Useful Terminology

What's the word?  The explanations below define terms frequently used at Stanly Community College.

Abroad
Any geographic location outside the borders of the United States, which includes the 50 states and the District of Columbia. 

Academic Probation
A status assigned when a student does not make satisfactory academic progress; the student must meet with their Success Coach to register for classes. 

Academic Program
A planned series of courses designed to prepare students for employment in a specific career. 

Academic Support Center
A campus resource dedicated to helping students succeed academically. It provides services such as tutoring and writing assistance.

Academic Year
A period of time schools use to measure a quantity of study. SCC's academic year consists of fall, spring, and summer semesters  Generally, the fall semester is August to December; the spring semester is January to May; and the summer semester is May to July.

Academic Standing
How well a student is learning, based on their grade point average (GPA).

Accommodations
Students with documented disabilities qualify for reasonable and appropriate services, equipment, or allowances that support the student’s educational goals.

Accreditation
Stanly Community College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award Associate degrees. SCC also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of Stanly Community College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).

ACT
A test published by American College Testing which measures a student’s aptitude in mathematical and verbal comprehension and problem solving. 

Advisor
A professional staff member who helps students with academic planning. Advisors assist with course selection, understanding degree requirements, and navigating academic policies to help students achieve their educational and career goals.

Alumna/Alumnus (Alumni)
A female/male (group) who attended or graduated from SCC.

Apply 
The process of requesting admission to SCC by submitting an application.

Articulation Agreement
A formal agreement between SCC and another college or university outlining how courses and credits from one institution will transfer and apply towards a degree or program at another institution.

Associate’s Degree
An award conferred by SCC that a student has completed an academic program comprised of between 64-76 total credit hours.

Adjunct Faculty
Part-time instructors hired to teach specific courses on a course-by-course basis.  

Adult Basic Education
Courses designed primarily for students 16 years of age and older to improve basic skills in reading, writing, and arithmetic. These courses are not included in college-level academic programs. 

Bachelor’s Degree
An undergraduate academic degree awarded by a college or university that proves a student has completed an academic program comprised of approximately 120 semester credit hours.

Catalog
A resource of all academic policies and procedures, college and degree requirements, faculty, and course descriptions.

CCP: Career & College Promise
Tuition-free college courses taken during high school that lead to college credits and job training.

CEC: Crutchfield Education Center
SCC's Allied Health signature location based in Locust, NC. 

Census Date
The 10% mark in the course, by which time students must attend (if in-person) or submit an assignment in (if online) the course to remain enrolled.

Certificate
A program typically consisting of 12 to 18 total credit hours that is designed for students to gain knowledge or skills that to lead to employment or retraining. 

CCR: College & Career Readiness
CCR offers preparation courses including Adult Basic Education, Adult High School, Career Readiness Certificate (WorkKeys), English as a Second Language, High School Equivalency, & Human Resource Development. 

Continuing Education
Classes for individuals that need training in their vocation or professional field, basic skills knowledge, or for those who may wish to enhance their personal or community life.  Also called ConEd, these courses sometimes can lead to college credits to be applied to a certificate, diploma, or degree.

Commencement
A formal ceremony in which the college awards certificates, diplomas, or degrees to graduating students at the end of the Spring semester.

Cohort
A specific group of students established for tracking purposes.  Sometimes, a cohort of students takes all their classes together for the full length of a program.

Course
A specific subject studied within a limited period of time. 

Credit Hours
A measure for the amount of academic work required for a course. One credit hour corresponds to one hour of classroom instruction and two hours of homework (or three hours of lab time) per week for a semester that is 16 weeks long.  For 8-week mini-semesters, one credit hour corresponds to two hours of classroom instruction and four hours of homework (or six hours of lab time) per week.

Curriculum
The courses that meet the requirements for an academic program.

Degree
An award conferred by SCC as official recognition for the successful completion of a program of study with between 64-76 credit hours. 

Diploma
An award conferred by SCC as official recognition for the successful completion of entry-level employment training. 

Disability Services
Reasonable academic support services that empower students who have disabilities to competitively pursue postsecondary education. 

Disbursement

The process by which financial aid funds are made available to students for use in meeting educational and related living expenses. Funds are applied directly to the student’s account at the SCC Business Office.

Drop/Add Period
A designated timeframe at the beginning of each semester during which students can adjust their class schedules without negative academic consequences.

Dual Credit
A program through which high school students are enrolled in college courses that fulfill high school graduation requirements and earn the student college credits. 

Faculty
Persons hired by SCC to provide instruction in an academic program. Faculty may also include the supervising employees in academic programs who provide organization, support, and may also teach. 

