Glossary of Terms
AWARD - is a recognised certification of achievement that is granted to a student after completing the requirements of a higher education course (eg Bachelor of Education).
ACADEMIC RECORD - is an official statement which details a student's complete academic record at CHC (produced in the form of a transcript).
ADVANCED LEVEL UNIT - are usually undertaken by students in the second or third years of their studies at CHC. Entry to these units normally requires the completion of introductory units. These units are usually coded as 200- or 300-level units (eg CS253 or BS397).
AUDIT STUDENTS - are students who study a CHC unit(s) for professional or personal development – they do not enrol in the complete course, do not complete assessment and do not receive credit for the unit(s). Students who enrol in audit units are charged a fee less than the total fee for the unit(s). CHC students who are enrolled in courses of study may audit a unit(s) for the purposes of refreshment if they have had a period of deferral from study, or for personal interest.
ASSOCIATE DEGREE - is the title for an undergraduate course (eg Associate Degree in Business). Associate Degrees at CHC normally require the completion of 160 credit points (16 units). At a standard full-time enrolment (four units per semester), an Associate Degree normally takes two years of study to complete. At a standard part-time enrolment (two units per semester), it normally takes four years.
BACHELOR - is the title for an undergraduate degree course (eg Bachelor of Ministry). With the exception of undergraduate Education courses, a Bachelor program at CHC normally requires the completion of 240 credit points (24 units). At a standard full-time enrolment rate (four units per semester), a Bachelor degree normally takes three years of study to complete. At a standard part-time enrolment (two units per semester), it normally takessix years. Undergraduate Education courses require 400 credit points for completion, or four years at a standard full-time rate of five units per semester.
CENSUS DATE - is the date by which you must finalise your enrolment in each semester. The Census dates for each semester are advertised in Student Handbooks and on the CHC website www.chc.qld.edu.au
CHESSN (Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number) - is a unique identifier allocated by the Commonwealth Government to manage Commonwealth assistance and support.
COMBINED DEGREE - is a combination of two undergraduate degrees taken simultaneously (eg Bachelor of Arts/ Bachelor of Education). Combined degrees at CHC vary in credit point requirements and are dependent upon the combination of courses, but as a guide take a standard full-time enrolment of four years to complete.
CONTACT HOURS - are the number of scheduled hours which students are expected to attend class (eg lectures, tutorials, workshops).
CORE UNITS - are units which must be undertaken as part of the requirements of a course. These units enable students to gain skills and knowledge which are deemed essential to the course. At CHC these vary from course to course.
COURSE OF STUDY (or course) - is the complete award with which a student graduates, such as a Bachelor of Social Science.
COURSE CODE - is a combination of letters and numbers that identifies a course of study for administrative purposes.
CREDIT POINTS - Each individual unit is given a credit point vrepresents one hour per week which a student should devote to that unit throughout the semester. Thus, a 10 credit point unit requires 10 hours of work per week, comprising contact time, personal study time and assignment and exam preparation.
Cross-institutional enrolment - is an enrolment in a unit(s) at another institution (the host institution) which, upon successful completion, can be credited to a course at CHC. Pre-approval is required if a student wishes to defer the payment of their tuition fees at the host institution.
DEAN - is a member of the academic staff responsible for the management of a School at CHC.
DEFERRAL - is a process where a student who has completed six months of successful study at CHC chooses to defer the continuation of their study for a period (normally six months). Approved deferrals are not included in the maximum time allowed to complete a course of study.
DEGREE - is a recognised certification of achievement that is granted to a student after completing the requirements for a higher education course (eg Bachelor of Education).
DIPLOMA - is the title for an undergraduate course (eg Diploma of Practical Ministry). Diplomas at CHC vary in credit point requirements and interested students should check the relevant Course Guide.
ELECTIVE - is a unit that is chosen from a number of alternative units.
ENROLMENT - is the process whereby an applicant, having been made a written offer of admission to a particular course of study, accepts the offer to study at CHC, chooses the units they wish to study within the course for the first semester, pays the
appropriate fees and is issued with a student number, CHESSN and student card.
EXTERNAL MODE - is where a unit is offered off campus by distance education.
FULL-TIME STUDENT - is a student who studies at least 75% of a standard full-time workload in a semester. For all courses except undergraduate Education courses, a full-time student will study at least three units per semester, with a standard full-time workload of four units per semester. For undergraduate Education courses, a full-time student will study at least four units per semester, with a standard full-time workload of five units per semester.
GRADUAND- is a student who has completed their course requirements but is yet to receive their testamur.
GRADUATE - is a student who has completed their award and has received their testamur.
Honours program - is available at CHC to Master of Education students who choose to
complete a research track.
INTENSIVE MODE - is where classes are taught in a compressed format across a shortened period of time, usually four to five days, either continuously during holiday breaks or across a number of weekends.
INTERNAL MODE - is where classes are conducted on campus in face-face mode each week throughout the semester.
Introductory level unit - are units which provide a sound knowledge of essential areas and a foundation for studies in particular majors and/or minors within a course. They are normally coded as 100-level units (eg YO101).
LECTURE - is where a member of the academic staff presents to students enrolled in a particular unit the themes and concepts related to that unit.
MAJOR - is a sequence of eight units from one particular area of study within a course.
MINOR - is a sequence of four units from one particular area of study within a course.
MISCELLANEOUS STUDENT - is a student who is enrolled in a unit(s) that does not lead to an award (eg Bachelor of Education).
OP - is an acronym for Overall Position and indicates a Queensland Year 12 student's state-wide rank order position, which is based on overall achievement.
PART-TIME STUDENT - is a student who studies less than 75% of a standard full-time workload in a semester. For all courses except undergraduate Education courses, a part-time student will study two or fewer units per semester, with a standard full-time workload of four units per semester. For undergraduate Education courses, a part-time student will study three or fewer units per semester, with a standard full-time workload of five units per semester. Students from overseas who are studying on an Australian Study Visa cannot study on a part-time basis.
POSTGRADUATE - is a student who has an undergraduate degree and is pursuing studies for a more advanced qualification (eg Graduate Certificate in TESOL).
SEMESTER - the academic year is divided into two semesters. Semester 1 generally runs from February to June, and Semester 2 from July to November.
SUMMER SEMESTER - is a non-standard teaching period in the academic year, running between December and mid-February, which has fewer teaching weeks than Semesters 1 or 2 and so units are available in Intensive or External modes.
SCHOOL - is a department within CHC devoted to a particular area (eg the School of Christian Studies).
TESTAMUR - is the certificate awarded to a graduate upon completion of a course of study.
TRANSFER OF CREDIT (Recognition of Prior Learning/ Recognised Current Competencies) - may be granted in recognition of prior academic work or other work identified as being of equal depth and rigour to units offered at CHC. The granting of credit reduces the number of units that must be completed to satisfy course requirements.
TUTORIAL - is normally a forum for the consolidation of the themes and concepts introduced in a lecture, and in many cases gives students a chance to practically apply unit content. Tutorials usually contain between 15 and 25 students and provide an atmosphere for discussion, presentation and debate.
UNDERGRADUATE - is a student who studies a Diploma, Associate Degree or Bachelor degree course at a higher education institution. An undergraduate may already hold a degree but is taking a second or subsequent degree at the same level.
UNIT (also known in universities as a subject or a course) - is a component of a course that is normally one semester in length. Units at CHC usually carry 10 credit points and the standard enrolment for a full-time student is four units per semester (five units per semester for an undergraduate Bachelor of Education).
UNIT CODE - is a combination of letters and numbers that identifies a unit of study for administrative purposes.
