IR Glossary

This glossary includes institutional research terms and definitions that are the most commonly used in the reports published by the Department of Institutional Research and Analytics. The terms are sorted alphabetically based on the English version of the term.

Terms	Definitions
Abstract	Summary of the resource. As with the title, there is additional optional field to add the abstract in another language.
Academic Advisor	Faculty member/administrator assigned to counsel students on academic matters. The student is called the "advisee."
Academic Calendar	Annual listing of all official dates and deadlines for the academic year.
Academic Dismissal	Involuntary removal of a student from the university for unsatisfactory academic achievement.
Academic Entity	Academic Entities include colleges, departments, programs, centers, institutes, and units. Academic entities other than centers, institutes, and units may offer academic and/or professional programs of study that lead to formal degrees.
Academic Load	Total credits for which a student is registered in a given semester or term.
Academic Period	A portion of an academic year, the time during which an institution holds classes. An academic period can be also referred as a 'Term' or 'Semester'.
Academic Record	Records directly related to the education of a student and maintained by the Registration Department.
Academic Standing	Determined by academic regulations governing good standing, probation and dismissal.
Academic Study plan	Academic study plans for undergraduate students in each college are based on the student's completion of all minimum credit hour requirements for graduation and generally include Program requirements (Major/Minor) and Electives.
Academic Support Staff	TA (Grade G and F) Teaching - non-teaching.
Academic Unit	An academic department or and academic program or a research center that will hire the faculty member
Academic Year	The period beginning with the first day of class of a fall semester and those, which follow, up to, but excluding, the first day of class of the fall semester of the following year.
Active Student (AS)	A student status of AS is a default status and is applied automatically once a student is admitted to QU. The student status remains AS unless it is changed to a different status.
Add	Process of Adding a course in a certain semester within the specified period according to the academic calendar.
Add and Drop	A period of time at the beginning of each semester/term when students can adjust schedules by dropping or adding courses or changing sections of a course.
Admission	Formal acceptance as a student.
Admission Terminated	A student status that is applied to students who do not register in a class for the semester of their admission and did not receive a deferral. The status is applicable to all levels and is entered after the end of the Drop/Add period and before the admission file is transferred to the Records Section.
Admitted Student	An applicant who is offered admission to QU.
Advisory Hold	An advisory hold consists of a mechanism that prevents students from registering in classes or receiving a university service. Students should meet with their advisor to remove the advisory hold.
Alumni	Those who have graduated from Qatar University.
Applied Student	An individual who has submitted an application to be considered for admission for any college or academic program at any level.
Assignments	Academic assignments and quizzes that are not considered mid-term or final exams
Asynchronous	A method of delivering education to students at times that fit their own needs.
Audit a Course	Permission to attend and participate in a course without receiving academic credit.
Average Class Size	The total number of students enrolled in all course-sections divided by the total number of course-sections. This is normally calculated for courses with schedule type of Lecture, Lecture/Lab, and Seminar.
Bachelor's Degree	A four-year minimum undergraduate degree.
Base Academic Entity	A principal appointment in a specified academic entity of Qatar University.
Board	University Board of Regents.
Bylaws	A legislative instrument approved by the Board of Regents. It encompasses the general rules and procedures, and fundamental legal standards regulating university activities in alignment with the Law for the organization of Qatar University.
Catalog Year	A student's catalog year denotes which specific set of graduation requirements will apply to that student. Unless altered, a student's catalog year is the year when the student was admitted to study at QU.
Census Date	A cut-off date that is agreed on as a specific point in time of the year to collect data for monitoring and reporting purposes. Usually, the Student Census date falls immediately on the day following the add and drop deadline. Other census dates can be specified based on data requirements.
Center or Institute	A Center or an Institute is an academic entity that may offer research, instruction, training, and/or community service activities and programs. Although centers and institutes do not have jurisdiction over academic curricula and may not offer programs that lead to formal university degrees, they may provide instruction and offer courses, training programs, and technical assistance. A center or an institute may collaborate with entities from other institutions, agencies, or organizations, such as other colleges and universities, schools, hospitals, industry, foundations, or governmental bodies, for specific activities or projects. A center or an institute is headed by a Director and may be housed under a Program, Department, a College, any of the Vice President Offices, or the Office of the President
Clinical Practice	Conducted in the learning environment at the university but may include out-of-class assignments. It offers an experience-based instruction for the purpose of developing skills related to the discipline focused on "real world" activities that may be offered in a simulated "real world" environment generally in healthcare or service occupation programs. Clinical practice instruction is conducted under the direct supervision of an instructor.
Clinical/professional track	Intended to provide the educational basis for the graduate attaining professional licensure for a giving profession
Cohort	A specific group of students who share common characteristics established for tracking purposes. As an example, one can refer to the cohort of students admitted in any specific semester or to the cohort of students on scholarship.
College	An academic entity typically comprising one or more departments offering degree programs. A college is headed by a Dean and is housed under the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. A College may or may not include Programs, Centers, Institutes, and/or Units.
College to College Joint Appointments.	Joint appointee will be working with two departments in different colleges within Qatar University.
College to Research Entity/Center (Research Entity/Enter to College) Joint Appointments.	Joint appointee will be working with an academic entity of the Qatar University and a Research Entity/Center of Qatar University.
Colleges Representative Boards	Members of the 16 Colleges' Boards elected by the General Assembly.
