AAOT (Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer degree): Fulfills lower division general education requirements in math, social science, arts/letters and general sciences at all Oregon four-year public institutions. Students transferring to a private college or another state should consult with their advisor for specific transfer requirements to any institution.
AAS (Associate of Applied Science degree): A two-year degree, indicating the degree holder has a concentration of courses in a professional technical area. See the College Catalog for AAS degree programs.
AGS (Associate of General Studies): A degree program awarded to students who complete a minimum of ninety (90) credit hours of approved course work designed to meet the student’s academic and career goals.
ASOT-Bus. (Associate of Science Oregon Transfer - Business degree): A statewide block-transfer associate’s degree intended to prepare students for transfer into a baccalaureate business program at an Oregon University System (OUS) institution. Students who receive this degree will have met all lower division general education requirements and will have completed core lower division business courses. The degree specifications include a guide to university-specific business program prerequisites; the degree does not guarantee admission to a business school/ program at an OUS campus.
Academic Advisor: A staff member assigned to a student who provides the support and assistance needed to help a student achieve his/her educational goals. Advisors can help students clarify and develop realistic educational plans, monitor their progress towards educational goals and serve as a resource for information about campus services and community resources. Students must meet with an academic advisor before they can register.
Academic Probation: This is a warning to the student that his or her academic progress is unsatisfactory. Assessment: A process of testing to determine a student’s readiness for college-level course work, their correct placement into courses, and to direct the student to support services that will best help them be successful.
Associated Student Government (ASG): A nonprofit organization composed of students for students that provides services and activities to the student population.
Bachelor’s Degree: Otherwise known as the baccalaureate degree and/or four-year degree, the degree is generally divided into two categories:
- Bachelor of Arts: This degree is awarded to students who successfully complete a specified university curriculum of approximately 186 quarter hours or a specified number of semester hours; with a requirement of a second-year proficiency in a foreign language, as well as a specified number of credit hours in the humanities or arts and letters areas of concentration.
- Bachelor of Science: This degree is awarded to students who successfully complete a specified university curriculum of approximately 186 quarter hours or a specified number of semester hours; with an emphasis in science and/or social science areas of concentration.
Career and Transfer Readiness Center (CTRC): The Career and Transfer Readiness Center (CTRC), located at the Central County Campus in Newport,is an interactive community of OCCC students and staff designed to help students explore career and transfer options or browse information in the Career Information System (CIS). Through a variety of tools, CTRC may help students decide how to pay for college, set career goals, or select an area of study. For more information, please contact Student Services at (541) 867-8501.
Certificate of Completion: A certificate that may be awarded for successfully completing a specific course or a group of related courses. A Certificate may also be awarded upon successful completion of a professional/ technical program, consisting of 45 or more quarter hours.
Closed Classes: When a class has reached its enrollment limit. Prior to registration, the enrollment level of a class is established to take into consideration the number of students per instructor ratio, number of available student stations, etc.
College Catalog: The official publication that describes the programs, services and procedures of the College; along with detailed listings of courses and degree and certificate program completion requirements. Oregon Coast Community College’s catalog is available at oregoncoastcc.org.
Credit: A unit of value assigned to each course, based on the number of hours per week that a student spends in class; varies depending on lecture and lab times.
Curriculum: A series of courses offered in a particular subject area.
Dean of Students: The senior officer responsible for support services to students.
Deferred Payment: An installment payment plan which defers full payment of tuition and fees.
Drop/Add: Terms given to the procedure to delete or add to a student’s schedule of registered courses during the first week of each term.
Elective: A course that is not required in the basic core of a student’s major, but is taken as additional credits that apply to the overall total of courses/ credits necessary for graduation. Students must see their academic advisor for assistance in selecting courses applicable to their degree.
ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages): Classes that offer English speaking, writing, and reading skills to students whose native language is not English.
Full-time: To be officially registered in 12 or more credit/ quarter hours per term. GED (General Educational Development): A battery of subject tests that provide the opportunity to attain the equivalency of a high school diploma.
