| Award | A full /complete qualification |
| Programme | The University qualification such as a degree that you enrol for eg BSc |
| Field of study | Your area of specialisation within an award,eg BSc Electrical Engineering |
| Calendar | The calendar or teaching year at Wits runs from February to November |
| Term | The first term runs from February to June |
| Curriculum | A set of courses or subjects (also known as units) |
| Extended Curriculum | Set of units in a programme taken over an additional year of study |
| Faculty | An organisational and discipline -based administrative division within a University |
| Firm offer of a place | A definite offer of an academic place at a University,by letter,to an applicant |
| Offer response | Your written acceptance/decline of our offer |
| Units | Courses/subjects taken in your programme |
| Academic year: | full calendar year |
| Person number: | number allocated to the prospective student once they have completed and submitted an official application form for consideration to a degree programme. This number is used in all subsequent communication with the University. |
| Automatic acceptance: | once all the basic faculty requirements are met e.g., matriculation exemption, points rating system and recommended subjects passed at prescribed levels you are granted automatic acceptance into your chosen program. (This does not include the Faculty of Health Sciences) |
| Auxiliary course: | complimentary course (can be taken only up to second year level i.e. not one of your major subjects) |
| Biographical questionnaire: | a question and answer leaflet that must be completed by all applicants for admission to certain faculties e.g., Health Sciences. This is used to assist in selection for these courses and assesses leadership roles, community service involvement etc. |
| Confirmation of a place: | the applicant is required to confirm acceptance of a firm offer |
| Co-requisite course: | a compulsory course required to be completed concurrently in order to qualify for the proposed degree. |
| Dean: | head of faculty/division under which degree programmes are offered |
| Fixed curriculum: | set of compulsory courses taken in a professional degree programme |
| Foundation/Bridging courses: | designed for applicants who have not met all of the initial requirements and are accepted on the basis of writing the selection test and/or interviews. These students will be required to complete the degree programme on an extended curriculum |
| Full course: | course running for the whole academic year |
| Half course: | course running for half the academic year |
| International accreditation of degrees: | professional degree programmes that have been formally assessed by well known overseas institutional bodies as adhering to international standards |
| International recognition of degrees: | degrees that are recognised and accepted overseas |
| Major:(Unit Set) | a subject which a student chooses to specialise in and is taken from first year of study through to third year |
| Matriculation exemption: | an endorsement on a matric certificate that enables a student to apply to study at university |
| Modular course: | a course that runs for a term (one half of the academic year), either from February to June or July to November |
| Postgraduate: | second and/or further degree/diploma programme e.g., honours/masters at university |
| Pre-requisite course: | a compulsory course that must be taken to complement another course
Professional degree: a degree leading to a profession (courses are designed for the profession) |
| Prospective students: | applicants who intend to study at a university |
| Provisional offer: | temporary offer made on the basis of the Grade 11 final results |
Enrolment:
| the process of enrolling as a university student, only once application for admission to study for a degree/diploma has been firmly accepted and the applicant has formally confirmed acceptance to the offer. |
| Restricted courses: | courses with a limited intake of students based on academic merit. |
| Selection tests: | applicants who score points below the minimum on the rating system, but satisfy other admission requirements to their choice of degree/diploma are evaluated further in the form of tests as required by their faculty. The tests aim to evaluate potential to succeed at university. |
| Special Curriculum: | a set of selected courses taken in a degree/diploma programme for qualification purposes only with the permission of the Faculty. |
| Specialist degrees: | degrees in Dramatic Art, Fine Arts, Music, Speech and Hearing Therapy and Social Work for which applicants must, in addition to complying with the standard admission requirements, attend an interview or audition or submit a portfolio where applicable, to finalise consideration of their application. |
| Sub Major: | a course taken only in the first and second year of study towards a degree/diploma. |
| Term: | Periods during which University teaching sessions are conducted throughout the academic year. |
| Tutorial: | A more interactive small group teaching session which is aimed at clarifying the understanding of lectures. |
| Undergraduate: | first degree/diploma programme studied at university after successful completion of matriculation. |