Common Examinations	Examinations for courses with multiple sections scheduled at a common time at the request of the college/department.
competent authority	President or the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Completed (CM)	A student status of CM is applied by the Student Records staff to students who are not seeking a degree at QU. It's applied once students complete their "Certificate" studies at Qatar University or once they reach the maximum number of semesters or credits to stay at QU as "Visiting" or "Non-Degree" students. For "Visiting" and "Non-Degree" students, the status is entered at the end of the semester after running the end-of-term processes. For "Certificate" programs, the status is entered according to lists received from departments maintaining "Certificate" programs. Note: Degree seeking students do not receive the CM student status upon completion of their degrees. Instead, they receive the GR student status.
Concentration	A focused component of a major that creates a curriculum emphasis within the major.
Confidential Information	Intellectual Property Disclosure Forms; legal documents; research results; lists and contact details of suppliers; details of contracts with suppliers; financial reports, budgets and pricing lists; pricing structures and/or pricing strategies; technical information and know-how relating to the processes and operations devised, owned or used by the University which is not in the public domain including, but not limited to, unpublished Inventions, designs, computer programs, research activities, formulae and ideas; source codes and computer systems; personnel information, including the identity of employees, officers, and consultants employed or engaged by the University, or any other professional information regarding such personnel; any and all other information acquired and recorded through research, scholarly work and investigation in whatever form or medium; and any document marked "confidential" (or similar), or any information which the receiver has been told is confidential or which the receiver might reasonably expect the University would regard as confidential; and any other proprietary business information that may have commercial or legal value when held confidentially.
Consultancy	Defined as any professional activity related to the faculty's field or discipline, where a fee-for-service or equivalent relationship with a third party exists.
Contact Hour	Defined as 50 minutes of instruction time.
Continuing Joint Appointments	A continuing-term appointment is a long-term assignment where an interdisciplinary program is dependent upon faculty with joint appointments for their contributions.
Copyright	Legal term used to describe the rights that creators have over their literary and artistic works.
Copyrightable Work	An original work of authorship, which has been fixed in any tangible medium of expression, such as: Pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works (including but not limited to photographs, diagrams, sketches, and integrated circuit masks); Motion pictures and other audiovisual works (including but not limited to videotapes); Sound recordings; Architectural works; and Any other works determined to be copyrightable under any applicable copyright laws. Literary works (including but not limited to books, journal articles, poems, manuals, memoranda, tests, computer programs, instructional material, databases, bibliographies); Computer software; Musical works, including any lyrics; Recorded performances (including instructional ones); Dramatic works, including any accompanying music; Pantomimes and choreographic works (if fixed, as in notation or videotape);"
Core Curriculum Requirements	Requirements common to all undergraduate students designed to provide both breadth and specialization in their academic degree programs.
Co-requisite	A course required to be taken simultaneously with another course.
Course	A unit of study that may utilize lecture, discussion, laboratory, seminar, independent study, internship or other similar teaching formats to facilitate learning for a student.
Course code	Four alpha prefix that refer to the course subject;
Course Learning Outcomes	Statements are the measurable competencies students would have achieved upon completion of the course, and are informed by the course description, course level, and course goals/objectives. Unlike course objectives, learning outcomes are specific and measurable.
Course Number	Three numerical digits that follow the course code.
Course Objectives	General goals which the course seeks to achieve based on the course description and course level.
Course Schedule	A list of courses offered during a semester that specifies the days, hours, locations of classes and the names of the instructors.
Course Syllabi	This syllabus includes all information contained in the Master syllabus without modification. It contains additional material which is developed by the faculty member (such as details schedule, exam dates, assessment instruments). This syllabus is distributed to students registered in the course.
Course Type	Reflects the course content and/or delivery method. Approved course type designations may be referred to in the faculty workload policy.
Courses offered during short semester	Any course offered in an intensive manner while meeting the expected contact hours.
Credit hour	Defined in credit hour policy.
Crimes involving moral turpitude or dishonesty	Occur due to faculty member moral weakness and deviation from the normal norms of character, taking into account nature of the job, duty of the faculty member, fiducial position, circumstances of the crime, acts constituting the crime, and the extent to which the crime was affected by lusts, whims, intention, deliberation and bad behavior affecting his or her job. Crimes against honor and honesty include, but not limited to, bribery, breach of trust, theft, fraud, perjury, forgery and use of documents, forgery, and imitation of seals, marks and stamps .
Cross-Registration	A system whereby students enrolled at one higher education institution may take courses at another higher education institution without having to apply to the second institution.
Cumulative GPA	It is grade point average cumulative for each semester, is used predominantly at higher learning institutions. It utilizes averaging to determine how well a student has done in the totality of their courses at the end of each semester and cumulative based on registered courses for each semester.
Curriculum	A structured set of learning objectives built in a specified set of courses.
Death (DT)	A student status of DT is applied by the Student Records Section staff upon the demise of the student.
Degree	An award conferred by a college, university, or other postsecondary education institution as official recognition for the successful completion of a program of studies.
Degree Audit	Methodical examination and reviewing of students' compliance with their degree requirements.
Degree of Kinship	Kinship up to the fourth degree.
Degree-Seeking Students	Students enrolled in courses for credit and recognized by the institution as seeking a degree or formal award.
Department	For the purpose of this policy, the term "Department" refers to an academic entity that typically offers undergraduate and/or graduate degree programs. A Department is headed by a Head of Department and is usually housed within a College. A Department may or may not include Programs, Centers, Institutes, and/or Units.