G.P.A. (Grade Point Average): A number representing the average value of the accumulated final grades earned in courses over a specified time period. At OCCC, GPA is calculated each term and for a student’s entire registration history.
Grade: A system that measures the performance level of coursework within a class and the overall performance in completion of a course’s requirements. See the OCCC Catalog for specific definitions of each grade level.
Incomplete: At the time final course grades are recorded, the instructor may, with the consent of the student, record an “I” mark and grant additional time for the completion of a minor but essential requirement for the student who is otherwise making satisfactory progress.
Late Fees: Fees charged for not paying an account balance within the published guidelines.
Lower Division: Courses that normally satisfy degree requirements for the first two years of College (freshman and sophomore years).
Major: A field of study that students choose to pursue in seeking a degree. (Majors can be changed throughout a educational career, though doing so may require additional coursework. Students may see their academic advisor for more information.) Also referred to as Area of Study.
Mid-terms: The name used for tests given in mid-stream of the term, usually the fifth or sixth week of the term. Mid-terms give students and their instructors a good indication of how well they are comprehending and retaining the knowledge and skills taught in the course.
National Career and Transfer Readiness Certificate (ACT WorkKeys NCRC®). The NCRC is an assessment-based credential issued at four levels. The NCRC measures and certifies the essential work skills needed for success in jobs across industries and occupations.
No Credit (NC): The annotation on a transcript representing that a student did not do passing work in a Pass/No-Credit course.
Pass/No-Pass: The alternative grading system in lieu of the traditional “A,B,C,D & F” method. Only certain courses offer this alternative.
Pave Your Way to Success Policy: Payment for classes is due the Thursday before the first day of the term. For students who enroll after that date, payment is due immediately. Students can see their balance or access their bill online in their myOCCC account.
Prerequisite: A requirement added to some courses that mandate successful completion of courses prior to registration. In some cases, an instructor may give approval for registering without the prerequisite if you can furnish proof of prior experience.
Quarter: Approximately one quarter of the academic year. Fall term is 12 weeks. Winter, and spring terms are 11 weeks. Summer term is eight weeks. See the current academic calendar at the College’s website www.oregoncoastcc.org for more information.
Quarter Hours: Credits given for attendance and successful completion of College courses operating under the “quarter” system.
Registration: The official procedure in which a student enrolls in classes and pays tuition and fees.
Schedule of Classes: The published listing of classes being offered for the quarter/term.
Scholarship: An award of tuition paid by a sponsoring agency/individual to a student who successfully meets the particular eligibility guidelines and is selected for receipt of the scholarship by the board or committee of the sponsoring agency. Check with the financial aid specialist for available scholarships. 61
Semester: The term designation in some of Oregon’s private institutions and out-of-state institutions that operate on a two-block academic calendar year—Fall and Spring term. A semester usually lasts 18 weeks. NOTE TO ALL TRANSFER STUDENTS: Students who will be transferring to a semester based institution will need to check on how their quarter hours will be converted to semester hours. Students must check with the institution to which they are applying to transfer.
Syllabus: The coursework outline given to students by the instructor which lists the content of the course based on assignments, homework, quizzes, mid-terms, term projects, class participation and the final examination. Students will receive a syllabus for each credit course by the end of the first week of classes in which they are enrolled each term.
Term: The time frame of 12 weeks in fall, 11 in winter, 11 in spring and 8 weeks in summer of instruction starting with the beginning date of classes and ending with the last day of finals week.
Transfer: Refers to the process of continuing education at another institution. A transfer requires following all admissions procedures mandated by the institution the student plans to attend after Oregon Coast Community College.
Transcript: The official or unofficial compilation of courses taken, grades received, credits earned, honors received, etc. at each institution a student attended. Unofficial transcripts are for personal use and may be opened by the student. Official transcripts may only be opened by an institutions registrar to remain official.
Upper Division: The junior and senior level courses that are offered by universities and four-year colleges; usually denoted by alpha-numeric course numbers of 300-499.
Withdrawal: Process of removing a class or classes from a term schedule between weeks two and seven of the term. No reimbursement of tuition and fees are given for withdrawals.