One of the first things a new student at university might notice is that within a university there seems to be a whole other language being spoken - for example, what is the difference between a Bachelor's degree and an undergraduate degree? Is there one? How do you know if you're in a unit or a credit? I thought compiling a list of the most asked questions I get about terminology might be useful but this is by no means an exhaustive list, just the first few I came up with! There are plenty of words and terms I'm so used to hearing that I forget they're new to those just entering the university lifestyle. If you are wondering about any other terms, please comment and let me know and I'll do my best to translate it to English! Most of this information translates to most universities (particularly in Canada) but I will write it from MSVU's terminology as that is what I know the best!
Terms/Semesters: This is a time frame and generally mean the same thing. The fall term goes from September to December. The winter term runs from December to April. Then there is the Summer I term (May/June - this is known as a compressed term, or intersession); and Summer II term (June/July). At MSVU most programs start in any of these terms but the majority of new students start in the fall.
Credits/Units: These are how courses are measured. The terms are often used interchangeably however some schools work in credit hours, whereas others just use credits (or units!). At MSVU a full unit typically runs from September to April and a half unit just runs from September to December or January to April. When schools use credit hours usually 3 credit hours equals a half unit, and 6 credit hours equals a full unit.
Bachelor/Undergraduate: Yes these are the same thing and the first degree you get at a university. The concept behind the word undergraduate is that you are a student who has not yet graduated from university - therefore you're an UNDERgraduate. Most undergraduate degrees take three to four years of full time study to achieve. Once you graduate from your undergraduate status and go back to school then you can become a . . .
Master's/Graduate: These are both the same thing again and can only be done if you have already completed an undergraduate degree. Some Master's include a thesis which is an intensive research project in a very specific discipline - others have a non-thesis option. It generally takes one to five years to complete your Master's (if you do the thesis you're probably on the longer end of the time).
PhD/Doctorate: Again - pretty much the same thing and you need to have finished your Master's (usually with the thesis option) to go to this next level of education. PhD is short for Doctor of Philosophy but you can do your PhD in more than Philosophy! This can take anywhere from three to six - to sometimes even longer - to complete. Any of your professors who are called "Doctor" have achieved this very high level of education and are extremely knowledgeable about their area of expertise and usually love to talk about their passion, so if you share a passion with them feel free to pick their brains!
And of course there is Spring Break, Study Break and Reading Week (same thing except our week - as are most Canadian schools - is in February); and Residence, Rez, Dormitories, On-campus housing - yep, all the same. Here's a link from our academic calendar that can give you a few more terms to get familiar with: http://www.msvu.ca/calendar/GeneralInformation/GlossaryofTerms.asp
Basically just assume that the new word you're hearing you've probably heard somewhere else, but just with a different name. So - now that I've got you thinking - go ahead and challenge me - see if you can come up with a university-ese word that I haven't come across yet!
Terms/Semesters: This is a time frame and generally mean the same thing. The fall term goes from September to December. The winter term runs from December to April. Then there is the Summer I term (May/June - this is known as a compressed term, or intersession); and Summer II term (June/July). At MSVU most programs start in any of these terms but the majority of new students start in the fall.
Credits/Units: These are how courses are measured. The terms are often used interchangeably however some schools work in credit hours, whereas others just use credits (or units!). At MSVU a full unit typically runs from September to April and a half unit just runs from September to December or January to April. When schools use credit hours usually 3 credit hours equals a half unit, and 6 credit hours equals a full unit.
Bachelor/Undergraduate: Yes these are the same thing and the first degree you get at a university. The concept behind the word undergraduate is that you are a student who has not yet graduated from university - therefore you're an UNDERgraduate. Most undergraduate degrees take three to four years of full time study to achieve. Once you graduate from your undergraduate status and go back to school then you can become a . . .
Master's/Graduate: These are both the same thing again and can only be done if you have already completed an undergraduate degree. Some Master's include a thesis which is an intensive research project in a very specific discipline - others have a non-thesis option. It generally takes one to five years to complete your Master's (if you do the thesis you're probably on the longer end of the time).
PhD/Doctorate: Again - pretty much the same thing and you need to have finished your Master's (usually with the thesis option) to go to this next level of education. PhD is short for Doctor of Philosophy but you can do your PhD in more than Philosophy! This can take anywhere from three to six - to sometimes even longer - to complete. Any of your professors who are called "Doctor" have achieved this very high level of education and are extremely knowledgeable about their area of expertise and usually love to talk about their passion, so if you share a passion with them feel free to pick their brains!
And of course there is Spring Break, Study Break and Reading Week (same thing except our week - as are most Canadian schools - is in February); and Residence, Rez, Dormitories, On-campus housing - yep, all the same. Here's a link from our academic calendar that can give you a few more terms to get familiar with: http://www.msvu.ca/calendar/GeneralInformation/GlossaryofTerms.asp
Basically just assume that the new word you're hearing you've probably heard somewhere else, but just with a different name. So - now that I've got you thinking - go ahead and challenge me - see if you can come up with a university-ese word that I haven't come across yet!
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