Department to Department Joint Appointments	Joint appointee will be working with two Qatar University departments within the same college.
Departments Concerned with Implementation	Designated Departments by the concerned VP
Development Expenses	Expenses incurred for the assessment, maintenance, marketing, legal protection, and commercialization of the University Intellectual Property, including but not limited to taxes, governmental fees, and costs associated with legal proceedings by or against the University.
Directed Study	An investigation under faculty supervision beyond what is offered in existing courses. Directed study may include, but is not limited to graduation, research or capstone projects.
Disciplinary Office	Specialized administrative unit in the Vice President's Office for Student Affairs, tasked with communicating with concerned persons and following up on violations.
Disclosure of confidential information	Disclosure of information that is not in the public domain and which a faculty member obtained during his/her work at Qatar University to a third party, which he or she knew or ought to have known might cause harm to Qatar University, its employees, faculty, students, or to those dealing with the University.
Dismissal	The involuntary removal of a student from the university for unacceptable conduct or unsatisfactory academic achievement.
Distance Education	University adapts SACS definition that defines distance education as a "formal educational process in which the majority of the instruction (interaction between students and instructors and among students) in a course occurs when students and instructors are not in the same place. Instruction may be synchronous or asynchronous. A distance education course may use the internet; one-way and two-way transmissions through open broadcast, closed circuit, cable, microwave, broadband lines, fiber optics, satellite, or wireless communications devices; audio conferencing; or video cassettes, DVD's, and CD-ROMs if used as part of the distance learning course or program".
Distribution License	Rights the submitter grants to the hosting institution, Qatar University.
Drop	The process of dropping a course in a certain semester within the specified period according to the academic calendar
Early Registration	Period of registering courses by the enrolled students. It usually begins in the middle of the semester. Students register for the coming semester and they can also register for both Summer & Fall as well as Winter & Spring semesters in the same period every year.
Electing Unit	An academic unit or department established upon a decision by QU Administration to offer academic programs, or training, and graduate studies, that is not administratively attached to any college or academic sector.
Election Year	The year in which a periodic election for QUFS is held.
Elective Course	Courses in a package of which a specified number should be selected from as options. Such courses are offered for a Major, Minor or Concentration.
Eligible for Graduated (EG)	A student status of EG is applied by the Student Records staff to degree seeking students who complete the requirements of their degree. These students are identified by the Student Records Section at the end of each term. The status is entered waiting the President's approval. Used for the student planning to apply for the next level of studies to avoid Banner Student System restriction (Only inactive student can apply for admission for the next level of studies)
Embargo	A period of time during which access to academic journals is not allowed to users who have not paid for access (or have access through their institution).
Enhanced Course Portfolio	A document providing a record of information about the courses taught during the assessment period with a focus on one submitted course for evaluation, including the syllabus, all forms of assessment of student work, and reflections on ways to improve the content and delivery of the course in the future.
Enrolled Student	An admitted student who has attended at least one semester at Qatar University and is eligible to continue his/her studies at Qatar University. An enrolled student is not necessarily registered in the semester and may have a Banner Student Status of Active, No Show, Leave of Absence or Deferred.
Evaluation period	Done on courses already taught; therefore the evaluation period used for evaluating faculty members is defined to be the preceding two semesters. The evaluation period for the Scholarly endeavor will be over two calendar years. The evaluation process begins in the month of March of the academic year. This will enable the Head of Department to give the needed feedback to the faculty member who will work on the action plan for the next cycle.
Excessive Failure/Dismissal due to Excessive Failure (EF)	A student status of EF is applied by the Student Records staff to students who are academically dismissed for failing the same course three times, regardless of whether the course is required or not. The status is entered in the student's record at the end of the semester (after running the end-of-term processes).
Executive Management Committee (EMC)	Executive Management Committee shall be comprised of the University's President (who serves as its Chairperson), and all Vice Presidents. Other individuals may be incorporated within the Executive Management Committee at the request and discretion of the President.
Extracurricular	Enrichment and leadership development activities that are part of student life but are not part of the academic program, such as student activities, athletics and music.
Extra-curricular Student Programs	Programs, activities and experiences that the University offers to students outside the classroom according to specific criteria and outcomes to develop and promote specific aptitudes of the student.
Faculty development	Term used for the University's investment in its faculty and includes action items to improve faculty deficiencies relating to teaching, research, and service. While primarily relied upon to promote development, it may be utilized for corrective action.
Faculty member	Includes professors, associate professors, assistant professors, lecturers, teaching assistants (in the three tracks: research, teaching, and clinical), academic advisors, library specialists, learning support specialists, and the like.
Fall Session	Board session that begins with academic fall semester.
Fee	Charges for services; does not include course tuition.
Field Work	An academic activity that is conducted in the context of a course either on a weekly basis or by dedicating a specific amount of time for this activity. Field work is defined as any practical work carried out by students in the field as opposed to the classroom or laboratory. Field work provide students with the opportunity to apply theory learned in class in a real world environment.
Final Withdrawal (FW)	This code implies permanent departure from the University without the immediate expectation to return. A student status of FW is applied by the Registration Section staff when a student of any level applies for Final Withdrawal from the University and his/her request is approved.
First Year Student	A student admitted to QU who either has never attended a university or who has earned less than 24 credit hours at another university.
First-Time, Freshman Student	A student registered for the first time at the undergraduate. This includes students who entered with college credits earned but not exceeding 29 earned credit hours. This excludes students admitted as transfer and second bachelor.
