Mar 28, 2024  
2015-2017 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2015-2017 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Glossary


Academic Good Standing: An indication that a student meets or exceeds minimum academic requirements to be enrolled at the University.

Academic Probation: An indication of marginal academic performance. A warning that a student is in jeopardy of losing academic good standing.

Accreditation: Recognition granted to schools and colleges by interested professional agencies upon examination by groups of visiting professionals based upon objective standards. An accredited school or college has measured up to the standards of quality imposed by professional groups and accrediting agencies.

College: Part of the University offering a wide selection or a specialized group of courses leading to a variety of degrees. A large body of faculty having a common purpose or common duties in instruction, research, scholarship, and public service that grants bachelor’s and graduate degrees. TSU has four units so designated-Liberal Arts, Business, Education, and Engineering.

Curriculum: The total program of courses required for a degree in a particular subject.

Credit Hours: Generally the number of hours a course meets each week determines its worth in credit hours.

Deans: The administrative department chair of a school, college or academic related or student related unit within the University. Academic related deans report to the Vice President for Academic Affairs

Department Chairs: Persons in charge of providing administrative and academic leadership for a department within the University (i.e. the Department Chair of the Art Department).

Elective: A course that is accepted toward fulfillment of credit for a degree, but is not required for that degree. It is so termed because a student “elects” or chooses to take the course.

Evaluation: Any credit for academic work completed at another institution and transferred to TSU must be evaluated in terms of the requirements of TSU. Such evaluation is done by the Records Office.

Full-time Student: A student who registers for 12 or more credits each semester.

Grade-point average (GPA): A student’s grade-point average may be computed numerically by dividing the number of quality points earned by the number of hours of course work attempted.

Major: The academic area in which one specializes.

Matriculation: Enrollment in the University or a particular college or school. This includes payment of fees.

Minor: The academic area in which one places special emphasis as a secondary specialization.

Non-resident: A student who is not a resident of the State of Tennessee.

Part-time Student: A student who registers for fewer than 12 credit hours a semester.

Prerequisite: A course that must be completed before another may be attempted. Such first courses are said to be prerequisites for following courses in the same or similar areas. It is the student’s responsibility to check for prerequisites in the current catalog.

School: A particular division of the University. The school is organized according to faculty who provides instruction and grant degrees in the same or related disciplines. TSU has a Graduate School and three undergraduate schools: Agriculture and Family and Consumer Sciences, Allied Health Professions, and Nursing.

Semester Hour of Credit: The semester hour is a unit of academic credit. A student, for example, must earn a minimum of 130 semester hours in order to graduate. The number of hours earned in a given semester is the measure of a student’s academic load. A normal load ranges from 12 to 18 semester hours of work. The hours of credit of various courses are indicated in the catalog.

Transcript of Credit: A certified copy of credits which a student has earned in high school or in colleges attended. The submission of a transcript is one of the most important prerequisites for admission to the University.