Important Abbreviations and Terms

The following abreviations and terms are found in the College catalog, schedules, and other printed materials:

AA	Associate of Arts Degree (2 year college degree)
A&R	Admissions and Records Office
AS	Associate of Science Degree (2 year college degree)
BA	Bachelor of Arts Degree (4 year college degree)
BS	Bachelor of Science Degree (4 year college degree)
CAN	California Articulation Number
CSU	California State University
EOPS	Extended Opportunity Programs & Services
ESL	English as a Second Language
FAFSA	Federal Family Education Loan Program
GE	General Education
GPA	Grade Point Average
IGETC	Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum
LRC	Learning Resources Center
SSS	Student Support Services
TAA	Transfer Admissions Agreement
TBA	To Be Announced
UC	University of California

Academic Probation	Status of a student who has earned a GPA below 2.0 in all A-F graded units.
Academic Renewal	A policy that allows a student who meets specific criteria to have disregarded a portion of previous COS substandard college work which is not reflective of the student's demonstrated ability.
Accreditation	A system of voluntary, non-governmental self-regulation whereby an institution evaluates itself in accordance with standards of good practice and accepts the obligation to undergo periodic evaluation through self-study and professional peer review. COS is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
Certificate Programs	These are occupational and vocational programs requiring fewer units of course work to complete; they concentrate only on those courses that are essential to prepare the student for employment. Certificate programs typically take three to four semesters to complete.
Incomplete Grade	"I" symbol on the student's record indicating incomplete academic work because of an unforeseeable emergency and/or justifiable reasons at the end of the term. Students must petition the instructor in order to receive this notation.
Lower Division	Freshman or Sophomore level course work.
Matriculation	A process which brings COS and a student into an agreement for the purpose of realizing the student's educational objectives.
Non-degree Applicable	Certain courses which do not count towards the 60 unit requirement for an Associate Degree at COS.
Prerequisite	Requirements students must meet prior to enrolling in a particular course.
Prerequisite Challenge	A process to petition the requirements students must complete prior to enrolling in a particular course.
Probation	A warning status that the proper academic or progress standard is not being met.
Progress Probation	Status of a student who failed to complete at least 50% of the cumulative units for which the student was registered.
Registration	Official process of enrolling in class and paying the required fees.
Resident	For California Community College fee purposes, a resident is one who has established both physical presence and intent to make California his/her permanent home for one year and one day prior to the first day of the term for which he/she wishes to attend.
Semester	The academic year from August to May is divided into two 17-week semesters. Students receive grades at the end of each semester.
Transcript	A copy of a student's academic record at a specific high school or college.
Transfer Courses	Classes which are accepted for credit at four-year colleges toward a Bachelor's degree. The course descriptions in the catalog and schedule specify whether a course is transferable to UC or CSU.
Transfer Admission Agreement	Guaranteed admission agreements with participating unversities for eligible students.
Undergraduate	College freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior.
Unit	Amount of credit given to a class.
Withdrawal	Process by which the student officially drops and class in a term. Failure to officially drop a class can result in a grade of "F" or "NC".

Please send any comments or questions about this site to Hostmaster .
© 2008 College of the Siskiyous. All rights reserved.