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Terminology

Academic Calendar- An official list of important dates to remember, which can be accessed either through the Undergraduate Catalog or online. Examples of information included are: first and last days of the semester, the last day to drop a class, and semester breaks.

Academic Dishonesty– A violation of the university’s code of conduct which may include, but is not limited to: Cheating, Fabrication/Falsification, or Plagiarism. Students who are caught engaging in academic dishonesty will be subject to sanctions imposed by both the professor as well as the university.

Academic Probation– A status that indicates that a student’s overall G.P.A. has dropped below 2.0. Academic probation is a period of restricted enrollment for the student. Students who are on academic probation will need to take several steps in order to return to Good Standing.

Academic Year– The combination of the fall and spring semesters.

Add/Drop– The process of adding an additional class or dropping an existing one from your schedule. The term may also refer to the add/drop deadline, which is the period of time a student may add or drop a class from their schedule without penalty.

Advanced Placement (AP) Credit– Marshall University does accept Advanced Placement (AP) credits. Students who have received a 3 or better on their AP exam may receive credit.

Bursar– The office on campus which handles payments.

College– An academic division of the university. Marshall University contains several colleges:

  • College of Arts and Media
  • College of Business
  • College of Education and Professional Development
  • College of Health Professions
  • Honors College
  • College of Engineering and Computer Sciences
  • College of Liberal Arts
  • College of Science
  • University College

Core Curriculum– The courses and course types which all students must complete in order to graduate from Marshall University.

Curriculum– A collection of courses which a student must complete to graduate from a set major or program.

D/F Repeat– The process by which a student retake a class that they have earned a D or an F, and replace the original grade with their second attempt.

Electives– Classes which are not the same for everyone completing the same major. Elective courses allow students to pursue individual interests or specializations on their way to their degree. Nearly every major allows for some elective credits, usually spread throughout the curriculum.

Hold– A note on a student’s account, which keeps them from registering for classes for the following semester. Holds generally require an action on the part of the student to get them lifted. Examples include: advising holds, new student holds, student athlete holds, etc. Students may check their holds on MyMU.

Incomplete– A grade (I) that indicates that a student completed three-quarters of a course, but cannot complete the remainder, due to a reason that accords with the university excused-absence policy. Students must be in good standing in the class prior to requesting an incomplete.

MyMU– A student portal for all things Marshall University. Students are able to check their e-mail, see their course schedule, and even look at their syllabi from MyMU.

Plagiarism– Using the intellectual property of someone else without giving proper credit.

Prerequisite– A class which is required to be completed before a student may register for another specific class.

Syllabus– A basic outline of each class. At the beginning of each semester, usually the first class meeting, the professor will hand out the class syllabus for each student in the class. This syllabus includes the timeline for what topics will be discussed, as well as the policies that students are expected to follow for that professor. It is important to keep your syllabus handy, but they can also be found online.

Transcript– The official record of a student’s work. Official copies may be requested through the Office of the Registrar. Click here to learn more about, or request, your transcript.

Withdrawal– When a student drops a class during the withdrawal period (which lasts until the tenth Friday after the first week of the regular semester), or withdraws completely from the university through the last day of class, he/she will receive a “W”. The W has no impact on a student’s Grade Point Average, however, withdrawing from a class may change a student’s status from that of a full-time to part-time student. Part-time status could negatively affect financial aid, athletic participation, or health insurance eligibility.