Fixed-Term Joint Appointments	Temporary assignment with clear expectations of returning to base entity within a specified time limit.
FN Absence Suspension (FB)	A student status of FB is applied by the Student Records staff to students who are enrolled in the Foundation Program and are absent for at least two semesters of enrollment out of the period given for students to fulfill the FP requirements. This status deactivates the student record according to QU regulations and the student can only return to QU again with an application for re-enrollment after getting the required test scores. The student status is updated per the lists received from the Foundation Program.
FN Academic Suspension (FA)	A student status of FA is applied by the Student Records staff to students who are enrolled for four semesters in the Foundation Program but do not fulfill the FP requirements. This status deactivates the student record and the student can only return to QU again after getting the required test scores. The student status is updated per the lists received from the Foundation Program.
Follow-up Report	A report prepared by NURC that includes the status and actions taken for each endorsed recommendations.
Foundation Absence Suspension	Students enrolled in the Foundation Program offered at Qatar University who are absent for more than two semesters of enrollment are placed under the "Foundation Absence Suspension" status.
Foundation Academic Suspension	Students enrolled in the Foundation Program offered at Qatar University for four regular semesters excluding the period spent on approved leave of absence and who do not fulfill the program requirements are placed under the "Foundation Academic Suspension" status. Students placed under this status are considered as inactive students.
Foundation Program Courses	Pre-undergraduate remedial courses numbered 099 and below. Students may be waived out of these courses by placement tests. Foundation courses do not count in the credits earned toward a degree, but they do count in the Foundation Program grade point average.
Freshmen	First year student who registered (1 to 29) credit hours.
FTE Faculty (Full-time equivalent)	A single value providing a combination of full time and part time faculty. Equals the sum total of hours taught divided by the number of hours considered to be full-time for a faculty.
Full-time Service	Full-time service is defined as working full-time for at least 8 of the previous 10 semesters
Full-Time Student	An undergraduate student who is registered for 12 or more credit hours in a given semester.
General Assembly	All regular undergraduate students enrolled in QU colleges.
General Board	Members of all Colleges' Boards
Generated Credit Hours	Is calculated as the total number of students in a course section multiplied by the number of credit hours assigned to the course.
Good Standing	Academic standing of an undergraduate student who earned less than 25 GPA hours or achieved a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 if s/he completed 25 GPA hours or more.
GPA	Grade point average of the grades of QU courses within a specific level of study.
GPA Hours	Represents the total number of credit hours used in calculating the student cumulative GPA.
Grade point average (GPA)	Every letter grade has grade points corresponding to it. These constitute the basis for calculating the Grade Point Average (GPA). The total number of grade points earned for each course is calculated by multiplying the number of credit hours assigned to the course by the number of grade points corresponding to the letter grade received as shown above. The overall GPA is determined by dividing the total number of grade points accumulated for all courses by the number of credit hours attempted. The GPA is an indicator of the student's overall academic performance at QU. It is worth noting that each semester has a GPA, and all earned courses have another GPA known as the cumulative GPA.
Grade Points	Numerical value associated with each grade.
Graduate Admission Deferred (DF)	Students admitted to a graduate program may request to defer their first semester of enrollment for a maximum of two semesters, provided the program is still offered at Qatar University. Students requesting such an extension must submit an official written request to the Vice President for Student Affairs. Upon approval, the request is forwarded to the Graduate Admission Section who updates the student status in the system.
Graduate Student	This includes students enrolled at the Master level, PharmD level, Diploma level and PhD level.
Graduates	Degree seeking students who completed the requirements of their degrees and who were awarded the degree.
Graduation Rate	Percentage of students in a given cohort who graduate from the program in a specific period of time (e.g. 4-year graduation rate is the percentage of students who graduated from the program within 4 years out of the given cohort).
Guests	Guests category contains the works presented at the University by guests from outside QU for lectures, conferences, and academic events.
Guidelines	Directive principles aligned with laws and bylaws statements, applicable at the level of the university, sector, college, research center, etc.
Handbooks	A document that encompasses the legislative and executive instruments (bylaws, policies, president decisions, instructions, etc.) related to the university, or a group of its community members.
Harassment	Any threatening psychological, sexual, verbal, or physical behavior. It includes a variety of acts ranging from minor misconduct to severe harassment. According to the provisions of Articles 290 to 293 of the Penal Code, harassment includes every act that constitutes an offense of shameless and indecent acts.
High School Grade Point Average (HGPA)	The student's academic achievement in secondary school. In Qatar University, the high school GPA/score is calculated as an average out of 100.
HoD	Head of Department or relevant administrator (as designated by the Dean) for colleges that do not have heads of departments.
Hold	A mechanism preventing a student from either registering in classes or receiving a university service. More common hold types include admission holds, department holds, advisor holds, and tuition holds. The student should see the department that placed the hold for resolution.
Honor Course	Course designated to "Honors Program" students of QU.
Host Academic Entity	A secondary appointment in a specified academic entity of Qatar University.
Hybrid/blended Course	Combination of face-to-face instruction with web-based instruction. In a hybrid/blended course, more than 25% to 50% of the course learning is online.
Hybrid/blended Program	Program where more than 25% but less than 50% of the courses are delivered online.
ID Card	University student identification card providing and controlling access to university facilities and services.
Impact Statement	A section of the request form for initiation, modification or termination of a policy that describes the background, rationale, and likely impact of the new/modified/ or terminated policy.
