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TWU Academic Definitions

• Academic Adviser: The person assigned to you by your college who helps in planning your course of study.
• Audit: A class for which you have registered, but for which you will receive no academic credit. The fee is the same as for a course taken for credit. NOTE: Audited courses do not count toward full-time status for Immigration.
• Classification: You are classified on the basis of the number of semester hours you have completed. The undergraduate classifications are:
  Freshman 0-29 hours
  Sophomore 30-59 hours
  Junior 60-89 hours
  Senior 90 + hours
• College: A major academic unit of the university. Texas Woman's University is divided into seven colleges: Arts & Sciences, Education and Human Ecology, Library and Information Studies, Health Sciences, Nursing, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy.
• Course Number: The catalog number of each course. Courses numbered from 1001-1990 are primarily for freshman, 2000-2990 for sophomores, 3000-3990 for juniors, 4000-4990 for seniors, and 5000+ for graduate students. The final number in the course numbers generally states the credit value of the course.
• Credit Hours: The number of hours a class meets per week. You accumulate credit hours toward the number required for graduation. A simple way to remember this is by using the word "points". Each class is worth a certain amount of points (credit hours) and in order to graduate, you have to accumulate a particular amount of points or credit hours.
• Dead Week: The week before final examinations each semester. During this week, student organizations do not plan any activities; this allows you time to study for final examinations.
• Drop: Withdrawing from a course during the semester. You can drop a course until the end of the third week of the semester without academic penalty (that is, without it appearing on your transcript). After this date (look in the Schedule of Classes for the drop dates), you can drop a class, but you will receive a grade on your transcript. In order to drop a course, you must file a written request. Non-attendance of class does not constitute a drop and a grade of WF (withdrew failing) is figured into your GPA! Remember, you must not drop below the number of credit hours required by Immigration.
• Elective: A course that you may choose in order to fulfill degree requirements, but it is not a specifically required course for your major.
• Grade Point Average: A general indication of your academic standing. For each credit hour that you earn an A, you receive 4 points; for each credit hour that you earn a B, you receive 3 points, a C, 2 points; a D, 1 point; and an F, 0 points. To compute your GPA, determine the total number of grade points earned, and divide by the total number of credit hours.
  Example: COURSE 1013 B 3 credit hours x 3 points = 9 points
  COURSE 3542 A 2 credit hours x 4 points = 8 points
  COURSE 1023 C 3 credit hours x 2 points = 6 points
  COURSE 4514 B 4 credit hours x 3 points = 12 points
  12 CREDIT HOURS = 35 POINTS
  GPA = 35 points/12 hours = 2.92
• Incomplete: A Grade ("I") given to a student who is passing work in a class, but cannot finish the course work by the end of the semester. This grade is given at the discretion of the instructor and only for serious illness or other legitimate extenuating circumstances. You then have one year in which to complete the course work.
• Plagiarism: To use someone else's words or ideas and claim them as your own. Plagiarism is a serious academic offense and could result in a failing grade or dismissal from the University.
• Prerequisite: A course that must be taken before you can enroll in a more advanced course. These can be found listed in the Undergraduate Catalog course descriptions.
• Probation: If you are admitted on academic probation and do not maintain a cumulative TWU GPA of 2.0 or above by the end of the spring semester, you may be dismissed from the university. It is also possible to be placed on probation after being admitted to the university if your cumulative TWU GPA drops below 2.0.
• Transcript: Your official academic record. This records all classes for which you have received a letter grade or other letter notation (I - Incomplete, W - Withdrew, WF - Withdrew Failing, AU - Audit), as well as transfer courses. Transcripts are only issued by the Transcript Office.