Glossary of terms

A

Academic adviser - a staff member who can give students advice about changes or problems they have with their course.

Academic Board (AB) - the body that formulates, approves and monitors the University's academic standards.

Academic staff - a staff member employed by a faculty to teach and do research.

Academic transcript - a student's official record of results.

Academic year - consists of two 12-week semesters, starting late February or early March and ending around November.

Alumni - graduates of the University.

Ancora Imparo - the University's motto. It means 'I am still learning'.

Appeal - the process a student goes through to raise an objection regarding results, faculty decisions or other academic matters.

Assistant Lecturer - the most junior rank of academic staff at the University.

Associate Professor - the most senior rank of academic staff at the University.

Authcate - a Monash term for a computer account. Students and staff must use this to access protected internet resources.

Award - a recognised certification of achievement or competence. Awards are the titles that appear on a student's testamur and transcript.

Award course - a program of study that leads to an academic award granted by the University.

B

Bachelor degree - an undergraduate award usually requiring 3 or 4 years of full-time study.

Bridging for Overseas Trained Professionals Loan Scheme (BOTPLS) - fee assistance program for overseas professionals who need to undertake study to have their qualifications recognised in Australia.

C

Campus - the University grounds and buildings.

Campus Centre - Building 10 on the Clayton campus.

Campus Director - the senior staff member who has overall responsibility for a particular university campus.

Census dates - the last dates by which students can change their enrolment.

Chancellor - the elected, non-executive head of the University. This is an honorary position; the Chancellor chairs meetings and presides over graduation ceremonies amongst other duties.

Chaplain - a member of clergy who conducts religious services for the University.

Cheating - gaining an unfair advantage in an exam or other piece of assessment.

Clubs and societies - student-run groups that share common interests. They include cultural, sporting, religious, political, theatrical, ethnic, faculty and general interest groups.

Combined course - a course that will lead to a single combined award or meet the requirements of more than one award (also called a double degree).

Commencing student - a student who has enrolled in a course for the first time.

Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN) - enrolment and fee payment notification.

Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) - a higher education place for which the Commonwealth makes a contribution towards the cost of the student's education.

Community services - services provided by the University for current students. These include sports facilities, financial assistance, chaplaincy, housing, counselling, employment, health, disability, and language and learning.

Core unit - a unit of study that is compulsory for the course or subject area.

Co-requisite unit - undertaking a unit at the same time as a linked unit (if not already completed as a pre-requisite).

Course completion - successful completion of all the academic requirements of a course.

Coursework - undertaking units of study that comprise some combination of teaching sessions such as lectures, tutorials, practical group work like laboratories, and assigned assessment tasks, including exams.

Credit points - the weighting value of a unit. Units in most faculties (except Engineering) are worth 6 credit points. A full-time load is 48 credit points per year (4 x 6 credit points per semester).

Credit transfer - recognition for previous tertiary-level study. This may allow some student to skip some subjects.

D

Dean - the chief academic and administrator of a faculty.

Deferment - postponement of study with faculty approval. A student may delay the start of their course up to 12 months.

Degree - the academic title you get when you complete a course of study.

Demonstrator - like a tutor, a demonstrator runs practical classes with small groups in laboratories.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC) - a senior administrator of the University with a particular area of responsibility.

Diploma - the award you get when you successfully complete a diploma course. A diploma course usually requires less study than a degree course.

Discipline - an area of study. For example, Civil Engineering is a discipline of Engineering.

Discontinued unit - ceasing enrolment in a unit before completion.

Dissertation - a substantial piece of written work. See also thesis

Doctor - the title given to the recipient of the postgraduate degree, e.g. Doctor of Philosophy.

Double degree - see combined course

E

Educational Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) - a group of laws that control the supply and delivery of courses to student visa holders. The aim of this legislation is to protect overseas students while they study in Australia.

Equivalent Full-Time Student Load (EFTSL) - the measure used to calculate a student's load/fees.

Elective - a unit that is not a core subject of the course. Students have some freedom in choosing these units. 

Emeritus - a retired academic who retains the title of professor.

Encumbrance - a penalty for non-payment of fees, loans or fines. Penalties can range from stopping students borrowing from the library to stopping them graduate.

Enhancement studies - first-year Monash University subjects studied by Year 12 students as part of their VCE and for eventual credit at university.

Enrolment - the process a student follows when they formally accept their offer of a place in a course.

Exchange programs -students undertaking part of their studies at an overseas university.

Exclusion - removal of a student from a course for unsatisfactory academic progress -  e.g. failure to pass at least 50% of their credit points in a particular semester or year.

Exemption - when a student is not required to undertake part of a unit, a unit or units of study because of prior studies or work experience. Also known as 'credit' or 'advanced standing'.

F

Faculty - a collection of academic departments of similar disciplines grouped together.

Faculty adviser - a staff member who can provide comprehensive course advice to students.

FEE-HELP - a loan facility that helps students enrolled in non-research award courses pay their fees.

Fee-paying course - a course that requires the student pay the full cost of the course.

Flexible delivery - a method of teaching where students nominate the style of teaching they would like to receive. This is often a mix of on-campus and off-campus subjects.

G

Graduand - a person who has finished their degree but has not graduated yet.

Graduate - the recipient of a degree.

Graduate diploma - a postgraduate qualification gained after a student's first degree.

