling Center.



• Academic Review Committee: A process by which students can petition to deviate from the College’s policies and procedures. Obtain petition from the Counseling Center.



• Articulation Agreements: A list of courses offered at Palomar College which are acceptable at transfer universities as equivalent in content (or as acceptable substitutes) to those courses offered by the universities. These lists are available in the Counseling Center and online at http://www.assist.org.



• ASSIST: The official Internet site (www.assist.org) that contains all articulation agreements between California Community Colleges, the California State University, and the University of California.  



• Associate in Arts (AA) Degree: Awarded upon completion of course work totaling not fewer than 60 degree applicable units in areas of: a) General Education, b) Major, c) Electives. Must apply by appropriate deadlines.
  • Petition by 2/28 for May graduation
  • 6/30 for August graduation
  • 9/30 for Dec graduation
    


• Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T) Degree: Intended for students who plan to complete a Bachelor’s Degree in a similar major at a CSU campus. Students completing this degree are guaranteed admission to the CSU system, but not to a particular campus or major. See a counselor for specific information regarding this major.
   


• Associate in Science (AS) Degree: Currently only offered in Nursing. Awarded upon completion of course work totaling not fewer than 60 degree-applicable units in areas of: a) General Education, b) Major, c) Electives. Must apply by appropriate deadlines.
  
  • Petition by 2/28 for May graduation
  • 6/30 for August graduation
  • 9/30 for Dec graduation
    
    


•  Auditing: To take a course without being graded or receiving credit, available to students by petition only. Deadlines apply when changing from credit status to audit status.
  


• Catalog: A book published once a year that governs students’ progress toward degrees and certificates and contains course descriptions, programs, requirements, policies and procedures.
   


• Certificate of Achievement (CA): Awarded upon completion of specified course work in a vocational/occupational program.
  • Petition by 2/28 for May graduation
  • 6/30 for August graduation
  • 9/30 for Dec graduation
    


• Certificate of Proficiency (CP): Designed to certify basic workplace competencies and job readiness. Awarded upon completion of specified course work.
  
  • Petition by 2/28 for May graduation
  • 6/30 for August graduation
  • 9/30 for Dec graduation
    


• Class Schedule: A booklet of class offerings, times, and locations published each term. The class schedule also contains enrollment information, add and drop deadlines, testing dates and times, and other general information.
  


• College-Prep Classes (non-degree appropriate): These courses, principally in the basic skills areas, prepare students to perform satisfactorily in associate and baccalaureate appropriate classes. Students can take no more than 30 units of these courses; they do not apply to the degree.


• Continuing Student: One who has attended classes during the previous regular term beyond the drop deadline.
   


• Continuous Enrollment:
  • For enrollment purposes, it is defined as attendance at Palomar College beyond the drop period of each regular term, where letter grades or W’s appear on the transcript.
  • For graduation purposes, it is defined as attendance in one semester or two quarters (excluding Summer Session) within a calendar year (January through December) in the CSU, UC, or California CC Systems following initial enrollment at Palomar.
    


• Directed Study: Individual study for advanced students which may include class work, research, or projects that do not fit into the context of regularly scheduled classes. Department chairperson approval required for enrollment.



• Educational Plan: A document generated by a student and a Palomar College Counselor that allows the student and institution together to identify the student’s educational objectives, and to formulate a method for reaching them.



• Full-Time: A study load of 12 or more units per semester. The normal full-time load in Summer is 6 units. Nursing students are considered full-time with 9 units in nursing courses.
   


• General Education (GE) Requirements: Also known as breadth or core requirements, these patterns of courses are designed to expose students to broad areas of knowledge.



• Grade Point Average (GPA): Determined by dividing total grade points earned by total academic (A-FW) units attempted.



• Grade Points: Points given for academic (evaluative) grades.
  • A = 4 points D = 1 point
  • B = 3 points F = 0 points
  • C = 2 points FW = 0 points per unit of credit


• Half-Time: A study load of 6 – 8 1/2 units per semester.



• IGETC (Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum): A general education program that California community college transfer students can use to fulfill all lower-division G.E. requirements at most CSU or UC campuses (see a counselor for exceptions).



• Lower Division/Upper Division: In colleges and universities, lower division means freshman and sophomore years and upper division means junior and senior years. Community colleges provide lower division course work for transfer to four-year colleges and universities.



• Major: A major is a group of courses related to a defined area of study. All colleges and universities require students to declare and pursue a major.



• Noncredit Certificate of Completion (NC): Designed to lead to improved employability or job opportunities. Awarded upon completion of specified course work.
   


• Noncredit Courses: A variety of courses offered with no unit credit. The courses are taught by credentialed instructors and provide remedial, developmental, occupational, and other general educational opportunities to citizens of the community.



• Pass/No Pass (P/NP) Grading: Pass/No Pass units are not counted in the GPA. A Pass is earned for coursework equal to a “C” grade or better. A No Pass is earned for coursework equal to a “D” or “F” grade. Pass/No Pass units are used in calculating Progress Probation and Dismissal.



• Probation: A warning status that scholastic standards are not being met.



• Semester: A 17-week period of class work.



• TAG (Transfer Admission Guarantee): Palomar College has TAG programs with seven UC campuses. All of these agreements guarantee admission into the University and some guarantee admission into the major.



• Tech Prep: A program in which high school students can earn college credit for certain occupational courses completed at their respective high schools.



• Three-Quarter Time: A study load of 9 – 11 1/2 units per semester.
   


• Transcript (of Record): An official copy of the record of classes attempted and/or completed by a student. The transcript is maintained by the Palomar College Records Office and is considered confidential. It may be viewed or released only with permission of the student.
   


• Tuition (Enrollment Fees): A charge for instruction.



• Tutor: A person, recommended by faculty as knowledgeable in specified subjects, who is available through Tutoring Services free of charge to work with an enrolled individual in need of special assistance with course work.
   


• Unit of Credit: A credit or semester unit represents one hour of class work per week for one semester. It is expected that most students will spend two hours outside class in preparation for each hour of lecture. Slightly less outside preparation time is expected in laboratory. Three hours of laboratory per week are approximately the equivalent of one unit.



• Units Attempted: Credit units in which the student was enrolled beyond the 20% point of any course whether or not a passing grade was earned or the student withdrew from the course before its completion.



• Work Experience: A program that combines classroom studies with on-the-job experiences.