2020-2021 Catalog 
    
    Mar 18, 2024  
2020-2021 Catalog [PREVIOUS CATALOG YEAR]

Glossary of Terms


A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

The following terms are often used at Yavapai College in written materials and in conversations with advisors and faculty. Use this guide to learn more about their meaning.

A

Ability to Benefit - Term used to describe a student's chances of being successful in a college-level course of study. A high school diploma or a GED can be used to document the ability to benefit from college. "Ability to benefit" can also be established by obtaining appropriate scores in reading, writing and mathematics on the College's assessment tests. For more detailed information, see an advisor or financial aid specialist.

Academic Advisement - Consulting with a college advisor to develop a plan for fulfilling the requirements to reach an educational objective. Participating in the advisement process will minimize the loss of credits for students planning to transfer.

Academic Calendar - The College's Academic Calendar contains key dates important to every student, including holidays and the start and end dates of classes.

Academic Honors List - An honor bestowed upon students who demonstrate exemplary performance. To be eligible, a student must complete 12 or more credits in that semester with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher.

Academic Probation - A student is placed on Academic Probation (AP) if, while on Academic Warning, the student earns less than a 2.0 semester GPA in the subsequent semester (based on attempted credits). See Academic Information and Standards  for further detail.

Academic Renewal - Academic Renewal allows a student who experienced academic difficulties during earlier attendance at Yavapai College to have grades for a particular period of time excluded from the calculation of the grade point average. All courses and grades remain on the student's permanent academic record.

Academic Suspension - A student is placed on Academic Suspension (AS) if, while on Academic Probation, the student does not achieve a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above during the second semester of Academic Probation. See Academic Information and Standards  for further detail.

Academic Warning - A student is placed on Academic Warning (AW) if the student has attempted 12 credits or more and earned a cumulative GPA of less than 2.0. See Academic Information and Standards  for further detail.

Add - This term refers to the period of time when students can add an open class.

Administrative Drop/Withdraw - An instructor may drop or withdraw a student from a course for failure to attend class.

Admission - Students who complete the online college admission form are immediately admitted to the college and will receive credentials to enable registration for classes.

Advising - The College provides free advising services to all students for help with program planning and course selection.

AGEC (Arizona General Education Curriculum) - A common structure of general education agreed upon by all public colleges and universities in Arizona. The AGEC, a 35-credit general education component of the Associate degrees for transfer, fulfills lower-division general education requirements for students transferring to Arizona's public universities (Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and University of Arizona).

Articulation - The acceptance or transfer of coursework through special agreements. Yavapai College articulates transfer of courses to Arizona's public universities (Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University and University of Arizona).

Associate Degree - A degree awarded by a community college upon satisfactory completion of an organized program of study. Requires the completion of a minimum number of credits with a certain combination of courses, including general education and major requirements. For more detailed information, see an advisor or refer to the "Degrees & Certificates " section of this catalog.

Audit - Students who audit a class attend class meetings but do not receive credit or a grade for the course.

B

Bachelors Degree - A degree awarded by a four-year college or university after satisfactory completion of an organized program of study, usually requiring at least four years of full-time study.

C

Catalog - The College Catalog is published online annually. The Catalog contains information about the policies and services of Yavapai College, including all degree and certificate programs, course requirements and descriptions, and student resources.

Catalog Year - The year in which a student begins a program of study, and subsequently maintains continuous enrollment. The requirements for the degree or certificate will be those which were in effect the catalog year the student began the program.

CEG (Course Equivalency Guide) - The CEG indicates how each of the public universities in Arizona accept 100- and 200-level courses in transfer from each community college. The CEG is available through campus advisors or online at AZTransfer.com.

Class Standing - Freshman: First year class standing; students who have between 0 and 29 cumulative credits. Sophomore: Second year standing; students who have between 30 and 59 cumulative credits.

CLEP Test - College Level Examination Program - Credit for prior or extra-institutional learning may be earned through successful scoring on general or subject area CLEP testing. Some disciplines have additional requirements to demonstrate accomplishment of learning outcomes (e.g. writing samples, laboratory).

Continuous Enrollment - Students maintaining continuous enrollment at any public Arizona community college or university may graduate from Yavapai College according to the requirements of the catalog in effect at the time of initial enrollment or according to the requirements of any single Yavapai College catalog in effect during subsequent terms of continuous enrollment.

A semester in which a student earns course credit will be counted toward continuous enrollment. Non-credit courses, audited courses, failed courses, or courses from which the student withdraws do not count toward the determination of continuous enrollment for catalog purposes.

Students who do not meet the minimum enrollment standards stipulated above during two consecutive semesters (fall/spring) (fall/spring or spring/fall) are no longer considered continuously enrolled, and must meet requirements of the Yavapai College catalog in effect at the time they are readmitted or of any single catalog in effect during subsequent terms of continuous enrollment after readmission.

Co-requisite - A co-requisite refers to a related course that must be taken at the same time as another related course (e.g., science lecture and science lab).

Core Requirements (Core Courses) - Core courses are the required courses within a degree or certificate and must be completed with a grade of "C" or better.

Credit Hour (Federal Definition): A credit hour is the amount of work represented in learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement. It is an institutionally-established equivalency that is not less than: (1) one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester hour of credit, or the equivalent amount of workover a different amount of time; or (2) at least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph one of this definition for other activities as established by an institution, including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading toward the award of credit hours.

D

Drop - This term refers to the period when students can drop a class. Dropped classes will not appear on an official academic transcript.

E

Educational Plan - A written outline of all courses required to complete a specific program.

Elective - Elective courses are courses that are in addition to the core requirements of a program. Students choose electives based on a list specified by their program or in specific approved areas of interest. Electives must have a course number of 100 or higher to count toward graduation. Students should choose electives in consultation with their program advisor.

F

FAFSA - The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a required form that must be completed as the first step in applying for many types of financial aid. This application can be found at www.fafsa.ed.gov or obtained at any campus Financial Aid Office.

Family Contribution - The sum of the parent and student contributions toward educational costs as determined by the need analysis.

Federal Family Educational Loans (FFEL) - Federal Loans for parents and students which are both need based and non-need based. Loans must be repaid with interest. Interest rate varies.

Full-Time Student - Students are considered full time if they are registered for twelve or more credit hours in a semester. (This definition may not apply to financial aid or veteran's benefits. Check with those departments for details.).

Federal Work Study (FWS) - Program in which students work part-time to earn a portion of their financial aid award.

Financial Aid Package/Award - An offer of financial aid which combines various forms of aid, typically from one or more sources.

Financial Need - The basis for most financial aid awards. Determined by subtracting the family contribution from an institution's cost of attendance.

G

General Education - A plan of course work generally covering the areas of natural sciences, mathematics, communication skills, humanities, and critical thinking required to complete a degree.

Good Standing - To stay in good academic standing with the institution, a student must maintain a GPA of 2.0 or better and earn credit in at least one-half the credits for which registered.

GPA/Grade point average - The average grade earned by a student, figured by dividing the total grade points earned by the total credits completed.

Grade Points - The product of multiplying the value of a letter grade (A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0) by the credit value of a class. These points are used in computing a student's GPA.

Graduate Degree - An advanced degree (Master's or Doctorate) which is undertaken after completion of a Bachelor's degree.

H

Hold - Students who owe fees or fail to return materials will have a hold placed on their record. This hold must be resolved before a student is permitted to register for further classes. Students should log in myYC if a hold is placed on their account for information on who to contact to clear their student account.

I

Incomplete Grade - A grade of "I" (Incomplete) may be assigned by an instructor when a student has been unable to complete academic work for a class by the end of the term due to an unforeseeable emergency and justifiable reasons. To qualify, a student must have completed a significant majority of the work required for the class while maintaining a "C" average for work submitted and is capable of completing the remainder of the required work for this course.

Independent Study - Independent Study allows opportunities for academic learning beyond what the College provides in the normal curriculum. This may involve creating a course in a field where Yavapai has no courses at all, or it may involve creating courses more advanced or specialized than existing courses. Through this program, students can seek knowledge or skills not otherwise available in the College. Independent Study is an opportunity to award College credit for new academic learning rather than prior learning, cooperative job placement, work study or internships. Independent Study is not for non-college credit activities or for developmental studies.

Internship - Internships involve structured field experiences within specific academic disciplines or technical areas. These experiences enable students to explore potential careers and apply knowledge gained in the classroom while refining the technical skills and gaining relevant experience in the workplace.

L

Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership Grant (LEAP) - A type of grant available to students who are residents of Arizona. Awards are given on a first come-first-served basis.

Lower Division - Course work normally taken in the first two years of college, at the freshman and sophomore levels. Courses numbered 100-299 at Yavapai College are lower division.

M

Matriculation - The completion of steps necessary for reaching an educational objective, including application, assessment, enrollment in classes, academic progress, and graduation or transfer.

N

Need Analysis - The process of determining a student's eligibility for financial aid. The analysis involves establishing student expense budgets, determining the family contribution, and subtracting the family contribution from these expenses.

O

Orientation - These workshops introduce new students to campus life and a host of resources intended to promote student success.

P

Part-time Student - A part-time student is a student registered for fewer than twelve credit hours in a semester or fewer than six credits in the summer sessions.

Pell Grant - The primary federal grant program. These awards do not have to be repaid as long as the student makes satisfactory academic progress.

Perkins Loan - A federally subsidized loan program designed to assist students with the cost of their education. Perkins Loans have a fixed interest rate of 5%. Loan awards are given on a first-come-first-served basis.

Prerequisite - A prerequisite is a required course, level of learning, or assessment score required prior to enrollment in a specific class. Prerequisites are listed in the college catalog with the course description. A prerequisite waiver may be approved by an Instructional Dean where there is documentation/evidence that the student has comparable preparation.

R

Registration - Registration is the process of selecting classes, processing selections online, and paying tuition and fees.

S

Schedule of Classes - Yavapai College publishes an online listing of classes offered during the fall, spring, and summer terms. The schedule of classes contains all information needed to register for a class, including time, date, location, instructor, fees, and any enrollment restrictions.

Semester - A length of time that a school term lasts. Yavapai College has a 16-week semester.

Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) One of the federal campus-based financial aid programs available at Yavapai College.

T

TBA (To Be Arranged) - TBA is a term used in the Schedule of Classes to indicate that more information is forthcoming about the course. When TBA is found in the instructor column of the schedule, the course had not yet been assigned to a particular instructor at the time the schedule went to print.

Transcript - The permanent record of all classes taken while enrolled at a college or university. An official transcript is issued by the College Registrar and contains a master list of the courses a student has taken, the grades earned, and the cumulative grade point average. Official transcripts can be requested at www.getmytranscript.com or from the Office of the Registrar. Students can also view unofficial transcripts online via myYC.

Transfer - The process of moving from one college to another prior to completion of educational objective.

Transfer Guide - University Transfer Guides list the Yavapai College courses that transfer and fulfill degree requirements at ASU, NAU and the UA.

U

Units - Also referred to as credit hours.

Upper Division - Course work normally taken in the third and fourth years of college, at the junior and senior levels. Courses numbered 300-499 are upper division. Yavapai College does not offer upper division courses.

W

Withdrawal - A student's removal from registration for a class within a specified time period. A withdraw is recorded on the student's permanent transcript. Refer to "Dates and Deadlines" at www.yc.edu for semester-specific withdraw deadlines.