Inactive Student (IS)	This code is system required and should not be changed or deleted. Banner updates the General Student status to IS automatically when the admission decision is changed by the Admission Section staff from IA (Institutional Acceptance) to either AR (Application Rejected) or AW (Applicant Withdrawal). Students who have a student status of IS and an admission decision of either AR or AW may re-apply for admission through the Admissions Section. This code applies to all levels.Note: During the data conversion from NAMAT to Banner in 2007, it was decided to assign an IS status to students designated "Long Absence" prior to 200720.
Incomplete	A temporary grade that a student may request from the instructor if he/she attends but fails to complete all the course requirements.
Independent Study	Independent study provide students with the opportunity to explore an area of interest in great details under the direct supervision and direction of a faculty with whom there is periodic contact and consultation throughout the study. Independent study includes Thesis and Project courses.
Institutional Policy	Any policy that has university-wide scope and impact.
Institutional Repository (IR)	Digital collections of the outputs created within a university or research institution.
Instructions	Encompasses all executive processes issued by a competent administrative authority in the university, and aims to interpret or to properly implement the statements embedded in the bylaws, policies, and president decisions, or to ensure sound management of administrative units.
Intellectual Property	Provisions that protect creativity, including inventions, literary and artistic works, designs, logos, labels, marks and pictures (brandings) used in trade, by recognizing the rights of the intellectual property owner and enabling him/her to obtain a financial benefit from the innovation or invention. The IP includes the following: patents, copyright, trademark, service mark, trade secret , integrated circuit marks, research data, new plant varieties or plant variety protection certificate , or ownership of tangible research data, physical embodiment such as a model , device , machine , design , apparatus , instrument , circuit , and computer program, visualization representation, biological or chemical materials, or any other composition of matter or plant that originates in or relates to academic or research activity.
Intellectual Property Disclosure Form	Disclosure form which Originators are required to promptly fill out and submit for each Invention. A copy of this form is available at the following link: http://www.qu.edu.qa/research/offices/office-of-academic-research/forms
Interim Policy	A policy that consists only of the cover page and impact statement, and which may be approved by the president when an urgent need occurs. Such a policy is valid for up to a period of one year from the approval date, by which time the normal process described in this policy document should be completed.
International student	A student who is not a citizen or national of the State of Qatar. International students who are in this country on a student visa issued by the University are considered to be Out of the Country International Students. [For the purpose of financial aid, only undergraduate level and Arabic for Non- Native speakers program students with full external scholarships are eligible for monthly aid only.]
Internship or Externships	Internship or externship offer students the opportunity to develop their job skills by providing them with a structured employment situation that is directly related to, and coordinated with, their program of study.
Invention	Includes any discovery, invention, process, method, composition of matter, know-how, design, model, machine, computer software and hardware, technological development, biological material, strain, plant, chemical, variety, culture of any organism, and records or research considered inventive within the meaning of patent laws.
Junior	Students who are in their 3rd year of study
Junior faculty members	Faculty members in their early years of teaching and research or those who just graduated with a PhD and joined QU as assistant professors or lecturers.
Laboratory	Laboratory instruction focuses on experimentation in a classroom or laboratory under the direct supervision of an instructor.
Leave of Absence	A process by which an undergraduate degree seeking student who is not registered in any course requests official permission to leave the university for a specific period of time. A student cannot leave the university for more than four consecutive semesters unless in extenuating circumstances when approved by the Vice President for Student Affairs. Students granted approval for a leave of absence are considered as active students and may return to the university and register in courses in the semester of their expected return. The period spent by students on approved leave of absence is not to be counted towards the maximum number of years of enrollment in the university.
Lecture	Lecture type of instruction is a standard classroom instruction focusing on theory under the direct supervision of an instructor.
Long Absence	An undergraduate degree seeking student with an unapproved absence from the university of more than four consecutive regular semesters will, by the end of the add and drop period of their fifth regular semester of absence, be placed under the "Long Absence" status. Students with an approved leave of absence who fail to return to the university in their semester of expected return and who exceeds four consecutive regular semesters of absence will also be placed under the "Long Absence" status. Students placed under the "Long Absence" status are considered as inactive students.
Low performance	a faculty is demonstrated when a faculty member fails in his or her professional capacity as identified in his/her annual performance review. Sustained failure of a faculty member to carry out his or her academic responsibilities is considered chronic low performance.
Lower Division Courses	Courses designed primarily for freshman and sophomore level students. These courses are typically 100 and 200 level courses.
Lower-division	Courses numbered 100 and 200 levels.
Major	A major is a curriculum component of an academic program intended to provide in-depth study in a discipline or a professional field of study.
Master Calendar	A five-year calendar that shows the NUR review schedule.
Master Syllabi	Master course syllabus ensure that various sections of a course will contain content in a manner that consistently meets the objectives of the course. Instructors will use the Master Course Syllabus to prepare a course syllabus for their courses. The Master Course Syllabus is a binding document and a permanent record. The master course syllabus is to be kept within specific college and/or academic programs and maintained by the office of the Associate Vice President for Academic Planning and Quality Assurance.
Minor	A curriculum component of an academic program intended to provide a limited depth and/or breadth study in a discipline or a professional field of study.
National Service Deferred (NF)	A student status of NF is applied by the Admission staff to Qatari Male Students admitted to Undergraduate is required to defer their first semester of enrollment due to his engagement in the National Services for a maximum of one semesters. This is applicable only in Fall semester.
