Helpful Resources

NSU Lingo

Academic Advisor: A member of the Nova Faculty who gives students registration advice for their degree plan.

Bachelor's Degree: A degree from a college, university, or professional school; usually requires at least 128 credit hours.

Course Catalog: Online resources to students containing university policies and degree plan descriptions for each academic department.

Core: Course requirements in four areas including English, the Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences and Math.

Credit Hour: Credit given for attending one lecture hour of class each week for 8 or 16 weeks or equivalent.

Dean: The highest officer of a division, college, or school.

Degree: A certificate of completion in a course of study.

Degree Plan: A specific list of required courses and electives to be completed for a degree.

Department: A specific area of study.

Elective: A class that you choose to take that is not required.

FAFSA: Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Must be completed to receive any financial aid.

Freshman: A student who has completed 0 to 25 hours of college credit.

Full Time: Twelve or more credit hours per semester for undergraduate students.

Grants: Financial assistance that does not require repayment.

Internship: A job in a student's filed of study; may be required in some academic programs and may include salary and college credit.

Junior: A student who has completed 58 to 89 college credit hours

Major: A student's concentrated field of study.

Master's Degree: A graduate degree that usually requires two or more years of study beyond the Bachelor’s Degree

Minor: A student's secondary field of study

Prerequisite: A course that must be taken prior to enrollment in another class.

Registration: Enrollment in classes through WebCT.

Resident Advisor: A student worker living in a residence hall to offer planning support and advice for a given semester

Fall/ Spring Schedule of Class: posted on WebStar mid term before the next term of class start

Scholarships: Financial assistance based on merit; do not require repayment.

Senior: A student who has completed 90 or more hours or college credit but has not received a bachelor's degree.

Sophomore: A student who has completed 26 to 57 college credit hours.

Student Employment: An NSU funded program that allows students to work on campus.

Tuition: Costs of courses, not including certain fees.

Web-based Classes: Classes held on the internet though WebCT instead of in a traditional classroom

Work Study Program: A federal financial aid program that allows students to work on campus.

WebCT: A website where student can complete coursework, check grades, and receive class announcements

WebStar: a website where you can view your class schedule, view financial aid/ holds, grades for each semester and employee services.