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2018-2019

The Undergraduate Calendar

 

 

The Undergraduate Studies Calendar

Glossary of Terms

Glossary of Terms

The Glossary of Terms for undergraduate students is as follows:

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M|N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z
Term Description
A Back to top
Academic career Undergraduate (UG)
Academic level One of 1A, 1B, ... , 4A, or 4B. For some plans, advancement of level depends on the successful completion of the previous term whereas others depend on successful completion of a specified number of units. See determination of level and term of study in this Calendar for more details.
Academic plan A set of courses, a number of which may be mandatory and of a specialized nature, leading toward a particular degree, option, or minor.
Academic program See academic plan
Academic standing An academic indicator of your overall progress towards earning a degree. Examples of positive standings are excellent, good, and satisfactory. Many other standings may be conditional, i.e., you need to pass the stated condition to remain in your program. If you have concerns or questions regarding your standing, please contact your advisor. Advisor contact information can be accessed through the Advisors web page or find the corresponding department in the Departmental Telephone Directory.
Add status This term refers to the result of your attempt to add a class to your schedule. After you select FINISH ENROLLING, either a checkmark for success or a red X for error will appear. You should also look for any messages that appear in the Message column to the left of the Status column.
AEG Aegrotat: Credit granted due to illness or extenuating circumstances. More than 50% of the course work must have been completed with a passing grade.
Antirequisite A condition preventing enrolment in a course. The most common antirequisites are courses that have significant overlap. Degree credit will not be granted for both the antirequisite course and a course naming it as such.
Associated class (Assoc. Class) The number assigned to each component (i.e., Primary Component/Meet, Related 1, and/or Related 2) that links the components together for selection purposes.

For example, if you select a primary component/meet with an associated class number of 1, the Related 1, and/or Related 2 components must be chosen from those with the same class association number. This number appears in the associated class category of the schedule of classes.

Note: An associated class number of 99 means that any time slot within each related component may be chosen.
AUD Audit: Student enrolled in the course but no credit granted.
Audit If a student audits a course, the student is allowed to participate in the course without being examined on its content. The student must see the instructor at the beginning of a course to establish the conditions that will need to be satisfied to receive AUD for the course. A Course Override form is also required.
Auto enrol Auto enrolment takes place when you do not have a choice of related meets. Related 1 and/or Related 2 components/meets are automatically assigned when you add the primary component for the course.
B Back to top
BAFM (Bachelor of Accounting and Financial Management) This is a requirement designation: Accounting and Financial Management area of interest.
Building room (Bldg Room) The building and room where the individual meet will be held.
C Back to top
Campus (Camp Loc) The campus indicates which institution offers the course. Most courses are offered through the main University of Waterloo campus, but some are offered through an Affiliated and Federated Institution of Waterloo such as Renison, or in co-operation with another university, such as Wilfrid Laurier University (Laurier).
Catalog number (Catalog #) The three- or four-digit number that identifies a particular course (e.g., AFM 121). It sometimes has one or more letter(s) as a suffix (e.g., FR 192A).
CERT This is a requirement designation: Certificate
Class enrolment The process of selecting and enrolling in courses for a particular term via Quest prior to final date for fee arrangement, having them approved, and recorded with the Registrar's Office. Some programs or plans may require mandatory core courses to be entered by the Registrar's Office. Deadlines apply. See the calendar of events and academic deadlines in this Calendar or the important dates information.
Class notes Text included with some courstes that provides you with information or instructions regarding the course.
Class number (Class) A four-digit number that identifies a particular course component/meet and class section (e.g., 1597 LEC 001; 1879 LAB 101).
Class permission nbr See permission nbr
Class section nbr (Sec) See section
CLC This is a requirement designation: No credit granted, in average.
CLF This is a requirement designation: Fail cleared.
Clinic (CLN) This is a primary meet where teaching is devoted to the analysis and treatment of cases in various special fields normally in a specially equipped clinic setting. There may be a high student/instructor ratio. The frequency of meetings can be as many as five per week for a total contact time of 45 hours.
CLR This is a requirement designation: No credit granted, not in average.
Combined sections Two or more sections may be combined if class size permits. Classes will be taught as a single class with one instructor, one location, same time (e.g., AMATH 332/PMATH 332). Also referred to as held with. Choose from the section that is suited to you.
Component (Comp Sec) The term used to refer to the various parts of courses (e.g., lectures, labs, tutorials, etc.). Also see course components.
Corequisite A course that must be taken concurrently, if it has not been taken in a prior term.
Course A unit of study relating to a specific academic discipline and identified by a course/subject name and number. All course names have abbreviations (e.g., Psychology 101 is abbreviated to PSYCH 101). See the course abbreviations in the undergraduate course description index of this Calendar.
Course abbreviations A maximum of six letters is used to identify course subjects. See the course abbreviations in the undergraduate course description index of this Calendar.
Course catalog The listing of courses which includes the description, requisites, terms offered, and special notes.
Course components Course component is a term used to refer to the various types of course meets.