National Service Terminated (NT)	A student status of NT is applied by the Admission staff to Qatari Male Students admitted to Undergraduate and placed in National Service Deferred NF in the Fall semester, and he didn't show up in the next Semester (Spring semester). This is applicable only in Spring semester.
No Show	An active undergraduate degree seeking student who, by the end of the add/drop period of a regular semester, does not register in any course when the student was expected to register in courses in that semester is placed under the "No Show" status. No Show students are considered as active students as long as their absence from the university does not exceed four consecutive regular semesters.
Non-Academic Dismissal (ND)	A student status of ND is applied to the student's record by the Student Records staff once a formal suspension notification is received from the Disciplinary Committee through the Director of the Registration Department. The non-academic dismissal status is applied for specified term(s) and only if the student may return to Qatar University after the specified number of term elapses.
Non-Academic Unit Review (NUR)	A systematic process to ensure the quality and relevance of student support services, faculty and staff related administrative services, and the efficient use of resources.
Non-Academic Units (NU)	All non-degree granting programs.
Non-Degree Student	Designation used for students who are admitted to QU and who are enrolled in courses but are not pursuing a degree program.
Non-institutional Policy	A specific policy applicable for unit activities.
Online / Hybrid	Conducted in the context of a course where there is either no face-to-face meetings or a blend of online and face-to-face delivery between students and instructors and where a substantial part or all of the course contents is delivered online.
Online Courses	Those in which 50% or more of the content (excluding exams) is delivered online or in an electronic format using web-based tools.
Online Program	A program where 50% or more of its credits are offered online.
Outside Activities	Paid tasks performed by the faculty member conducted outside of the University.
Overload teaching	Number of Credit/Contact hours taught above the faculty regular load based on approved policies.
Ownership /Policy Owner	QU unit that is the custodian (owner) of the policy. Usually it is the unit who is most directly affected/involved policy owner in the execution of the policy.
Part-time faculty	are qualified members hired to teach courses at the university as needed, and are not considered full-time faculty at Qatar University
Period Exceeded (PE)	A student status of PE is applied by the Student Records staff to students who are academically dismissed for not completing their graduation requirements according to the period specified in the Student Catalog, These students are identified by the Student Records Section as part of the end-of-term process and the students are assigned a PE status in Banner which inactivates their student record. Non-degree seeking students who are academically dismissed for not completing their program requirements according to the Department managing the program are identified by that Department after the Add/Drop period and sent to the Student Records Section to be deactivated in the Student Information System Banner.
Petition	A written request seeking a waiver of, or an exception to, a university regulation, policy or deadline.
Placement Test	A proficiency examination given to determine a student's ability in a subject area. Placement test scores determine whether the corresponding preparatory course will be waived.
Policy	Connects the university's mission to its community members' conduct, clarifies institutional expectations, supports compliance with laws and bylaws, mitigates institutional risk, regulates actions, and enhances productivity and efficiency in the academic, administrative and financial environments, student affairs, research, and other activities.
Policy Statements	A section in the policy document that describes policy provisions and requirements.
Prerequisite	A course required to be completed before a certain course may be taken.
Pre-requisite Course	A course that a student must study and pass before being able to register for a particular course
President	Qatar University President
President Decision	Issued by the president of the university based on the power vested in him by the Law for the organization of Qatar University, and by the statements of laws and bylaws enforced in the university and State.
Academic Probation	Status of any undergraduate student who has completed a minimum of 24 undergraduate credit hours with less than a 2.00 cumulative GPA. The academic standing of a diploma student who has a cumulative GPA of less than 2.50. The academic standing of a graduate student achieving less than a 3.00 cumulative GPA.
Disciplinary Probation	A formal notice affecting the non-academic status of the student resulting from unsatisfactory conduct.
Procedures	Steps and actions to be followed to fulfill the general guidelines identified in the policy. Where the EMC deems appropriate, these actions could be tailored to a unit's requirements.
Program	For the purpose of this policy, the term "Program" refers to an academic entity that offers one or more programs of study that may or may not lead to a formal degree. A Program is headed by a Director or a Program Coordinator and may be housed under a Department, a College, or the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
QSpace	The name given to the Qatar University Institutional Repository. The purpose of QSpace is to capture, store, index, preserve and redistribute QU research material in digital formats.
QU	Qatar University.
QU Community	Any person hired by QU such as Faculty, Administrator and Researcher.
Ranked position	Assistant or Associate or Full Professor
Readmission	A process by which applicants who were previously admitted to Qatar University and who enrolled in at least one semester at the university request returning and readmission to Qatar University.
Re-enrollment	A student who withdrew from QU without approval may seek re-enrollment through the Registration Department.
Registered Student	An admitted student who is effectively registered in one or more courses in a semester at QU.
Registration	Process of enrolling in classes at QU
Regular Faculty with intensive teaching	Full-time individuals who hold full academic ranks (Assistant, Associate, Professor) and who are appointed by the University to contribute mainly to teaching, with no more than 20% of the work load devoted to research and service.
Regular Semesters	University offers two 15-weeks semesters (namely Fall and Spring) and one 6-weeks summer semester.
Regular Student	A degree-seeking student.
Request for Reinstatement	A mechanism allowing undergraduate students dismissed for academic deficiency to apply for reinstatement after completing a minimum suspension period of 1 regular semester.
Replacement Election	Local/internal election for QUFS in a certain electing unit to replace a prematurely leaving QUFS member.
