Glossary of Academic Terms
ACADEMIC LOAD
Fulltime status is 12 units per semester, but students should complete 15 credits per semester to graduate in 4 years.
ACADEMIC PROBATION
Students falling below a 2.0 GPA in either the campus or cumulative GPA will be placed on academic probation.
ACADEMIC DISQUALIFICATION
Students on academic probation who fail to make satisfactory progress are subject to academic disqualification. Disqualified students are no longer eligible to enroll in CSUMB courses. Please see https://csumb.edu/policy/academic-standing-policy for more information.
BACCALAUREATE DEGREE (B.A. OR B.S.)
A degree awarded by a four-year college or university.
CLASS STANDING
Undergraduate students are classified as the following:
Freshman (0 – 29 units) Sophomore (30 – 59 units) Junior (60 – 89 units) Senior (90 + units)
CONTINUOUS ENROLLMENT
Students may be considered continuously enrolled in the university so long as the absence from the university does not exceed one semester.
CO-REQUISITE
A set of courses that must be completed in the same semester.
COURSE NUMBERING
Lower division: 100 – 299
Upper division: 300 – 499 Graduate level: 500 – 699
DROP/ADD
Schedule changes during the first two weeks of the semester.
GENERAL EDUCATION (GE)
Courses which allow CSUMB students to fulfill the general education requirements articulated by the state and CSU system. See online catalog for listing of GE requirements. There are both lower-division GE requirements (39 units in specific areas) and 9 units of upper-divsion GE in areas B, C, and D.
GRADUATION WRITING ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENT (GWAR)
Students are required to demonstrate upper-division level competence in written communication by completing a "GWAR" course that is part of their major.
GRADE POINT AVERAGE (GPA)
The average of all earned grades attempted at CSUMB and transferred from other colleges. GPA is computed by dividing the total number of grade points by the total number of graded units attempted.
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
All students are responsible for knowing all graduation requirements which include GEs, MLOs and university requirements, and can check their Academic Requirements Report (see the video at right)
INCOMPLETE
An incomplete is a temporary grade used when a student is unable to complete work assignments during the semester, but has completed at last 80% of the course and is passing at the time of an extenuating circumstances. An incomplete contract is This is an agreement between the instructor of the course and the student. Requirements must be completed within one year.
Outcomes that must be met to complete the requirements of your major program of study.
PRE-REQUISITE
A course that must be completed prior to enrolling in another course.
SHOPPING CART
Where your chosen courses are stored before moving forward to complete the enrollment process. REMEMBER: Just because you have loaded courses to your shopping cart, does not mean you have enrolled in those courses.
SYLLABUS
A course outline of assignments, grading policy, course objectives and required textbooks for a course.
TRANSCRIPT
An official copy of a student’s academic record. Transcripts are available to order online through studentclearinghouse.org.
UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT
An unofficial copy of a student’s academic record. This document includes work in progress and can be accessed through your OASIS account.
UPPER DIVISION GENERAL EDUCATION (UDGE)
Nine units of General Education must be upper division and must be taken after a student has reached junior standing.