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A
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| Academic level |
One of 1A, 1B, ... , 4A, or 4B. For some academic 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 defined set of requirements that leads to a particular credential. |
| Academic program |
A defined set of requirements (honours or general, regular or co-operative) common to a particular degree. |
| Academic standing |
An academic indicator of a student's overall progress towards earning a degree.
Examples of positive standings are Excellent, Good, and Satisfactory. Many other standings may be conditional, i.e., need to pass the stated condition to remain in the program and/or plan. Students with concerns or questions regarding their standing should contact their academic advisor.
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| 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. |
| Assignment |
Assessment that is intended to provide opportunities for students to implement or apply concepts, skills, and/or judgments taught in a course over an extended period of time usually outside of the class meeting times. |
| 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 grade for the course. A Course Override Form is also required. See home faculty for eligibility. |
| B |
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| Blended class |
A class in which instruction or activity is distributed between scheduled in-person and required online activities, resulting in fewer scheduled in-class hours. |
| C |
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| Certificate |
A certificate program is a defined set of requirements (which may include any combination of non-academic experiential components and academic courses), that allows a student to acquire skills or experience in a specific area.
Note: The Certificate of Degree Enrolment is considered as a certificate of participation. |
| Clinic (CLN) |
Teaching is devoted to the analysis, treatment, and management of direct care for clinical cases. Students operate in various specialty fields typically in a clinical setting.
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| Combined sections |
See held with. |
| 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 code and number. All course subjects have subject codes (e.g., Psychology is PSYCH). See the course subject codes in the Undergraduate Course Description Index of this Calendar. |
| Course components |
A term used to refer to the various types of course meets.
Listed below are the available course components (see course descriptions); also used in the Schedule of Classes.
CLN (clinic)
DIS (discussion)
ENS (ensemble)
ESS (essay)
FLD (field studies)
FLT (flight)
LAB (laboratory)
LEC (lecture)
OLN (online activities)
ORL (oral conversation)
PRA (practicum)
PRJ (project)
RDG (reading)
SEM (seminar)
STU (studio)
TST (test slot)
TUT (tutorial)
WRK (work term)
WSP (workshop)
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| Course ID (number) |
The six-digit number identifying the course (e.g., 010099). |
| Course title |
The name of the course indicating the material to be covered. |
Course subject codes
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A maximum of six letters is used to identify course subjects. See the course subject codes in the Undergraduate Course Description Index of this Calendar. |
| Course value |
See unit |
| Course Selection Period |
The process of making course requests for a future term using Quest and completed in a block of time before the Drop/Add Period begins for that future term. Visit the Course Selection Offerings List for Undergraduate Students to view the available future term courses. |
| Credential |
An earned degree, major, specialization, minor, option, diploma, or certificate appearing on a student's transcript.
Note: The Certificate of Degree Enrolment is not considered a credential and will not be recognized during formal convocation exercises. |
| Credit |
See unit |
| Cross-listed courses |
Courses which are listed under two academic units and which can be taken for credit from either academic unit, but not both. |
| Cross-registration |
An arrangement between the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University 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 for more information. |
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| Degree |
A qualification awarded to a student by the post-secondary educational institution. Types of undergraduate degrees available: Bachelor's/Baccalaureate, Professional Doctoral. Types of graduate degrees available: Master's/Magisteriate, Doctoral.
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| Diploma |
A defined set of academic courses that allows a student to acquire skills or knowledge in a specific area.
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| Discussion (DIS) |
Teaching is based primarily on engaging the students in instructor-guided group discussions. |
Drop/Add Period
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This period begins with enrolment appointments. Afterwards, enrolment is open to all students during this period. |
| E |
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| Elective |
A course not specifically required for a degree or academic plan 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. |
| Ensemble (ENS) |
Teaching is conducted by means of evaluating musical performance amongst a group of supporting players.
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Entry program
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An admission point of entry. Students may apply directly into an academic program from which they will graduate, or they may apply into an academic program where they will be required to select a major.
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| Essay (ESS) |
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.
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| Examination |
Test that is scheduled during the University's Final Examination Period. |
| F |
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| 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 due date indicated for that term. Detailed information and forms are available through the Student Financial Services website. |
| Field studies (FLD) |
Teaching is conducted outside the classroom. Work is with the primary materials in their original setting.
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| Flight (FLT) |
The flight component is held off campus at the Region of Waterloo International Airport, and is the practical application of flight material learned in the course.
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| 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 units will generate only part-time incidentals and may require students to self-enrol in supplementary health and dental coverage and other student services. |
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| 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 grades for details of grades other than 0-100. |
| Grading system |
See grades for current grading system.
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.
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| Held with |
Two or more sections may be combined. Classes will be taught as a single class with one instructor. Combinations may occur between several courses at the undergraduate level, between different delivery modes for the same course, or between an undergraduate-level and graduate-level course. |
| Honours |
A term sometimes used to refer to a recognition of excellence that students have received. If students graduate with honours such as the "Dean's Honours," they will have this notation appear on official University transcripts and diplomas.
