First Gen Students
"This new class has a desire to engage with their peers, school, and community in a meaningful way. They want to make connections and have the drive to succeed in their academics. I'm excited to see the wonderful things these Roos are bound to achieve."
From Missouri
This section is not intended to be exhaustive, but hopes to provide some of the most often used or confused abbreviations and terms you might hear.
Throughout the website, if we use an abbreviation or term we understand might be new to you, we aim to define it on the same page (see above where we define SHSS as "School of Humanities and Social Sciences").
If you see an abbreviation without a definition or see a term that is unfamiliar to you, we encourage you to ask for clarification from the instructor or office using it. If that happens anywhere on the SHSS website, we would appreciate it if you email shss@umkc.edu so we can correct and improve.
Success Network – Your specialized network is made up of advisors, mentors, and coaches who are trained and dedicated to support you in your major/program of study. Who these people are can be found in UMKC Connect.
UMKC Connect – The system used to help you communicate with your Success Network.
Pathway – The system used to register for classes, check grades, accept financial aid and more.
Catalog – Published each year, this is the information used to communicate university, degree, and major requirements and resources.
Requirement term – The catalog year that is used to determine which requirements need to be met for your general education, degree, major(s), and minor(s).
Major – A field of study requiring at least 30 hours of coursework.
MAP - Major Area Path. Used to refer to the manager for the five different MAPs in Roo Advising as well as to the mentor in each department who is available to help students integrate their goals into their specific major and activities.
Minor – A field of study requiring at least 18 hours of coursework.
FERPA – Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act – This federal law protects the privacy of educational records and transfers from your parent/guardian to you as a student when you turn 18 or start college.
Credit Hour – The unit of measuring educational credit usually based on the number of classroom hours per week throughout a term.
GPA – Grade Point Average – Your grade in a course multiplied by the number of credit hours of that course equals your grade points.
Dean's List – An honor given each semester to full-time students who earn a specific term GPA.
Latin Honors – An honor given at graduation to students who earn a specific cumulative GPA.
B.A. – Bachelor of Arts – A degree you earn with specific major(s).
B.L.A. – Bachelor of Liberal Arts - A degree you earn with specific minor(s).
B.S. – Bachelor of Science – A degree you earn with specific major(s) and typically requiring more math/science coursework.
Double major – Pursuing two majors within the same degree.
Double degree – Pursuing two degrees and requires more credit hours
Diploma – The certificate of completion of a degree.
Transcript – The official record of the progress of coursework taken at an institution.
ASSC – Atterbury Student Success Center – Also known as Atterbury or the Success Center.
RA – Resident Assistant
A list of Building Codes, specifically for where classes/events are located can be found.
Free Add/Drop Period – A grace period at the beginning of each semester during which a student can decide to add or drop a course with no penalty.
Syllabus – An outline of the expectations, assignments, and timeline for a class, typically handed out the first class period.
Office hours – Time set aside by professors for you to visit them to provide support for your effort in the class. They will also be able to make an appointment if the office hours do not work for your schedule.
ASM – Academic Support and Mentoring – An office on campus aimed to provide support for your academic efforts.
SI – Supplemental Instruction – Academic support for certain courses provided through ASM.
IS – Independent Study – A type of non-traditional course that allows students to work outside of the classroom.
TA – Teaching Assistant
FA – Financial Aid
FAFSA – Free Application for Federal Student Aid – Recommended to be completed every year to help make sure you get any federal aid you qualify for, such as PELL.
SAP – Satisfactory Academic Progress – Making progress toward a degree is required to continue receiving financial aid and reviewed at the end of each semester.
Work-Study – A federal program which gives colleges and universities funding to hire students for part-time jobs.