Listed below are the available course components used in the schedule of classes. Click on the link beside the course component for the description.

CLN (clinic)
DIS (discussion)
ENS (ensemble)
ESS (essay)
FLD (field studies)
FLT (flight)
LAB (laboratory)
LEC (lecture)
OLN (online)
ORL (oral conversation)
PRA (practicum)
PRJ (project)
RDG (reading)
SEM (seminar)
STU (studio)
TLC (test slot - lecture)
TST (test slot)
TUT (tutorial)
WRK (work term)
WSP (workshop)
Course ID (number) The six-digit number identifying the course; leading zeros are ignored.
Course title The title of the course. When searching for courses in Quest, you may specify the course title or the course title keyword in the description field.
Course value See unit
Course selection week The process of making course requests for a future term using Quest and completed in a block of time (approximately one week in length) before open class enrolment begins for that future term. Faculties will make teaching plans using this course demand data. Visit the course selection offerings list for undergraduate students to view the available future term courses.
CR Credit: Credit granted for the course but not included in any average calculation.
Credential A degree, diploma, or certificate.
Credit See unit
Cross-listed courses Courses which are listed under two departments and which can be taken for credit from either department, but not both.
Cross-registration An arrangement between the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University (Laurier) which enables students of either University to take courses at the other institution; the purpose is to provide access to courses which are not offered at a student's home institution. Tuition and related fees, including fees for cross-registered courses, are payable at Waterloo. Students are responsible for additional costs to Laurier specific to course(s), such as costs for online courses. See cross-registration with Wilfrid Laurier University in this Calendar for more information.
CRSE This is a requirement designation: Course requirement exception.
D Back to top
Definitions The definitions listed below apply to the schedule of classes' abbreviations. Click on the link beside the definition for the description.

Subject (course abbreviations)
Catalog# (catalog number)
Units (unit)
Title (course title)
Class (class number)
Comp Sec (component, section, and course components)
Camp Loc (campus and also location)
Assoc. Class (associated class)
Rel 1 (related component 1)
Rel 2 (related component 2)
Enrl Cap (enrolment capacity)
Enrl Tot (enrolment total)
Wait Cap (waitlist capacity) (not in use)
Wait Tot (waitlist total) (not in use)
Time Days/Date (week days)
Bldg Room (building/room)
Instructor (instructor)

Also see schedule of classes definitions.
Department A department is a smaller subset within a faculty, such as the Department of Mechanical Engineering, in the Faculty of Engineering.
Discussion (DIS) Teaching is based primarily on engaging the students in instructor-guided group discussions. The student/instructor ratio is similar to a seminar. The course is usually held in a smaller teaching or seminar room to facilitate more group involvement. Usually there is one meeting per week for a total contact time of one to three hours.
DNW Did Not Write Examination: A course grade of INC or NMR not appropriate. No credit granted. The Average Calculation Value is 32.
DRNA This is a requirement designation: Degree requirement, not in average.
DRNC This is a requirement designation: Degree requirement, not in average, not in fail count.
Drop Drops the course from your schedule. If you drop a course after lectures have begun, consequences may apply. Each term there are deadlines after which you may not drop courses from your schedule without penalties. For more important date information:

See the calendar of events and academic deadlines in this Calendar or the important dates information.

