2005-07 Catalog - Tacoma Community College

2005-2007 CatalogInformation and Resources 153DEFINITIONSAccredited: Certified as having fulfilled minimum standardsestablished by regional accrediting agencies. Indicates thatcourse work is accepted by other colleges and universities.Advisor: A member of the college faculty designated to assiststudents in planning their programs of study.Audit: Take a class without receiving credit.Commencement: An annual graduationceremony held in June.Counselor: A member of the college faculty who has specialtraining in guidance and who assists students who haveproblems of an academic or personal nature.Credit/Quarter Credit Hour: A measurement of college work.Ordinarily, one credit hour is given for one clock hour ofattendance each week for a period of one quarter (11 weeks).In some cases such as laboratory courses, however, two orthree clock hours of attendance each week are required toearn one credit or credit hour. A specified number of creditsor credit hours must be earned for a degree.Curriculum (Plural Curricula orCurriculums): The complete list of courses offered by thecollege. Also, a group of courses required for a specificdegree.Deficiency: Lack of credit in a course required for a specificprogram, graduation, or a degree. Also, a status imposed on astudent because of low grades. See the Academic ReviewPolicy.Degree: A diploma awarded by the college which signifies astudent has successfully completed a program of study.Directory Information: The only information authorized forexternal release by the college without the student’s writtenconsent shall include student name, degrees and awardsreceived. The college may confirm dates of attendance, dateof birth, major field of study, participation in officiallyrecognizedsports and activities and the most recent previouseducational institution atttended.Direct Transfer: The college has agreements with most of thepublic and private four-year colleges and universities in thestate for the direct transfer of its students under guidelinesdeveloped by the Inter-College Relations Commission of theWashington Council for High School-College Relations. Fortransfer information, see the Degree section.Discipline: A branch of knowledge or of teaching, such as Art,History, English, etc.Distribution Requirements: A range of courses required forgraduation with an associate degree, in addition to the majordepartment requirements.Division: An area within the college which is devoted to a groupof related subjects e.g., Business, Humanities, Allied Health,etc.Drop: See Withdraw.Elective: A course which is not required for a particular program.General Educational Development (GED): A programdesigned to meet the needs of adults who have not graduatedfrom high school and who want to earn a certificate of highschool equivalency. Passage of the GED examinationsgenerally is accepted in lieu of high school graduation.Grade Point: A numerical value assigned to a grade, as follows:each credit hour of A equals 4 points; B, 3 points; C, 2 points;D, 1 point; E and other grades, 0 points.Grade-Point Average (GPA): The numerical average obtained bydividing total grade points earned by total credit hoursattempted in a quarter. A cumulative grade-point average isobtained by dividing the total grade points on a student'srecord by the total hours he or she has attempted.Honors Program: A program with a two-year course of study forstudents with exceptional academic qualifications.Honors/High Honors: A designation at graduation for studentswho graduate with a cumulative GPA of 3.33 or higher forHonors and 3.66 or higher for High Honors.Incomplete: An incomplete is a grade given only when a studenthas done satisfactory work in a class but for some unavoidablereason has been unable to complete the course or take thefinal examination. Incompletes must be converted to atraditional letter grade within one year of their issuance orthey remain on the student's permanent record.Major: The subject or field of study to which the student devotesconcentrated attention.Non-Resident Student: See Resident Student.Pre-Professional: A program designed to prepare students forlater specialization in a particular field upon transfer to asenior college or university.Prerequisite: A course which must be taken before a student isallowed to take another course. For example: MATH 115 andMATH 116 are prerequisites for MATH 124.Probation: A status imposed upon a student because of lowgrades, usually with specified conditions which must be metwithin a given period.Quarter: A term of instruction consisting of approximately 11weeks. The regular academic year consists of Fall, Winter andSpring quarter.Quarter Hour: See Credit Hours and Quarters.Registration: The process of becoming officially enrolled in acollege. Registration usually is required at the beginning ofeach quarter. It includes the selection of courses and paymentof fees.Resident Student: A resident student is one who is financiallyindependent and has had a domicile in the State ofWashington for at least one year immediately prior to the firstclass day of the quarter for which he or she is registering andwho has established a bona fide domicile in the state for otherthan educational purposes. A financially dependent student isalso classified as a resident if one or both of his or her parentsor legal guardians have maintained a bona fide domicile in theState of Washington for at least one year immediately prior tocommencement of the quarter for which he or she hasregistered. See Admissions Procedures section for moreinformation.Withdraw: To officially stop taking classes before the 30thcalendar day of the quarter. This must be done with an Add/Drop form.