Election Committee	A Committee agreed upon by the Senate in its last meeting of the respective election cycle and is also approved by QU Administration; this commitee' members are non-Senate members assigned to oversee the upcoming Faculty Senate elections.
Required Courses	Courses must be completed within a Major, Concentration or Minor.
Research Data	Recorded factual material commonly accepted in the research and scholarly communities as necessary to validate the research findings, excluding the following: preliminary analyses, draft of scholarly manuscripts, plans for future research, peer reviews, or general correspondence between colleagues.
Research Entity to Research Entity Joint Appointment	Joint appointee will be working with a research Entity/Center of Qatar University and a research entity/Center of Qatar University.
Retention Rate	Refers to a student's persistence at Qatar University from one term to another. For official reporting, retention is calculated by identifying the number of students from each cohort that return in the second fall from their entering term, e.g. the retention rate for Fall 2010 Cohort is the percentage of students from this Cohort who registered in Fall 2011 semester.
Sabbatical Leave	Excellent opportunity for academic staff development, productivity and training. It provides means to support high quality research and teaching initiatives by relieving faculty members of all teaching and administrative duties in order to enable them to engage in academic and scholarly activities on a full-time basis for an agreed upon period of time. Sabbatical-leave may also be spent in professional development to immerse a faculty member in areas of interest to the university such as learner-centric teaching, research-informed education, competency-based curricula, digitally enriched and entrepreneurial education, experiential and service learning.
Scholarships	Grant-in-aid, trainee stipends, tuition and fee waivers.
Second Degree Student	A student who has completed an undergraduate degree and who is admitted to QU to pursue an undergraduate degree in a different major.
Semester	Either of the two (Fall and Spring) 16-week periods of instruction followed by an examination period into which the academic year is divided. A summer session is decided and offered on an annual basis.
Seminars	conducted in the context of a course under the supervision of a seminar course instructor or coordinator. Each seminar lecture may be offered by a different instructor or speaker and different subjects may be discussed in each lecture. A seminar course covers advanced topics related to the student's major.
Senate	Qatar University Faculty Senate [QUFS]
Senate Management	Senate Chair, Senate Vice-Chair, Senate Secretary, supported by administrative team and a legal committee
Senior	students who are in their fourth university year.
Service Courses	courses provided by academic unit to a study plan offered by another unit within the University. Such courses are offered for a Major, Minor or Concentration.
Sophomore	students who are typically in their second year college and registered fewer than 60 credit and more than 30 credit;
Spring Session	Board session that begins with academic spring semester.
Student	Any student, whether enrolled at or attending Qatar University, including any visiting student or enrolled student at any other university.
Student Classification	QU students are classified as either regular degree-seeking or visiting/non-degree students.
Student Housing Disciplinary Committee	concerned committee to consider and investigate violations that occur within students' housing.
Student Level	Refers to a student's educational level at the institution (Foundation, Undergraduate, Master's, Doctoral, Certificate, Diploma, etc.)
Student Load	Total credit hours for which a student is registered in a given semester or a year.
Student Schedule	A listing of the courses a student is taking in a given semester that specifies the days, hours, locations of classes and the names of the instructors.
Student Theses and Dissertations	Work created by a current QU graduate student in full or partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree received.
Studio Work	provides student with the opportunity to study and learn in a studio setting under the supervision of an instructor.
Study Away	A QU student who is taking courses at another university during a regular semester.
Summer Short Semester	Four weeks during the summer where courses may be offered.
Supporting Research Faculty	A term that classifies Research Assistants, Senior Research Assistants and Post Doc/Research Associates. Supporting Research Faculty are vital components of the academic setting at Qatar University. Their assistance is essential to the fulfillment of the role, scope, and mission of research programs.
Suspended (SP)	This code is assigned by the Student Records Section at the request of the Vice President for Student Affairs. It is assigned in cases where a student record is not deactivated but also not given the benefits of active students. This is a temporary code that is assigned until further notice from the VPSA.
Syllabi Bank	An online database, which contains previously and currently used syllabi and existing ones.
Synchronous	A method of delivering education to students in a simultaneous manner where students are expected to be present online at a specific time.
Transfer Student	A student who previously attended another university and has been admitted to QU after satisfying the QU transfer admission requirements. Credits completed at the student's prior university may or may not be transferable to QU.
Tuition and fees(charges)	amount of tuition and required fees covering a full academic year most frequently charged to students. These values represent what a typical student would be charged and may not be the same for all students at an institution.
Official Transcript	A transcript or other academic record that includes notation that it is official.
Human Resources (HR)	It refers to the appropriate section within the Human Resources Department of Qatar University.
Fiscal Tear	The financial period specified by the Financial Regulations of the State of Qatar.
Organizational Structure	It is the administrative structure that illustrates sectors, departments and units within the organization, and sets the administrative hierarchy in the institution
Academic Adninistrative Faculty	This includes the following Academic Administrative positions: Deans - University Program Directors - Associate Deans - Assistant Deans - Heads of Academic Departments - Directors of academic program/academic units - Coordinators of academic programs (undergraduate and graduate)
Academic Members	Professors, associate professors, assistant professors, lecturers, teaching assistants and the like, as well as postdoctoral fellows and research assistants.
Academic Work	Any original artistic or literary work such as research paper, article, book chapter, book, report, etc., or any work referred to in Qatar Law No. 7 of 2002 "Protection of Copyright and Related Rights".