You can't drop your last class from your schedule. That is, if you only have one class on your schedule and you want to drop it, you'll have to complete an Undergraduate Notice of Withdrawal form and submit it to the Registrar's Office so that you can be withdrawn from your course.
Drop to waitlist The waitlist feature is currently not in use, but may be implemented in the  future.
E Back to top
Elective A course not specifically required for a degree but counting towards it, to be chosen freely by the student either from within a specified group of courses or more broadly from courses offered anywhere across the University of Waterloo.
ENGL This is a requirement designation: English proficiency
Enrolment capacity (Enrol Cap) Indicates the maximum number of students allowed to enrol in each section.
Enrolment requirement group A group of requisites for the course that restricts the course to certain students.
Enrolment total (Enrol Tot) Indicates the number of students currently enrolled in each section.
Ensemble (ENS) A primary meet where instruction is conducted by means of evaluating musical performance amongst a group of supporting players. Usually these meets are held in a specially equipped room with one to two meetings per week for a total contact time of three to four hours.
Error message See undergraduate error messages
Essay (ESS) A primary meet where evaluation is normally based on a formal written piece of work that contains a thesis, substantiated by an argument that is properly referenced. Students work independently in consultation with an instructor. Contact is usually three hours per week.
F Back to top
Faculty One of Applied Health Sciences, Arts, Engineering, Environment, Mathematics, and Science.
Fee arrangement The process of paying tuition, housing, and other applicable fees to the University of Waterloo for a specified four-month term. If a student anticipates that these fees, or a portion thereof, will be covered through an approved source of financial aid, the student must provide proof of this amount, along with a signed Promissory Note (and payment of the balance, if applicable) by the deadline indicated for that term. Detailed information and forms are available through the Student Financial Services website.
Field studies (FLD) A primary meet where teaching is conducted outside the classroom. Work is with the primary materials in their original setting. Meetings are usually one to three per week for a total contact time of one to three hours.
Flight (FLT) The flight component is held off campus at the Region of Waterloo International Airport. The practical application of flight material learned in the primary meet section. Student to instructor ratio is very low. Flights are usually two to four times per week for a total contact time of three to six hours.
FTC Failure to Complete: Course requirements not complete. No credit granted. The Average Calculation Value is 32.
Full-time student A student is considered a full-time student when their course load reaches or exceeds 1.5 units in a four-month term. Full-time students are assessed applicable co-operative and incidental fees if their on-campus course load reaches or exceeds 1.5 units in a four-month term. Note: Students need to be aware that fewer than 1.5 on-campus credits will generate only part-time incidentals and may require students to self-enrol in supplementary health and dental coverage and other student services.
G Back to top
GPA (grade point average) Your GPA is a direct calculation of your unit-weighted average using your numeric grades and the weight/value of each grade in units.
Grading options Numeric grading basis:
All faculties use numeric grades on a scale from 0 to 100. Any grade between 0 and 32 is treated as having a value of 32 when averages for promotions and awards are calculated.

Non-graded component:
For class components that are not graded or for classes where the grade is included in the primary component, e.g., a quiz may be written during a tutorial (TUT) session but the grade is included in the lecture component.

See non-numeric grades/grade status, transcript legend for details of grades other than 0-100.
Grading system All faculties use numeric grades on a scale from 0 to 100. Any grade between 0 and 32 is treated as having a value of 32 when averages for promotions and awards are calculated.

Averages are reported in all faculties as percentages.

Grades for all courses taken before Fall 2001 appear either as one of 15 letter grades from A+ through F- or as numeric grades from 0 to 100. The following conversion scale applies for Waterloo courses taken before Fall 2001 and Wilfrid Laurier University (Laurier) courses with a letter grade. "Average Calculation Values" are used for calculating averages for students with letter grades on their records.