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| I |
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| In-person class |
A class with scheduled instruction or activity occurring in-person. |
| L |
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| Laboratory (LAB) |
Teaching takes place in a room containing special purpose equipment required for student observation, participation, experimentation, or practice.
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| Lecture (LEC) |
Teaching is usually in the form of a series of lectures. 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 fewer than three students in either one of the class sections.
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| 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. |
| M |
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| Major |
An academic plan that is the primary area of study in a student's baccalaureate degree.
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| Milestones |
See non-course milestones |
| Minor |
An academic plan that is a secondary area of study and that provides breadth to a student's baccalaureate degree. Minors offered by faculties are normally available to all students.
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| N |
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| 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 a grade for a course on the transcript instead of a percentage value. See grades for a list of non-numeric grades and their definitions. See the transcript legend for grades prior to 2001 and a key to grades prior to fall 1971. |
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| Official transcript |
A record of the courses, grades earned, units obtained towards degree, and more. If graduate schools or employers require a transcript, an official transcript is usually required. |
Online activities (OLN)
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Teaching and learning occur online for a fully online course or as part of a blended course. This component indicates that a range of instructional approaches are used online such as lectures, readings, discussions, and assessments. For blended courses, usually there are weekly online activities that help students prepare for or otherwise complement the in-person learning component of the course.
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| Online class |
A class scheduled to be fully online that requires no in-person instruction or activity (may require in-person exam(s)); may be exclusively asynchronous (no scheduled meets), synchronous (scheduled meets), or a combination of the two. |
| Option |
An academic plan that provides depth to a student's baccalaureate degree and typically requires fewer courses than a minor. Options are only available to students within their home faculty.
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| 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.
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| 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. |
| Plan |
See academic plan |
| Practicum (PRA) |
Teaching involves supervised placement time in a work setting exercising practical routines and techniques related to a particular academic plan. Research and analytical skills are demonstrated based on the practical application of material learned as part of the academic program. Usually, a formal report summarizing the skills learned is required. Faculty requirements will vary by discipline. In some disciplines the course may need a specially equipped room and may meet off campus.
For graduate courses: To meet criteria for a PRA component, there must be an identified external partner that students engage with; courses identified with PRA must always offer a practicum experience, even if delivered with other course components.
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| 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 academic program or plan, and an academic level or academic standing. |
| Program |
See academic program |
| 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.
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| Q |
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| Quest |
The University of Waterloo's student information system. |
| R |
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| Reading (RDG) |
Learning takes place as a result of student independent study under the supervision of an instructor.
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| Requirement designations |
Detailed information is available on the transcript legend. |
| 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. |
| S |
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| 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 Understanding the Schedule of Classes for definitions. |
| Seminar (SEM) |
Teaching involves students collectively exploring a topic or field of study. May be led all or in part by the students.
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| 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). |
| Specialization |
An academic plan that offers an area of concentration and provides depth to a student's primary area of study. Specializations are only available to students within their primary area of study.
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| Studio (STU) |
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.
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| Subject |
The subject is the area of study. See the course subject codes list. |
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| 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 students 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
In some instances and systems, the term is represented by a four-digit number. The breakdown of the four-digit number for terms is as follows:
- 1245 represents the spring (May) 2024 term.
- The first digit is the century; that is, "1" means the 21st century.
- The middle 2 digits represent the year; that is, "24" represents the year 2024.
- The last digit represents the first month of the term; that is, "5" represents May.
For example, to find the fall 2023 term, the first digit should be "1" since 2023 is in the 21st century. The next two digits should be the "23" in 2023. The last digit should be "9" since the fall term begins in September. Similarly, winter 2024 is represented by 1241. |
| Test |
Assessment of knowledge, skills, and/or judgment in a controlled environment. |
| Test slot (TST) |
Used only to designate a time slot for holding mid-term exams. A specific calendar date for each test slot must be included with each TST component section. |
| Transcript |
See unofficial transcript or official transcript |
| Tutorial (TUT) |
Teaching provides students with additional information, assistance, and practice applying the course material. The format is typically in the for of an open discussion or problem-solving session.
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| Undergraduate (UG) |
As in "undergraduate students" or "undergraduate studies" refers to students who are pursuing a bachelor's/baccalaureate degree or a professional doctorate degree (i.e., Doctor of Optometry, Doctor of Pharmacy). |
| 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 courses, grades earned, units obtained towards a 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 a transcript, an official transcript is usually required. |
| UW, UWaterloo |
University of Waterloo |
| W |
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| Work term (WRK) |
This component is only used on a co-operative education course to represent an official work-term placement.
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| Workshop (WSP) |
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 such as a flexible or active learning classroom to support groupwork.
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