Don't get lost in College jargon. Understand these terms, which generally are common to all colleges, and your academic life will be easier.
Academic Year: September through the following August. Includes the Fall Semester, Winter Semester, and Spring Semester.
Academic Credits: See Credits.
Accredited: Certified by a specific state, regional, or national organization as meeting standards of quality in instruction, staffing, facilities, finances, and policies.
Add: Changing your schedule by adding a course after your initial registration.
Admission: Being accepted by Delta so you can register for courses.
Assessment: The evaluation or appraisal of the attainment of an outcome, either in student learning or institutional goals, using an established measurement.
Associate Degree: Degree (diploma) granted after successful completion of a program of study which has a minimum of 62 credits.
Audit: Registering for and attending a course, but receiving no grade or credits. Regular tuition and fees must be paid. Audits do not count toward completion of a program or graduation.
Caution: A warning status due to low grades.
Centers: See maps, in this section.
Certificate: Document granted upon successful completion of a program of study which has less than 62 credits.
Concurrent Course: Often referred to as Corequisite or Requisite. A course that must be taken during the same semester as another course is taken. Concurrent courses are listed at the beginning of the course description. See Course Descriptions for Academic Course Descriptions.
Contact Hours: The total hours of lecture and laboratory instruction required for each course.
Corequisite: See Concurrent Course.
Course: A single subject, such as ENG 111 , taken for one semester.
Course Placement: Basic skills tests in writing, reading, and math to assist you in selecting courses at the appropriate level. Generally, assessment is required for new students.
Credits: Also referred to as Academic Credits, Credit Hours, and Semester Hours. Each course is assigned a number of credits which generally indicates the number of hours per week the class meets; i.e., a three credit course generally meets three hours each week. Courses with labs and occupational courses, however, generally meet more hours than the number of credits they carry. Tuition and fees are ordinarily charged by credit.
Curriculum: See Program of Study.
Drop: Changing your schedule by dropping a course after your initial registration.
Dual Degree: An associate degree that is earned by completing two specified curricula concurrently. Approved curricula combinations are listed in Section III, Programs, Dual Degrees.
Elective: A course you may elect (choose) to take as opposed to a course you are required to take.
Fees: Special charges for courses or services other than tuition.
Financial Aid: Money received from various sources (grants, loans, scholarships, jobs) to help students with college costs. Most, but not all, forms of aid are based on financial need.
Financial Aid Transcript: A document you are required by federal regulations to have every other college you attended send to the Delta College Financial Aid Office, which lists any federal aid you may have received or states that you received no aid. Required of financial aid recipients before aid can be awarded.
Freshman: Academic student who has earned 29 or fewer credits.
Full-Time Student: Enrolled in 12 or more credits in a semester. G.E.D. (General Educational Development): A high school equivalency certificate for adults who did not receive the traditional high school diploma. It is earned by passing the national G.E.D. exam, which may be taken through Delta.
General Education: A group of courses in the areas of social science, natural/physical science, communication, and humanities which provide a common and broadly-based body of knowledge.
GPA (Grade Point Average): The GPA is determined by dividing the grade points earned (see definition of grade points) by the number of credits attempted, excluding courses in which you received final grades of “P,” “I,” “X,” “WI,” “W,” or “NC.” The semester GPA includes grades in each semester; the cumulative GPA includes grades from all semesters at Delta.
Grade Dispute: The process available to you if you do not agree with the grade you received in a course. See Academic Policies and Information , Disputed Final Grade Policy.
Grade Ombudsman: The staff member who will provide you with information and assistance in understanding and following the Grade Dispute process. For name of person, contact the Senate Office at 686-9297.
Grade Points: Numerical values assigned to a letter grade for a course (“A”= 4 pts., “B”= 3 pts., “C”= 2 pts., “D”= 1 pt., “F”= 0 pts.), which are then multiplied by the number of credits assigned to the course; i.e., a “B” grade for a three credit course would have three grade points x three credits = 9 grade points.
Graduation Requirements: Specific steps you must successfully complete to qualify for a degree or certificate. See Academic Policies and Information , Graduation Requirements for details.
Grants: Money provided for educational expenses which does not have to be repaid; also called “gift aid.”
In-District Student: A legal resident of Bay, Midland, or Saginaw county as defined by the Delta College residency policy.
Institutional Contact Hours: Contact Hours Tuition is assessed on the number of weekly contact hours. The contact hours for a course are the number of hours per week a course meets. The definition of a contact hour is a total of 55 minutes of student instruction in which the student comes into contact with an instructor or with tutorial or laboratory equipment.
Instructor-Initiated Drop: Being dropped from your course by your instructor for either lack of attendance or lack of the required prerequisites.
Loans: Money you borrow from your bank or credit union for educational expenses which must be repaid after you leave school.
MTA: The Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) was designed to facilitate the transfer of general education requirements from one institution to another. Students may complete the Michigan Transfer Agreement as part of an Associate degree or as a stand-alone package at a Michigan community college.
Ombudsman: See Grade Ombudsman.
Orientation: A program you will participate in as a new Delta student, which will acquaint you with the College facilities, programs, services, and procedures and during which a counselor will assist you in reviewing your program and selecting your courses.
Out-of-District Student: A legal resident of Michigan, residing in a county other than Bay, Midland, or Saginaw.
Out-of-State Student: A legal resident of a state other than Michigan or of a foreign country.
Part-Time Student: Enrolled in less than 12 credits in a semester.
Prerequisite: Courses which must be successfully completed or requirements which must be met before enrolling in a specific course. Prerequisites are listed at the beginning of the course description. See Course Descriptions for Academic Course Descriptions.
Probation: A warning status due to low grades or improper conduct.
Program of Study: A group of specific courses which you are required to complete successfully in order to qualify for a degree or certificate.
Registration: The time when you enroll in your courses and pay your tuition and fees. See Enrollment , Registration for details.
Required Course: A course in your program that you must take as opposed to one that you elect (choose) to take.
Requisite: See Concurrent Course
Semester: Generally 15 weeks in length. The three semesters in an academic year at Delta are Fall (late August through December), Winter (January through April), and Spring (May through August, 15 weeks).
Semester Hours: See Credits.
Session: Generally 7 or 7 1/2 weeks in length, which is half the length of a semester.
Service Credits: Credits assigned to non-credit courses. These credits are not applicable to a Delta associate degree or certif icate and are not transferable to other colleges.
Sophomore: Academic student who has earned 30 or more credits.
Suspension: Being required to leave Delta College due to a very low grade point average or unacceptable conduct.
Transcript: Your official Delta College record listing all academic courses attempted with grades, credits, and grade points; all transfer credits accepted; and credit awarded by examination or advanced placement; and your cumulative GPA.
Transfer: The official process of moving from attendance at one college or university to attendance at another college or university.
Tuition: The money you pay the college for instruction and services. A dollar amount is assigned to each credit. Tuition is determined by multiplying the dollar amount by the number of credits for which you are registering. In-District, Out-of-District, and Out-of-State tuition rates are different. See www.delta.edu for current tuition rates.
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