See the transcript legend for the conversion scale for courses taken from fall 1971 to spring 2001 and the key to grades for courses taken prior to fall 1971.
H Back to top
HCGC This is a requirement designation: Honours credit for general course.
Held with Two or more sections may be combined if class size permits. Classes will be taught as a single class with one instructor, one location, same time, e.g., AMATH 332/PMATH 332. Also see combined sections. Choose from the section that is suited to you.
Holds See service holds/indicators
Honours A term sometimes used to refer to a recognition of excellence that you have received. If you graduate with honours such as the "Dean's Honours List," you will have this notation appear on official University transcripts and diplomas. For details of what honours are available for your plan, look under your faculty/department in this Calendar.
Honours program An honours undergraduate program usually leads to a Bachelor's degree. Honours programs are more demanding than general programs, both with regard to content and the number of required courses.
I Back to top
INC Incomplete Course: Course requirements not complete. INC should only be assigned when an instructor approves the completion of outstanding course element(s) after final grades have been submitted.
Instructor The name of the instructor for the individual component/meet.
IP In Progress: Course requirements not complete. No grade has been assigned and no credit granted at this time. The course is in progress as a result of the course design or delivery rather than the student's performance. A final grade replaces the IP grade(s) when the coursework has been completed. Students intending to graduate must resolve any IP grades by completing the course or accepting an FTC grade.
IXFR This is a requirement designation: Internal transfer credit.
L Back to top
Laboratory (LAB) Teaching takes place in a room containing special purpose equipment required for student observation, participation, experimentation, or practice. Usually, but not always, a LAB is attached to a regular Lecture (LEC), and frequently the instructors for both lecture and lab are the same. There may be a high student/instructor ratio. Normally there are one to three meetings per week for a total contact time of one to three hours.
Laurier See Wilfrid Laurier University - although the official acronym is Laurier, it is sometimes known as WLU in Quest or the Schedule of Classes.
Lecture (LEC) Teaching normally takes place in a classroom setting. Instruction is usually in the form of a series of lectures that meet one to four times per week for a total contact time of two to four hours. Typically, there is a large student/instructor ratio. The total class size should be normally more than three students; therefore, when a lecture section is combined with another lecture section (undergraduate or graduate), enrolment may be limited to less than three students in either one of the class sections.
Letter of permission A document permitting a student to take specified courses at another university to be considered for credit toward a particular University of Waterloo degree.
Location (Camp Loc) The location indicates where the actual course takes place. Most locations are Canada; however, some programs allow you to study abroad. Department consent is usually required. If the course is offered online through the Centre for Extended Learning (CEL), the location code is ONLINE (ONLN).
LOP This is a requirement designation: Course taken on letter of permission.
M Back to top
MACA This is a requirement designation: Only include in major average and cumulative average.
Major The area(s) of academic emphasis selected in either an honours or a general plan. Details of course and average requirements are given in this Calendar.
MAJR This is a requirement designation: Include in major average by exception.
Maximum units In the enrolment appointment page, the maximum is the limit to the number of courses you may take. To override the maximum units, first consult a faculty advisor.
MDVL This is a requirement designation: Medieval course content.
Meet See component
Milestones See non-course milestones
Minor A group of approved courses taken by a student in an honours plan or a four-year or three-year general plan in a subject outside the "major" area. Details of course and average requirements are given in the faculty sections of this Calendar.
MM Missing Mark: No credit granted and not included in any average calculation.
MTEX This is a requirement designation: Removed from average/credit count by Math Faculty.
N Back to top
NACC This is a requirement designation: Not accountable - faculty transfer.
NCR No Credit: Treated as a failed course. Not included in any average calculation.
NG No Grade: Course in progress and cannot be dropped by the student.
NMR No Mark Reported: The student did not attend classes and no term work was submitted. No credit granted and the Average Calculation Value is 32.
