Glossary of university terms

academia (noun): all the people and places that make up the world of higher education and academic research – The first step towards a life in academia is getting a post-graduate degree.

academic (adjective): relating to education, especially higher education – Your CV should include your skills, work experience and academic qualifications.

academic (noun): a person whose job is to teach or do research at a college or university – I loved studying so much that I became an academic.

alumni (plural noun, mostly US): graduates of a particular school, college or university – Hundreds of Oxford alumni signed a letter opposing their country's invasion of Iraq.

assignment (noun): a piece of work done as part of a course of study – Our latest assignment is a 3,000 word essay that's due next Friday.

AA (or Associate of Arts) (noun): in some countries a first degree in arts subjects such as languages – Matt will use his Associate of Arts to qualify for a BA course in English literature.

AS (or Associate of Science) (noun): in some countries a first degree in scientific subjects such as chemistry – Some AS degrees like business are somewhat less focused specifically on science.

BA (or Bachelor of Arts) (noun): a first university degree in arts or humanities subjects like a language or history – Joe has a BA in English literature.

BSc (or Bachelor of Science) (noun): a first university degree in scientific subjects like chemistry or biology – To teach biology, the minimum requirement is a BSc in biology.

bachelor's degree (noun): the first degree a student completes at a university – Is your bachelor's degree a BA or a Bachelor of Science?

bursar (noun): a person who manages the financial affairs of a school or college – If you need extra time to pay your fees, contact the bursar.

bursary (noun): a grant that pays a person's university or college fees – If you can't afford to pay for college, apply for a bursary.

campus (noun): all the land and buildings that a university or college occupies – All our new students are given a tour of the university's campus.

chancellor (noun): head of a university (may be honorary or ceremonial in some countries, especially UK and Commonwealth) — In cases where the chancellor is the ceremonial, non-resident head of a university, the actual administration is usually performed by the vice-chancellor.

college (UK noun): a training institute for school-leavers that awards vocational or technical diplomas – I wanted to be a mechanic so I went to a technical college.

college (US noun): a university – Maria went to college and got a BA.

course (noun): a series of lessons or lectures on a particular subject – I'm doing a part-time course in interior design.

credit (noun): a completed unit of study that counts towards a degree, diploma or other qualification – Each of these courses counts as one credit towards a degree.

curriculum (noun): the subjects taught in a course, or all the subjects offered in a school, college, etc. – Our school's curriculum includes a wide range of subjects, including foreign languages.

dean (noun): the person in charge of a university department – She's dean of the faculty of science at Tokyo University.

defer (verb): to postpone something like a course of study until a later time – Can you defer university and travel for a year instead?

degree (noun): the qualification awarded after completing a university course – I started university but I left before getting a degree.

department (noun): a section of a large organization such as a government, university, corporation, etc – Kim is a lecturer in the sociology department at Trinity College.

dining hall (noun): a large room in a university, school, hospital, etc in which meals are served – What's the food like in the college's dining hall?

diploma (UK noun): a vocational course in an institute of higher education – My boyfriend is doing a diploma in nursing.

dissertation (noun): a long piece of writing on a particular subject that's done as part of a university degree – I'm writing a 25,000 word dissertation on the impact of social media on mental health.

doctoral degree or doctorate (noun): the highest degree a university can offer – My wife can't draw or paint to save her life but she has a doctorate in art history.

dormitory (noun): a room full of beds in which many people can sleep – One guy in the dormitory snores so loudly that people are complaining. (also dorm, an informal abbreviation)

DPhil - see PhD

elective (noun): a subject that you choose to take when doing a course of study – Everyone does the compulsory core units as well as three electives of their choice.

emeritus (often capitalized: Emeritus) (adjective): a word added to the title of someone such as a professor after they stop working – Now that he's retired, Jim's title is Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Toronto University.

enrol (US spelling enroll) (verb): to be accepted into a school or university – Every year thousands of students try to enrol, but we only have places for a few of them.

