Terms/Glossary
POST SECONDARY GLOSSARY
Admission – Being allowed into an institution, faculty or program once the entrance requirements are met. (Conditional admission is usually first offered before a high school student has graduated)
Admission Requirements – A set of rules that each post secondary institution outlines for students to follow in order to gain acceptance into the institution. These can include specific courses, grade point average, portfolio work, letter of intent etc.
Application – Formal way of notifying a post secondary institution that you want to be a student there.
Apprenticeship – A systematic program of on-the-job training supplemented by in-school instruction. Students must be employed in a trade area and become registered through their employer.
Associate Degree – Degree granted after completion of a two-year post secondary program (sometimes used as a transfer degree towards completion of a bachelor’s degree).
Adult Basic Education – Allows students to upgrade their education to an equivalent of Grade 12 academic completion.
Applied Degree – A degree in an applied subject such as: accounting, interior design or forest technology.
Baccalaureate – A bachelor’s degree, awarded in recognition of completion of an undergraduate program of post secondary studies.
Bachelor’s Degree – Granted by a post secondary institution after completion of a four-year degree program (120 credits = 40 credit courses), often with a specific Major, Minor or Concentration.
Bursary – A non-repayable grant given based on financial need.
Career/technical – An applied program of study involving theoretical and practical knowledge, usually leading directly to a certificate or diploma (one or two years of study) leading to employment in a specific career.
Certificate – A formal credential awarded upon successful completion of a program of study, Certificate programs often require up to one year of study.
College or Community College – Institution offering associate degrees, two-year programs, university transfer courses, and applied degrees focusing on education rather than research; also refers to divisions within a university system (such as at the University of Toronto, St. George Campus).
Concurrent Studies – A BC secondary school student who is taking post secondary credit courses while in secondary school is enrolled in concurrent studies.
Continuing Education – non-credit courses, lectures, workshops, and seminars, usually offered in the evening or on weekends in a variety of areas, such as: general interest, employment, language skills, vocational, and business.
Cooperative or Co-op (Program) – The system of having paid work placements, usually four to eight months, as a component of a program of study.
Diploma – A formal credential issued to a student who has successfully completed a program that is usually not less than two academic years of full-time study geared towards employment in a particular career.
Doctorate – A degree granted after four years of doctoral studies once a student has completed a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree. Most commonly designated as PhD.
Graduate Program – Program leading towards a master’s degree. Humanities – Human related programs. (e.g. history, languages, literature and philosophy)
Liberal Arts – Non-technical studies conducted in the humanities and social sciences leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree. Major – In universities, the specialization in one discipline, usually during the third and fourth years of study.
Master’s Degree – Once a student has completed a Bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree can be completed. They vary in length from 1 – 2 years.
Minor – A secondary academic focus pursued as a supplement or accent to a major program.
PASBC – Post secondary application service of BC PEN# - Your 9 digit personal education number necessary for applications and exams.
Post Secondary – Relating to the education of individuals after completion of secondary school requirements.
Prerequisite – Requirement(s) that must be met before students may register in a particular course.
Private Institution – An institution that relies primarily on non-governmental sources of financial support.
Public Institution – An institution that receives the majority of funding through the government.
Scholarship – A monetary award given on the basis of academic standing and various criteria.
Social Sciences – Studies related to social groups, more specifically human society such as: economics, sociology, anthropology, and psychology.
Technical Institute – A post secondary institution offering technical and applied training.
Transcript – Official academic records detailing place and time of study, courses completed and grades achieved.
Undergraduate – A student at a university who has not yet completed a first degree.
Undergraduate Program – Program leading towards a bachelor’s degree.
University – In BC, a post secondary institution that offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.
University Transfer – credit programs of study, usually in arts, social sciences, and science courses, which are transferable toward degree programs at universities.
Viewbook – An annual publication, issued each year by post-secondary institutions to provide information regarding academic programs, admission requirements, and related topics.
All terms are from https://www.sd43.bc.ca/school/gleneagle/SiteCollectionDocuments/Planning%2010%20Post%20Secondary%20Glossary.pdf