Jones College

Jones College

Glossary of Terms

Unfamiliar words and terms can be frustrating, especially during the application  process for college. The Glossary of Terms will hopefully increase your knowledge and help you navigate through the registration process and during your time taking classes at Jones College.

Accreditation:
An endorsement given to universities or academic degree
programs by an organization that reviews qualifications. Jones College is accredited by the Commission of Colleges of the Southern Association of Collegesand Schools (SACS).

Admissions:
The Office of Admissions is located on the second floor of the Library on campus. To become a student, an online application must be completed and submitted through the website to the Office of Admissions.

Associate degree:
A two-year degree from a community or junior college.

Bachelor’s degree
A four-year degree from a college, university or professional school; usually requires at least 120 credit hours.

Book fees:
Book fees are charged to students for books and supplies, in addition to tuition, and room and board. Book fees are available on the Fee Sheet

Certificate:
Vocational and Technical certificates are achieved after completing classes and training in a specific area or skill. Jones offers one- and two-year certificate programs and students earning certificates are eligible to take part in spring commencement ceremonies.

College Catalog:
The College Catalog is a publication that contains information about academic policies and procedures, college facilities, graduation plans,information about campus life, graduation requirements, majors, descriptions of courses, information about faculty members and college contact information. It is available in print in the Office of Instructions Affairs in the Administration Building and on the college’s website – Catalog

Community college:
A two-year college also known as a junior college.

County Center:
Jones College provides county centers in Clarke, Greene, Jasper and Wayne counties. A variety of academic and workforce classes are offered locally at the centers.

Course numbers:
Numbers are assigned to specific classes. Class numbers change each semester and can be found on the website - Class Search

Credit hour:
Credit is given for attending one lecture hour of class each week for 15 weeks or equivalent. Most college classes are three credit hours, meaning their total meeting time for a week is three hours.

Degree:
A certificate of completion of a program of study as laid out in the course catalog or website.

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

Dual Credit:
A student who is enrolled at Jones College while enrolled in high school and who is receiving both high school credit and college credit for post-secondary course work.

Dual Enrolled:
A student who is enrolled at Jones College while enrolled in high school who receives post-secondary credit after graduation.

FAFSA:
The Free application for Federal Student Aid is the starting point for mostfinancial aid. This form should be completed in order to apply for financial aid, scholarships, or grants.

FERPA:
The Federal Educational Rights and Privacy is a law that protects the privacy of student educational records. Once a student reaches eighteen years old, without written permission from the student, parents cannot have access to a student’s academic records, including grades. Faculty members, staff and administrators are legally prohibited from discussing a student’s process with anyone but the student.

Fees:
Course-related costs to attend college.

Four-year university:
Four-year colleges award bachelor’s degrees. Many offer graduate-level courses leading to master’s and doctoral degrees.

Freshman:
A classification for a student who has completed fewer than 29 hours of college credit.

Full time:
At Jones a student must be enrolled in 15 or more credit hours per semester to be considered full time.

GPA:
Grade point average; the average of your class grades, generally based on a 4.0 scale.

Grants:
Forms of financial assistance that do not require repayment.

Hybrid courses:
a college course format in which instruction is presented 75% online and 25% through classroom instruction.

Junior college:
A two-year college also known as a community college.

Loans:
Financial assistance that must be repaid.

Major:
A student’s concentrated field of study.

Meal plan:
A meal plan is a pre-paid student account set up per individual to cover the cost for meals at the college. Each time a student eats a meal, the amount charged for a meal is deducted from the prepaid balance in the account.

MSVCC:
The Mississippi Virtual Community College (MSVCC) is a consortium of Mississippi’s 15 community colleges that provides shared use of faculty, courses, support services, and technology to provide effective distance learning. Through the MSVCC, students can take courses remotely from provider colleges in Mississippi while receiving support from a local college.

Nonresident:
Any student who lives out of state or does not meet specific stateresidency requirements.

Online courses:
Classes held online instead of in a traditional classroom. Two proctored exams per course are required at Jones for students taking online courses.

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

Public university:
A college or university that receives funding from the state, lowering costs students pay.

Registration:
An enrollment period when new or current students register for classes for an upcoming semester.

Remedial coursework:
Remedial classes are courses that may be required for students to build up their skills in math, reading, or English before continuing into regular college courses.

Resident:
A student who meets state residency requirements.

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

Semester hour:
Semester hours are awarded for attending one lecture hour of class each week for 15 weeks or equivalent. Most college classes are three semester hours, meaning their total meeting time for a week is three hours.

Session:
Time frame in which a school holds classes, for each semester Jones College offers 22 different sessions.

Sophomore:
A student is considered a sophomore who has completed 30 or more college credit hours.

Summer session:
ones College offers two summer terms, each lasting four weeks.

Syllabus:
An outline or overview of the course provided by the instructor at the beginning of the course to students.

Term:
Semesters are often referred to as “terms.”

Transcript:
The official, permanent record of a student’s coursework, taken, grades earned and degrees confirmed by an institution.

Tuition:
Costs for courses, not including certain fees (books, housing).

Undergraduate:
A student at a college or university who has not yet earned a bachelor’s degree.

Web-based classes:
Classes held online instead of in a traditional classroom. Two proctored exams per course are required at Jones for students taking web-based courses.

Work-study program:
A federal financial aid program that allows students to work on campus.