New Waterloo Students New students enrolled in their first term of study at the University of Waterloo. This includes transfer students from another university enrolled in their first term of study at the University of Waterloo. This does not include Waterloo students transferring from one faculty to another faculty at Waterloo.
Non-course milestones Milestones are required components that must be passed to satisfy degree requirements or be promoted to the next academic level.
Non-graded standings See non-numeric grades/grade status, transcript legend
Non-numeric grades The list of acronyms on the transcript legend may be assigned to your grade for a course on your transcript instead of a percentage value. See the transcript legend for grades prior to 2001 and a key to grades prior to Fall 1971.
NRNA This is a requirement designation: Not required, not in average.
O Back to top
Official transcript A record of your courses, grades earned, units obtained towards degree, and more. If graduate schools or employers require your transcript, an official transcript is usually ordered through the Registrar's Office.
Open classes only This searching option will list only classes with spaces available to enrol in; that is, they are not full.
Open enrolment During this period, enrolment is open to all students; this period is usually longer than enrolment appointments.
Open entry/exit classes only Currently, the University of Waterloo has no open entry classes. A future update may use this feature.
Option An option is a specified selection of courses that provides a secondary emphasis in an academic plan. The secondary emphasis is meant to provide depth, beyond the primary discipline of the plan. The secondary emphasis may be in another subject area or in a career-oriented area. An option typically stipulates fewer courses than a minor. Details of course and average requirements are given in faculty sections of this Calendar.
Oral conversation (ORL) Teaching is based primarily on engaging the students in instructor-guided group discussions and verbal interaction, usually in a language other than English. The student/instructor ratio is similar to a seminar. The course is usually held in a smaller teaching or seminar room to facilitate more group involvement. Usually there is one meeting per week for a total contact time of one hour.
P Back to top
Part-time student A student is considered a part-time student when their course load is less than 1.5 units in a four-month term.
Permission nbr (Number) A special number required to authorize enrolment in some courses or to override class size limits. See Quest for more permission number information.
Plan See academic plan
Practicum (PRA) Supervised placement time in a work setting exercising practical routines and techniques related to a particular academic plan or option. This is a secondary or tertiary meet where research and analytical skills are demonstrated based on the practical application of material learned in the primary meet. Usually a formal report summarizing the skills learned is required. Facility requirements will vary by discipline. In some disciplines the course may need a specially equipped room and may meet off campus. Meetings are usually one to three per week for a total contact time of three to 10 hours.
Prerequisite The requirement(s) that must be met in order to be eligible to enrol in a course. Prerequisites may include passed courses, registration in a specific program or plan and an academic level or academic standing.
Primary component/meet The main component/meet for the course. It's the first component listed for every course, and the class section number beings with a "0" (e.g., LEC 001).
Program See academic plan
Project (PRJ) Similar to the reading component, learning usually takes place as a result of independent study/research. However, in this case it makes use of special purpose equipment for student observation, participation, experimentation, or practice. This component is used at the undergraduate level only. There is usually a smaller student/instructor ratio.
Q Back to top
Quest The University of Waterloo's student information system.
R Back to top
Reading (RDG) Unlike lecture, seminar, and discussion, learning takes place as a result of student independent study under the supervision of an instructor. Normally there is a one to one student/instructor ratio, although, there may be several students studying the same topic with the same instructor. Typically, there is no defined time/room booking and usually the student(s) meet with the instructor on an informal basis.
Registered status Under student finances, the status of their arrangement with the University of Waterloo for payment is shown in registered status. Check Student Financial Services for more information on student fees, including fee payment instructions and deadlines.

