Central Piedmont Terminology

The explanations below define terms frequently used at Central Piedmont Community College.

Academic Advisor: a member of the faculty for a specific program who works with students in that program to help them reach their educational goals

Academic Certificate: a program comprised of 12-18 semester hours of courses designed to provide entry-level employment training

Academic Suspension: the status of students working for a degree, diploma, or certificate after they have been on Academic Probation and their program GPA remains below the Standards of Progress

Adult High School: a program offered in cooperation with the public school system; A diploma is awarded upon program completion and passing of the North Carolina Competency Test

Associate Degree: a document awarded to a student signifying successful completion of a two-year curriculum program

Associate in Arts (A.A.): a degree granted for successfully completed programs of study consisting of a minimum of 64 semester hours and a maximum of 65 semester hours of college transfer courses

Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.): a degree granted for successfully completed programs of 64-76 semester hours of coursework to provide entry-level employment education; An A.A.S. program must include a minimum of 15 hours of general education and a minimum of 49 hours of major courses with numbers 110-199 or 210-299

Associate in Fine Arts (A.F.A): a degree granted for successfully completed programs of study consisting of a minimum of 64 semester hours and a maximum of 65 semester hours of college transfer courses, with an emphasis on the arts

Associate in Science (A.S.): a degree granted for successfully completed programs of study consisting of a minimum of 64 semester hours and a maximum of 65 semester hours of college transfer courses, with emphasis on the natural sciences

Career and College Promise: a program that provides seamless dual enrollment educational enhancement for eligible North Carolina high school students to accelerate completion of college certificates, diplomas, and associate degrees that lead to college transfer or provide entry-level job skills

College and Career Readiness: pre-college courses that include Adult English as a Second Language, Adult High School Diploma, Foundational Skills, High School Equivalency, Human Resource Development, Pathways to Careers, and Special Learning Needs

College Transfer Programs: programs intended for transfer to four-year senior institutions, including the Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, and Associate in Fine Arts

Combined Course Library: the set of statewide uniform courses from which North Carolina community colleges must choose their curriculum course offerings

Common Core Courses: courses that have been identified as part of a guaranteed transfer articulation with the University of North Carolina system. See Comprehensive Articulation Agreement

Comprehensive Articulation Agreement: an agreement between the North Carolina Community College System and public and private universities to facilitate transfer between community colleges and four-year universities

Continuing Education Unit (CEU): a unit of credit toward specific certification awarded for continuing education courses in collaboration with the certifying agency

Core Competency: a complex ability essential to lifelong learning that is developed over time; Central Piedmont has identified four core competencies critical to the success of every Central Piedmont graduate: 1) Communication, 2) Critical Thinking, 3) Personal Growth and Responsibility, and 4) Information Technology and Quantitative Literacy; All Central Piedmont graduates are expected to demonstrate proficiency in each of the competencies which go beyond simple content mastery.

Co-requisite: a course that must be taken during the same term as the course that requires the co-requisite

Corporate and Continuing Education: a division of Central Piedmont that offers continuing non-degree education courses, programs, and services for employers, organizations, and individuals; Codes for these courses have 7000-8000 numbers. Some offer professional CEUs and meet certification and licensing requirements

Corporate Learning Center: a unit of Central Piedmont that works directly with business and industry client companies to provide services, custom course content, and exclusive programming, often on-site and at preferred times for employers

Course Description: a brief description of learning objectives and what the student should be able to do upon completion; Classroom hours, laboratory hours, clinic or co-op hours, credits earned, and prerequisite/co-requisite (if needed) are listed

Credit: the number of units earned upon completing a curriculum course, measured in semester hours

Curriculum (also called a program): a set of courses designed to prepare a student either to enter the workforce immediately upon completion or to transfer to a degree program at a four-year college or university; Depending upon the length of the program, a degree, diploma, or certificate is awarded upon completion

Diploma: a program comprised of 36-48 semester hours, including a minimum of six hours of general education, which provides entry-level employment training

Online Learning: organized delivery by means other than face-to-face classroom contact, such as via the Internet or telecourse

Drop/Add: a period during the first week of classes each term when students may change their class schedules without penalty; See Schedule Adjustment

Elective Course: a course that the student may choose to take to meet diploma/degree requirements, as distinguished from required courses; Some electives are specified within areas, such as Technical Electives or Humanities/Art Electives; others are Free Electives

Fall Break: a short break in the middle of the fall semester when the college is open but classes are suspended

Full-Time Equivalency (FTE): the number of hours equivalent to the hours one student is enrolled for the normal academic year of spring and fall terms; This method enables colleges to recognize the impact of part-time students as an aggregate.

Full-Time Student: a student enrolled for 12 or more credits during fall and spring terms and for 9 or more credits during the summer term

General Education Courses: courses required in all degree programs to ensure graduates have the necessary general knowledge, abilities, and intellectual skills commensurate with their degrees

Grade Point Average (GPA): the total number of grade points earned (A=4; B=3; C=2; D=1; F=0) divided by the total number of semester hours attempted by the student

High School Equivalency: a program that provides instruction and testing for adults to complete their high school equivalency

In-State Student: a student who is a legal resident of North Carolina

Lab Fee: an additional charge for some classes that have labs as part of the course structure; Lab fees are used exclusively by the division to purchase supplies and equipment for the lab to which the fees are applied

Lateral Entry Teachers: professionals who have a bachelor’s degree, have met state qualifications, and hold K-12 teaching positions while seeking initial teaching licensure

Out-of-State Student: a student who is a legal resident of a state other than North Carolina, or a legal resident of a foreign country

Part-Time Student: a student enrolled for fewer than 12 credits during fall and spring terms and for fewer than 9 credits during the summer term

Prerequisite: a course that must be completed first to become eligible to enroll in subsequent courses that require the prerequisite

Program Description: information about a program, including the official definition, degree/diploma/certificate awarded, admissions processing, and a list of courses in that curriculum

Program GPA: the grade point average of a student in the courses required to complete a program; To remain in good academic standing, students must maintain a program GPA in accord with the hours for which they enroll, as prescribed by the Central Piedmont Grading Policy. Students must have a final program GPA of 2.0 (C) to graduate

Program of Study: a listing of the exact courses the college offers to fulfill the requirements of a curriculum program

Schedule Adjustment: dropping or adding classes without penalty during the first week of each term

Semester Hours Credits: credit assigned to a course that represents contact hours in a normal 16-week semester, based on formulas for class, lab, work, and clinical methods of instruction

Spring Break: a short break in the middle of the spring semester when the college is open but classes are suspended

Standards of Progress: guidelines that are part of the Central Piedmont Grading Policy which include requirements for students in degree, diploma, and certificate programs to maintain good academic standing; These standards include completion of courses, minimum program GPA, and minimum semester GPA. When students do not meet these standards, they are placed on Academic Probation or Academic Suspension. They work more closely with their faculty advisor or program counselor to reach their educational goals.

State Board of Community Colleges (SBCC): the governing body of the North Carolina Community College System

Transcript: an official student academic record

Transferability: the acceptability of credit for a course or program from or to another college or university

Tuition: the amount of money a student must pay at the time of registration for each hour of academic credit based on the student’s residency classification

Workplace Learning: a program that integrates classroom studies with practical experience in business, industry, public, and community agency work situations; Students are partnered with employers for mutually beneficial work-based learning experiences through programs such as Apprenticeship Charlotte, Work-based Learning (formerly Co-op), and internships