Honorary Author	Person who is included within the authors and has not contributed to the production and publication of the academic work and does not meet authorship criteria.
Ghost Author	A person who performs major part of the academic work for a fee and his/her name is not listed as an author.
Consultant	A person with academic or scientific experience whose role is only to provide advice and solutions to the research problems for the research team during the implementation of the research project. The consultant is not the author. The consultant cannot claim intellectual property rights related to the research project. Accordingly, the consultant does not meet the authoring criteria.
Main Author	Person who leads an academic work and makes the largest contribution to it compared to other co-authors. The main author meets authoring criteria and shall ensure that the authoring standards apply to the authors involved as well as the final approval of the research and its preparation for publication. In addition, he/she and the other co-authors have full responsibility for the integrity of the academic research.
Co-author	Person who participates in the preparation of an academic work and meets the criteria of authorship, and with the rest of the authors, has full responsibility for the integrity of research.
Original Reasearch	They are types of research that are distinguished by their novelty and originality and have not been published before.
Scholarly Review	It is a critical analysis and evaluation of existing published literature or book in a certain field.
Open Access	Open-access (OA) literature is digital, online, free of charge, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions. What makes it possible is the internet and the consent of the author or copyright-holder.
Research Faculty (Regular)	Full-time individuals who hold full academic ranks (Assistant, Associate, Professor), who have full time positions in the organization structure, and who are appointed by the University to fulfill the following functions and duties: 1. Conducting research, 2. Carrying out services and contracts, 3. Teaching, 4. Graduate student's supervision, 5. Student advisement, and 6. Other functions and duties deemed necessary by the University.
Regular Research Faculty with intensive research	Full-time individuals who hold full academic ranks (Assistant, Associate, Professor), who have full time positions in the organization structure, and who are appointed by the University to contribute mainly to research, with no more than 20% of the workload devoted to teaching.
Sponsor	An external institution (such as industrial institutions, government agencies, local or foreign funding agencies, etc.) that are willing to provide financial support to certain research activities at Qatar University.
New Applicants	Students, full-time and part-time, registering at the institution for the first time in a given term at a specific level. This includes all first-time students i.e. students transferring into the institution for the first time.
Undergraduate	A student enrolled in a four- or five-year bachelor's degree program, an associate degree program, or a vocational or technical program below the baccalaureate level.
Unit	For the purpose of this policy, the term "unit" refers to an academic entity that may offer research, instruction, training, and/or community service activities and programs. Although units do not offer programs that lead to formal university degrees, they may provide instruction and offer courses, training programs, and technical assistance. A unit is headed by a Head of Unit and may be housed within a Program, a Department, a College, or the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
University	Qatar University
University Bylaws, Policies and Decisions	Bylaws, policies and decisions issued by the University.
University Campus	University's land, facilities, educational venues, halls, laboratories, libraries, gardens, playgrounds, university housing, and others.
University Publications	A work or series of works published by QU.
Visiting Student	A student from another accredited institution who plans to graduate from that institution and who is admitted to QU for a limited period.
Academic Warning	An official notification to students who failed to achieve in any particular semester a term GPA equal to at least the minimum cumulative GPA requirement for "Good Standing" or whose additional failure in a particular course will result in academic dismissal.
Warning, Disciplinary	An official notification that the student's behavior violates the Student Integrity Code.
Winter semester	Four weeks during mid-year break where courses may be offered.
Withdrawal	A student is considered withdrawn from the semester if s/he provides an acceptable excuse after the semester has started, and his/her registration in all courses are cancelled.
Withdrawal from a Course	After the regular drop/add period, students may withdraw from one or more courses before the withdrawal deadline for the semester, provided that the total number of credit hours carried does not fall below the minimum credit hour requirement of the program.
Withdrawal from the Semester	A process by which an undergraduate student who registered in courses in a semester requests, before a set deadline specified and published by the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, official permission to withdraw from all registered courses for the semester. Students granted approval to withdraw from a semester are considered as active students and may return to the university and register in courses in the following semester.
Withdrawal from the University	A process by which an undergraduate student requests official permission to suspend enrollment and depart permanently from the University without the immediate expectation to return. Students granted approval to withdraw from the university are considered as "inactive students".
Transcript	Official result of the student's academic achievement.
Transfer Credit	Credit from coursework completed at another institution that is accepted at QU and which may or may not be applicable toward a specific QU degree.
Textbooks Committee	A committee that is formed according to a decision made by QU President and it includes members from Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Procurement and Contracts, and Finance.
Textbook Evaluation Form	A form that is used to evaluate a textbook content based on specific criteria established by the Textbooks Committee
Short Semesters	Semesters that do not exceed six weeks in period and these include summer and winter semesters
Academic Excellence Award	Award given to a faculty member to recognize his/her excellence in one of the following fields: Academic Research, Teaching and Academic Advising, Community, University & Profession Service
Outstanding Teaching Award	A financial award granted by Qatar University to honor and recognize a faculty member who has demonstrated outstanding performance in teaching.
Outstanding Faculty Community Service Award	The award is established to honor and recognize faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in service to Qatar University and the community at large
Research Excellence Award	A financial award granted by Qatar University to honor and recognize a faculty member who tangibly contributes to the advancement of scientific research in accordance with Qatar University's vision, mission and strategic plan.
Package	Collection of courses grouped within one package based on some rationale such as courses addressing the same competency or same knowledge domain. Packages may be used to structure an academic program, a major, a minor, or a concentration.

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