Academic Vocabulary
Some Important Terms To Know

Every large institution or organization develops an "inside" language.

Conducting business is simpler when everyone agrees on certain terms. We have our own Wichita State vocabulary, and it will make your life a little bit easier if you learn the following terms:

Semester Hour (or Credit Hour)

A one semester hour course typically meets for one hour each week during a 16-week semester. A three-hour course typically meets three hours per week during the semester. A minimum of 124 semester hours are required for graduation.

Course Numbers

Course numbers have very important meanings --

• 99 and below: do not count toward college credit or degrees
• 100-299: primarily for freshmen and sophomores
• 300-499: primarily for juniors and seniors, and freshmen and sophomores with the prerequisites
• 500-699: primarily for juniors and seniors, but graduate students may also receive graduate credit
• 700-799: primarily for graduate students, but also undergraduates with the prerequisites
• 800-899: graduate students only

Credit/No Credit

1. Courses numbered below 100 do not carry credit for a degree and are graded Credit/No Credit.
2. Also, certain credit courses are graded Credit/No Credit, and are so noted in the course descriptions.

Credit Points

Credit points are assigned to letter grades, like this:

A = 4 credit points
B = 3 credit points
C = 2 credit points
D = 1 credit point
F = 0 credit points

Credit points are given for each semester hour of work you take, and then your grade can be averaged.

Full-Time Student

A WSU student is considered full-time when enrolled in 12 or more credit hours for spring and fall semesters and 6 or more credit hours for summer session.

Grade Point Average

Grade point average is figured by dividing the total number of credit points earned by the total number of semester hours completed for which regular letter grades are given. For example:

13 sem. hrs. /36 cr. pts. = 2.769 gpa

Prerequisite
Something required beforehand; algebra is still a prerequisite to calculus. Many courses at WSU have prerequisites that must be taken first. Read the course descriptions in the Catalog and see the list in the Schedule of Courses.

Further Study Courses
Courses taken in a discipline once a student has completed an introductory course.

Issues & Perspectives Courses
Courses taken as interdisciplinary classes or to inform students of issues or problems from a disciplinary perspective.

Classification of Students
At WSU, students are classified according to the number of earned college semester hours: