Rutgers University in Your Community
Girl Scout Program Award

University Terminology

There's a whole new set of words used in colleges and universities. Use this vocabulary list to clear up the confusion, get a step up on your friends, and make the transition to college life much easier.

Suggested Activity:

Create a crossword puzzle or word scramble for your troop using the following university terminology.

• Academics
  Scholarly activities that students formally engage in while at a college or university.
• Admission
  The act of being accepted to study at an institution of higher education. Admission is based on grades, activities, test scores, letters of recommendation, interviews, and other information students supply with an application.
• Alumni
  Students who have completed their education and received their diploma or degree from a particular institution.
• Bachelor's degree
  A degree awarded by a college or university to students who have completed all the requirements of their undergraduate studies.
• Course
  A class session or series of sessions that students attend to learn a subject, often as part of a curriculum that leads to a degree or certificate, e.g., English course.
• Credits
  Numerical values assigned to courses. Students must earn a designated number of credits to be eligible to graduate.
• Degree
  A title that a college or university confers upon students who have successfully completed all the requirements of a specific course of study.
• Department
  A unit of a college or university that specializes in educating students in a particular field of knowledge, e.g., math department.
• Major
  The main subject students choose to specialize in when working toward a degree. Students will earn the most credits in this area.
• Minor
  A secondary subject area that students elect to study that requires fewer credits than a major.
• Prerequisite
  A requirement that students must fulfill before registering for a course.
• Scholarship
  Money or other forms of aid granted to students to help pay for college expenses. Usually scholarships are established by individual donors, corporations, or universities, and awarded to students who meet certain criteria.
• Syllabus
  A course outline that a professor gives students at the beginning of a course. A syllabus usually includes test dates, homework assignments, and books that need to be read for the course.
• Undergraduate
  A university or college student who has not yet obtained a bachelor's degree.