Enrol request:
Fees have not been arranged. Full payment is expected at the specified deadlines.

Fees arranged:
Fees have been arranged and payment is expected when the student has received funds (e.g., from Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), or scholarships).

Co-op:
Student is on co-op term.
Related component 1 (Rel 1) The second component/meet of the course. It begins with a "1" in the leading position of the class section number (e.g., LAB 101).
Related component 2 (Rel 2) The third component/meet of the course. It begins with a "2" in the leading position of the class section number (e.g., TUT 201).
Requirement designations Detailed information is available on the transcript legend.
Reserve capacity The portion of a class enrolment capacity that is reserved for a particular group of students. This designation appears on the schedule of classes, directly beneath each section that has a reserve capacity assigned.

Schedule of classes example:

KIN 100 (offered in the winter term 2017)

Reserve: HLTH students
Reserve: KIN students
Returning Waterloo Students Returning Waterloo students who have completed at least one term of study at the University of Waterloo and are enrolled in a subsequent term. This includes Waterloo students transferring from one faculty to another faculty at Waterloo.
RPL Supplemental grade confirming a failed course has been replaced by a suitable alternative passed course.
S Back to top
Schedule of Classes The online list of classes offered for a particular term, with details such as times, locations, and instructors.
See Schedule of Classes for Undergraduate Students
See Schedule of Classes definitions
SDEV This is a requirement designation: Social Development Studies theme.
Section (Sec) The three-digit number that identifies a particular section of a course component/meet (e.g., LEC 001).
Seminar (SEM) Teaching normally takes place in a less formal teaching atmosphere than a lecture. There is typically a smaller student/instructor ratio than with a lecture. The course is usually held in a smaller teaching or seminar room to facilitate more group interaction than occurs in a lecture course. Usually there is one meeting per week for a total contact time of one to three hours.
Service holds/indicators A hold is a notice that may affect your use of Quest, or your interaction with the University of Waterloo. For instance, if you owe fees or other goods, or have committed an academic offence, you may find a Hold placed on your account. Holds may prevent you from receiving transcripts, or enrolling yourself using Quest. See the instructions on the How do I remove a hold (service indicator) from my account? Quest help page.
Session A term is normally divided into two (2) sessions: one for regular on-campus courses, the other for online course offerings. In the fall and winter terms, both sessions are around 13 weeks long. During the spring term, there may be other sessions, such as "First Three Weeks" (of July), "Second Three Weeks" (the following three weeks), and "Summer Session" (all six weeks together).
SLED This is a requirement designation: Sustainable Local Economic Development project.
Specialization A specialization is a specified selection of courses that provides a primary emphasis in an academic plan. The specialization is meant to provide additional depth into some aspect of the primary discipline. A specialization typically stipulates fewer courses than a minor. Details of course and average requirement are given in the faculty sections of this Calendar.
SRNA This is a requirement designation: Satisfies requisites, not in average.
Status The status of a class may be open for enrolment if spaces are available; otherwise, it is closed. This term also refers to the result of your attempt to drop/update a class to your schedule. After you select FINISH ENROLLING, either a checkmark for success or a red X for error will appear. You should also look for any messages that appear in the Message column to the left of the Status column.
Student ID A unique eight-digit number assigned to every student when they apply to the University of Waterloo.
Studio (STU) This is a primary meet where teaching consists of instructor coaching focused on practical skills execution, normally in a room with special purpose equipment, such as, audio visual recording equipment, theatre technical equipment, etc. There are strict limit capacities on enrolment. Meetings are at least two times per week for a total contact time of four or more hours.
STV This is a requirement designation: Society, Technology, and Values theme.
Subject The subject is the area of study. To look up a subject code (e.g., Computer Science is CS) while you are in Quest, select the select subject button OR see the course abbreviations list.
Subject abbreviations See course abbreviations.
SUPA This is a requirement designation: Supplementary examination allowed.
SUPP This is a requirement designation: Supplementary examination.
Swap status Refers to the result of your attempt to swap a class. After you select FINISH ENROLLING, either a checkmark for success or a red X for error will appear. You should also look for any messages that appear in the Message column to the left of the Status column.
T Back to top
T Not applicable
TBA To Be Announced; check back at a later date.
Term A term is a particular four-month period within which sessions are defined and fees are arranged. It is also used with reference to work terms for students in the co-operative system of study. An academic year is usually two academic terms if you are in the regular system of study in which full-time students take five courses per term.
  • Fall term: may show as fall or F; runs from September to December
  • Winter term: may show as winter or W; runs from January to April
  • Spring term: may show as spring or S; runs from May to August

The breakdown of the four-digit number for terms is as follows:

