Corequisite — A course that must be taken simultaneously with another course.
Credits (also referred to as “semester hours”) — Used by the College to measure a student’s progress toward the degree. Most courses (without laboratories) award 3 credits upon successful completion of the course. Some foreign language and science courses carry 4 credits.
Cumulative Quality Point Ratio (Cumulative QPR) — The quality point ratio average of all Randolph College course work counted toward the degree. Grades for transfer credits are normally not calculated in the cumulative quality point ratio.
Departmental Major or Minor — A major or minor in which all courses are selected from a single discipline. For example, history is a departmental major since its requirements include only history courses.
Dual Enrollment — Enrollment in a college-level course while still in high school, i.e., prior to high school graduation.
Emphasis — A grouping of related courses within a major.
Interdisciplinary Major or Minor — A major or minor with required courses selected from more than one discipline. For example, International Studies is an interdisciplinary major; Human Services and Sport and Exercise Studies are interdisciplinary concentrations.
Major — The academic subject in which you choose to specialize with a prescribed pattern of course work. All students are required to complete a major to graduate.
Midterm Grade Reports — At the midterm period of each regular term, student grade reports are issued. These reports are progress reports, indicating a student’s status based on evaluations received during the first half of the semester. All students receive these reports.
Minor — A five-to-seven course cluster that may be departmental, interdisciplinary, or independently designed by the student. You may not elect a major and a departmental minor from the same department, except that a mathematics major may elect a minor in computer science and an economics major may elect a business minor. A minor is optional and not required for the degree.
Prerequisite — A course or courses you must have completed or shown competency in before enrolling in a more advanced course.
Quality Points — The numerical values assigned to letter grades. For example, a grade of C+ is worth 2.3 quality points per semester hour. A 3-hour course in which a student earns a C+ produces 6.9 quality points, or 3 hours X 2.3 = 6.9 quality points.
Quality Point Ratio (QPR) — Average of the grades a student has received for one semester, a year, or all course work. The QPR is computed by dividing total quality points by credits attempted for grades.
Transcript — A copy of a student’s academic record. “Official Transcript” means the transcript must be sent directly from one institution to another. “Student Copy” means the transcript is issued to the student.
Z Section — A writing-intensive course section identified on student records by a Z following the three-digit course number. This option is available if you want to develop your writing skills by submitting additional writing assignments for one of your courses. A Writing-Intensive Section, or Z section, affords an additional hour of credit. You must submit both the papers and coursework already assigned for the semester and a series of additional writing assignments developed in consultation with your instructor.