Fall Term or Fall Semester
The part of the academic year that occurs between mid-August and late November. 

FAFSA: Free Application for Federal Student Aid
A form that students fill out to apply for financial aid. It determines eligibility for federal, state, and institutional financial aid based on the student’s and their family’s financial situation.

Fees
Fees are additional charges that cover various services and resources provided by SCC (i.e. technology, lab usage, parking, and other student services).

FERPA
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. 

Financial Aid
Grants, loans, scholarships, fellowships, tuition waivers, tuition discounts, veteran’s benefits, employer aid (tuition reimbursement) and other monies (other than from relatives/friends) provided to students to meet expenses. 

Food Pantry
A free, confidential resource offering food and basic needs.  SCC has a food pantry in the Student Life Center (Patterson 231) in Albemarle and at the Crutchfield Education Center in Locust.

Full Time Schedule
A class schedule where the student is enrolled in 12 or more credit hours per semester.

FTE: Full Time Equivalent
A measure of student enrollment equal to one student enrolled full-time for 12 credit hours or equal to two or more students enrolled in fewer credit hours by each student but totaling a combined 12 credit hours.

GED: General Educational Development
The General Educational Development (GED) test enables individuals to demonstrate that they have acquired a level of learning comparable to that of high school graduates.  SCC offers a different set of tests for high school equivalency. 

GPA: Grade Point Average
Students earn quality points based on their grades in classes (for A, B, C, F grades).  The grade point average for an undergraduate student is determined by adding all accumulated quality points together, and then dividing by the total number of credit hours the student has attempted.

Grant
A form of financial aid that doesn’t need to be repaid and is given to students based on financial need, merit, or specific eligibility criteria.

In-State Student
A student who is a legal resident of the state in which he/she attends school. 

In-State Tuition
The tuition charged by institutions to those students who meet the state’s residency requirements.

 

Laboratory (lab)
A classroom where students apply material in small-group situations that include experiments, assignments, and projects. A lab course typically has an “L” after the course number.

LRC: Learning Resource Center (Library)
Found on both our Albemarle Campus and at our Crutchfield Education Center in Locust, this is a quiet place for studying, using computers, copiers, book and media checkout, and tutoring.

Mid-term exam
An (often major) examination given in the middle of the semester that tests the student’s knowledge of information taught in the course from the beginning of the course up until the time of examination.

Non-credit course
A class that typically meets less frequently than a credit course and that contributes toward personal or occupational development.

Out-of-State Student
A student who is not a legal resident of the state in which he/she attends school.

Out-of-State Tuition
Tuition charged by institutions to those students who do not meet the institution’s or state’s residency requirements. 

Part-time student
An undergraduate student with a course load of less than 12 credit hours.

Part-Time Schedule
A class schedule where the student is enrolled in fewer than 12 credit hours per semester.

Pre-Requisite
A course or requirement that a student must complete before enrolling in a more advanced course, to ensure students have the necessary background knowledge and skills for success.

Registration
Students select courses to take and work with their advisor to complete the computerized steps to sign up for the class(es)..

Residency
A student's status as a resident of the state, which can affect tuition rates; residents often qualify for lower in-state tuition. Residency status is determined based on various factors, including where the student has lived for a certain period and their legal ties to the state.

SCC: Stanly Community College

Scholarship
A financial award given to students based on specific requirements (i.e. academic achievement, field of study, county of residence). Unlike loans, scholarships do not need to be repaid. They can be provided by schools, private organizations, or community groups.

Self-Service
A webpage where students can track degree progress, communicate with their Success Coach, and register for classes. 

Semester 
A period of study of approximately 16 weeks or two eight-week terms for Fall and Spring semesters and one 11-week or two five-week terms for Summer semester.

Special Credit
A program wherein visiting or non-degree seeking students can take curriculum courses. 

Syllabus
A document provided for each course that outlines the course objectives, topics to be covered, schedule of classes and assignments, grading criteria, and other important policies.

Success Coach
SCC's staff members who provide academic advising and guide students through curriculum requirements and the transition to college life.

Transcript
An official record of a student's academic history, including courses taken, grades received, GPA, and degrees earned.

Tuition
The amount of money that colleges charge for coursework and other instruction. Tuition can vary widely between educational institutions, and does not cover fees, cost of books, and other materials.

Work-Study
A financial aid program that provides part-time jobs for students with financial need, allowing them to earn money to help pay for their education. The jobs are designed to accommodate students' academic schedules.

Withdrawal
The process of officially coming out of a course after the Census Date. While withdrawals do not impact GPA, they do show on transcripts and impact completion percentages.