  • 1195 represents the spring (May) 2019 term.
  • The first digit is the century; that is, "1" means the 21st century.
  • The middle 2 digits represent the year; that is, "19" represents the year 2019.
  • The last digit represents the first month of the term; that is, "5" represents May.
For example, if you wish to find the fall 2018 term, the first digit should be "1" since 2018 is in the 21st century. The next two digits should be the "18" in 2018. The last digit should be "9" since the fall term begins in September. Therefore, winter 2019 is represented by 1191; spring 2019 is represented by 1195; fall 2020 is represented by 1209.
Test slot (TST) Used only to designate a time slot for holding mid-term exams. Tests are conducted in lecture-type seating equipped with tables and chairs. Tests for a course are usually held once or twice per term for a period of two to three hours each time. A specific calendar date for each test slot must be included with each TST component section.
Test slot - lecture (TLC) This component is used in situations where the course has multiple lecture sections and reserve caps and the department does not care how many reserved students go into each section, but they want an overall number of reserved students in the entire course. This means that the course is setup with one TLC primary component and LEC (lecture) is the secondary component.
Transcript See unofficial transcript or official transcript.
TRIA This is a requirement designation: Term requirement, in average.
Tutorial (TUT) Often optional, a tutorial is a meeting designed to provide the student with additional information and assistance with the course material that is presented in the primary meet. The format is typically in the form of an open discussion or problem solving session. There may be a high student/instructor ratio. Lecture or seminar type seating may be utilized. Usually there is one meeting per week for a total contact time of one to three hours.
U Back to top
Undergraduate (UG) As in "undergraduate students" or "undergraduate studies" refers to students who are pursuing a bachelor's degree.
Unit The credit value associated with a course. Unit weights are used in the calculation of averages for academic standing. Most courses have unit weights of 0.5 and are of one-term duration. Some courses have other weights such as 0.25, 1.0, and 2.0.
Unofficial transcript A record of your courses, grades earned, units obtained towards your degree, and more. Unofficial transcripts are for viewing purposes only and can be obtained through University of Waterloo's online student information system: Quest. If graduate schools or employers require your transcript, they usually need an official transcript.
UR Under Review: Grade under review or disciplinary proceedings underway, with a decision pending. No credit granted.
UW, UWaterloo University of Waterloo
W Back to top
Waitlist This feature is currently not in use but may be implemented in the future.
Waitlist capacity This indicates the maximum number of students allowed to occupy the waiting list associated with a specific course section. Note: Wait lists are currently not in use.
Waitlist total (Wait tot) This indicates the number of students currently occupying the waiting list associated with a specific course section. Note: Wait Lists are currently not in use.
WD Withdrew: Course dropped after the third week of classes and before the WF period. No credit granted.
Week days The following list of the abbreviations are used for the days of the week.

M (Monday)
T (Tuesday)
W (Wednesday)
Th (Thursday)
F (Friday)
S (Saturday)
U (Sunday)

One place where these abbreviations are used is the Schedule of Classes.
WF Withdrew/Failure: Course dropped after the tenth week of classes. No credit granted and Average Calculation Value is 32.
Wild card When you are searching in Quest, you use this option with another field to allow all courses containing the value to be shown, e.g., entering 1 in catalog number with the wild card option may produce courses with catalog numbers such as 101, 105, 217, 341, etc.; entering a % sign in the catalog number will produce all courses for that subject.
WLU Wilfrid Laurier University - although the official acronym is Laurier, it is sometimes known as WLU in Quest or the Schedule of Classes.
Work term (WRK) This is a primary meet component that is only used on a co-operative education course to represent an official work-term placement.
Workshop (WSP) This is a primary meet where teaching includes intensive instructor/student contact as well as independent project work. It may be held in a theatre, studio, or a specially equipped room. Projects may include such topics as audio-visual recording, theatrical scenic painting, puppet construction, costume construction. There are strict limit capacities on enrolment. The duration of a workshop is four hours or more at least twice per week.
X Back to top
XCUM This is a requirement designation: Exclude from cumulative average.
XMCA This is a requirement designation: Exclude from major and cumulative average.
XMJR This is a requirement designation: Exclude from major average.
XTRA This is a requirement designation: Extra to degree.

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University of Waterloo
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