entry requirements (noun): qualifications or grades needed to enrol in a course of study – What are the entry requirements for studying law at Cambridge?

faculty (noun): a department or group of departments in a college or university – I teach Russian literature in the Faculty of Arts at Melbourne University.

fellow (UK noun): a senior member of a university or college faculty, or a member of an academic or professional organization – Judith is a fellow in the Faculty of Medicine and a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons.

fraternity (informal frat) (US noun): a club for male students at an American college or university – The guys in my fraternity drink way too much alcohol. (Note: a similar club for female students is a sorority)

freshman (US noun): a first-year student at a college or university – I made lots of friends when I was a freshman at university.

fresher (UK noun): a student who has just started his or her first year at a university – Even as a fresher her grasp of theoretical physics amazed her professors.

gap year (UK noun): a year that some young people take off from study in order to travel or work, often between secondary school and university – After spending my gap year exploring Europe, I was ready to start university.

graduate (noun): a person who has a university degree – College graduates have a much better chance of getting well-paying jobs.

graduate (verb): to complete a course of study at a university or college, or (US English only) to finish secondary school – I graduated from Harvard University in 1996.

grant (noun): money given by a government or other organization to help someone pay for something like a degree or a research project – Why don't you apply for one of those grants for students who can't afford college fees?

hall of residence (UK noun) : a building in or near a campus in which students can live while studying – How much is a room in one of the halls of residence? (also dormitory or dorm, mostly US)

higher education (noun): education after secondary school, especially at university or college – We need more universities and other institutes of higher education.

honours (noun): a university degree or course at a higher level than usual – Andrew is getting an honours degree in modern history.

instructor (US noun): a teacher below the rank of assistant professor at a North American university – David's an economics instructor at Yale, but soon he'll be an assistant professor.

Ivy League (US adjective): connected with a group of eight elite universities in north-eastern USA – Getting into an Ivy League college like Columbia, Cornell, Harvard or Yale isn't easy.

junior college (US noun): a US college that offers two-year programmes in vocational subjects or programmes to prepare for study at university – After completing junior college I got a BA at university.

lecture (noun): a talk given in order to teach a particular subject, especially at a university or college – Did you understand that lecture on quantum computing?

lecturer (noun): someone who gives a lecture – Great lecturers can make any subject sound fascinating.

MA (or Master of Arts) (noun): an advanced degree from a university in a humanities subject like a language or history– Anna has a Music Education MA from University College London.

major (noun): the main subject a student studies at college or university – I got a bachelor's degree with a major in anthropology.

major in (phrasal verb): to study something as the main subject of a college or university course – What did you major in at college?

master (UK noun): male head or senior member of a college in a UK collegiate university – My grandfather was a master in one of those colleges at Oxford University.

MSc (or Master of Science) (noun): an advanced degree from a university in a science subject like chemistry or biology – To do technical research, you'll need an MSc degree.

master's degree (noun): a more advanced second degree you can get by studying for one or two years after getting a first degree – Harry's gone back to university to do a master's degree. (also master's)

matriculate (verb, formal): to be officially accepted as a student at a university – I matriculated in 2006 and graduated in 2010.

matriculation (noun, formal): the act of being officially accepted as a student at a university – To enter university you have to satisfy requirements such as passing a matriculation examination.

mentor (noun): an experienced person who helps someone less experienced – Ever since I decided to study jazz, Miles has been my mentor.

minor (noun): a subject that's studied for a shorter time than a main subject or a major – My music major took three years to complete, but my minor in French only took two.

Oxbridge (noun): the two most elite UK Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, when considered together – An Oxbridge education was essential for success in British business or politics.

personal statement (noun): a written account of your achievements and interests that's used when applying for a job or a place at university – In your personal statement you should explain why you'd like to do the course.