Graduation - a formal ceremony to celebrate a student's successful completion of their degree or area of postgraduate study.

H

Halls - student accommodation, generally on-campus.

Handbooks - online handbooks provide details of subjects offered in each faculty area.

Higher education - study at university level.

Higher degree research (HDR) - a course that consists of at least two-thirds as research work and not more than one-third as coursework.

Honours - an extra year added to a degree program where a students can specialise in an area of study and undertake a mixture of coursework and research.

Host scheme - part of the Clayton orientation program, the scheme aims to introduce first-year students to each other and to the University.

I

Independent learning - the type of learning expected of university students. Students should be self-directed, self-reliant and motivated learners who take responsibility for their own learning.

Intermission - a period of study leave taken by enrolled students. Students may take intermission for up to 12 months, which is one full year or two consecutive semesters.

J

K

L

Laboratory - a practical session, sometimes referred to as a ‘lab'.

Leave of absence - see intermission

Lecture - a formal teaching method where an academic staff member delivers information/instruction to students. It rarely involves student participation. This is the most common from of teaching at uni.

Lecture theatres - are large venues for lectures.

Lecturer - the name given to the academic staff member who gives lectures.

M

Major/Major sequence - the main subject area of study completed as part of a degree.

Masters degree - a postgraduate award. Students can study by coursework, research or a combination of the two.

Mentor schemes - help smooth the transition to university for new students. Current students provide guidance to new students to help them get familiar with the administration, teaching and culture of the uni. The uni offers a number of mentor schemes each year.

Menzies Building - Building 11 on the Clayton campus.

my.monash portal - a single point of access for students and staff to access university information, such as email and their day-to-day timetable.

N

Novell account - the name given to student and staff IT accounts. It allows connection to the Monash network servers from laboratory computers or home.

O

Orientation - marks the start of semester for first-year and other new students. It comprises academic, social and informative activities designed to help new students settle into university life.

O-Week - the week before semester starts, when orientation activities take place.

Overloading - undertaking more than the prescribed number of units of study in a semester.

P

Part-time student - a student taking less than 75% of a full-time study load in a particular semester.

Philosophy, Doctor of (PhD) - along with other doctorate awards, the highest award available at the University.

Plagiarism - taking, using, and passing off as your own, the ideas or words of another.

Postgraduate - any higher-level study usually undertaken after completing an undergraduate degree. Examples are graduate diplomas, masters or PhDs.

Practical session (practical or prac) - some form of practical teaching often run in laboratories, studios or in the field.

Prerequisite - in order to enrol in one unit, another (prerequisite) unit has to be successfully finished first.

Professor - a staff member with high-level academic qualifications.

Program - generic term usually meaning the individual path to an award or to the completion of a course.

Q

Qualification - an award or some other form of certification of attainment, competence or attendance.

R

Research - scholarly or scientific investigation or inquiry.

S

SA-HELP - Australian Government loan program to help eligible higher education students pay their student services and amenities fees.

Satisfactory progress - a minimum standard of performance required for continued enrolment.

Scholarships - non-repayable financial or other forms of support made available to students.

School - a grouping of similar departments.

Semester - university teaching period. Usually 12 weeks.

Seminar - a small group-teaching context, similar to a tutorial.

Sessional - a teaching member of staff employed on a casual basis.

Special consideration - the process of giving students another chance to complete an assessment piece or exam. This is after they were unable to complete it the first time due to circumstances beyond their control.

Stream - a structured program of study in a specific discipline.

Student ID card - a card that includes a student's name, identification number and photo.

Student Learning Entitlement (SLE) - was granted to eligible people by the Commonwealth Government between 2005 to 2011. This gave access to Commonwealth support for the equivalent of seven years full-time study (7 EFTSL). From 1 January, 2012 the Commonwealth Government has abolished the SLE system.

Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) - a student fee for non-academic services and amenities. May include counselling, employment/career advice, childcare, financial assistance, food services, sporting and recreational activities and independent student representation.

Student Survival Week (SSW) - run by the student associations in week 4 or 5 of semester 1. SSW is to remind students of the services, facilities and resources available to them in the lead up to census date.

Swot Vac - a class-free period at the end of semester for students to prepare and study for exams.

T

Tertiary - a general term covering all higher education providers.

Testamur - the certificate of merit or proficiency given to the graduand at graduation.

Thesis - a substantial piece of written work (sometimes called a dissertation) by a student, normally a candidate for an Honours degree or a higher award (such as Masters or PhD).

Tutor - an academic member of staff responsible for teaching small groups.

Tutorial - a less formal method of teaching, usually involves a greater level of participation and interaction from a small group of students.

U

Undergraduate - a student who has not finished their bachelor degree.

Unit code - a combination of 3 letters and 4 numbers assigned to all units - eg. EDF 1301, DTS 3170. The first number generally indicates the year level at which the subject is offered.

Unit - the basic unit of a course or program.

University Council - the senior governing body responsible for formulating, approving and monitoring the policy and direction of the University.

Unsatisfactory progress - failure to meet a minimum standard of performance required for continued enrolment. See also exclusion

Username - the name you use to login to the Monash network.

V

Vice-Chancellor (VC) - the academic and administrative head of the University.

W

Web Enrolment System (WES) - enables students to access the University's information system to edit their enrolment details.

Withdrawn - the outcome of formally discontinuing a unit.