PhD (or Doctor of Philosophy) (noun): the most advanced degree a university can offer – Most professors have a PhD. (also DPhil, but only at UK's Oxford University)

postgraduate (adjective): relating to study done after you've graduated with a first or bachelor's degree – I'm going back to university to do a postgraduate course.

postgraduate degree (noun): any university degree more advanced than a first or bachelor's degree – I'm going back to university to get a postgraduate degree.

president (also President) (US noun): the person in charge of a university or college – Who's the President of Harvard University these days?

principal (UK noun): the head of a college or university – Who's the Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St Andrews in Scotland?

principal (US noun): the head of an elementary or secondary school – Can you remember who your high school principal was?

proctor (noun): a person who watches students who are taking an exam to ensure they have whatever they need, follow the rules, etc. – One of the proctors said she saw me cheat, but I didn't! (also invigilator, mostly UK)

professor (noun): a high-ranking lecturer at a college or university – I know he's a famous professor, but his lectures put me to sleep.

provost (also Provost) (UK noun): the person in charge of a college at a UK university – I earned more as a provost, but doing research was much more interesting.

provost (US noun): a senior official who manages the affairs of a college or university – James is good at all that administrative stuff that provosts do.

rector (UK noun): the head of a university, college or school – I'm going to complain to the rector about this.

registrar (noun): a senior officer who manages the affairs and records of a college or university – The new registrar is putting all our official records online.

research graduate (noun): a university graduate who does research in his or her field of study– I'm going to apply for the position of research graduate.

sandwich degree (also sandwich course) (noun): an academic degree that combines study with work to give students practical experience – Lots of employers prefer applicants with sandwich degrees these days.

scholarship (noun): money given by a school, university, or other organization to help a talented student pay for a course – Kelly was offered several scholarships after getting such high grades.

semester (noun, mostly US): one of two periods of several months that a school or college year is divided into – When does the spring semester start?

send down (UK phrasal verb): to tell someone to leave a college or university due to bad behaviour – Students can still be sent down for smoking marijuana. How ridiculous!

sophomore (US noun): a second-year student in a US college or high school – You have to be a freshman or a sophomore to get into this team.

sorority (US noun): a club for female students at an American college or university – African-American girls couldn't join sororities back then. (Note: a similar club for male students is a fraternity)

students' union (also student union) (noun): an organization at a university or college that provides students with services, meeting places, sports facilities, etc – Joining the students' union isn't free, but it's definitely worth it.

syllabus (noun): a list of subjects taught in a course of study – Most of the subjects on the history syllabus were about royal families and the wars they caused.

term (noun): one of the periods into which the academic year is divided – Have you rented a room for next term yet?

term paper (US noun): a long essay on a particular subject that's done as part of an academic course – Do you choose your term paper's topic yourself?

tertiary education (noun): education after secondary school, esp. at a college or university – Tertiary education used to be free in Australia, and tertiary students even got a government allowance.

tuition (noun): money paid to study at a college, university or private school – Your uncle will pay half your tuition if you go to university. (also tuition fee)

tutor (UK noun): a teacher in a college or university – My tutor said my essays are getting much better.

tutorial (noun): a lesson in which a small group of students discuss a subject with a tutor – Our tutorials on modern art are really interesting.

undergraduate (noun): a student who is studying for their first university degree – Hundreds of undergraduates are protesting against these higher tuition fees.

undergraduate degree (US noun): a degree you can get after high school, such as an associate or bachelor’s degree – After getting an undergraduate degree you can go to graduate school.

unit (noun): one of the parts or sections that make up a course of study – To get a credit for the course, you have to complete all the units.

university (noun): an institute of higher education that awards degrees and does research – After graduating from high school, Jason went to university and got a degree.

varsity (US adjective): related to the main team at a school, college or university, esp. in North America – Christine was thrilled when she got into the varsity basketball team.

vice-chancellor (noun): a deputy chancellor — In British universities the vice-chancellor typically performs all administrative duties while the chancellor's position tends to be honorary.

warden (also Warden) (UK noun): the head of a college – The Warden of New College at Oxford from 1379 to 1389 was Nicholas Wykeham.