III. Advising Basics

Academic Calendar(s)

Academic calendars provide information about academic programs, special study opportunities, and regulations and procedures. The University provides three Academic Calendars, one for each level of study:

Academic Consideration

Academic Consideration is the process by which students can ask for specific action with respect to their academic record based on a limited number of types of grounds. Refer to Academic Consideration in Section V--Procedures of this handbook.

Academic Review Sub-Committee

The Academic Review Sub-Committee is a sub-committee of the degree Program Committee. It is charged with considering and disposing of Requests for Academic Consideration.

Admission Categories

While most undergraduate students admitted to the University come directly from a Canadian high school this situation does not represent that of all first year students. Special regulations apply to the admission of International Students, Transfer Students and Visiting Students.

  • International Students are students whose academic preparation for university was completed outside of Canada. When applying these students must show proof of academic success similar to the standards for Canadian students and they may be required to provide evidence of English proficiency and visa authorization. Information about international admission procedures and requirements are available from Admission Services. Further information for International students is available from the Office of Intercultural Affairs.
  • Transfer Students have attended (or are currently enrolled at) a college or university other than Guelph. Applicants for transfer status must be eligible for readmission and registration on a full-time basis at the last university or college attended. Transfer credits are determined when the student is admitted to Guelph and assessment is based on the content of the previous study and the program at Guelph. The Admission Services website for University/College Transfer provides more information.
  • Visiting Students are students attending the University of Guelph on a Letter of Permission from another institution or as part of an Exchange or Semester Abroad program. Those wishing to attend Guelph with permission from their home institution follow information for Letter of Permission Students. Those wishing to come to Guelph as part of an Exchange or Semester Abroad program should contact the Centre for International Programs.

Colleague

Colleague is the name of the student information management system used at the University of Guelph. All academic departments (and some administrative departments) have access to Colleague through the departmental office.

Credits

Each course at the University is assigned a credit weight. While most have a credit weight of [0.50] credit weights range from [0.00] to [2.75] in [0.25] increments. A credit weight of [0.50] indicates 10- 12 student effort hours, including class time, on academic tasks associated with the course.

Definitions of Terms Related to Degree Programs

  • Area of Concentration is a specific area of emphasis within a general degree program.
  • Degree is an official recognition from a university of the completion of a specific course of study. The parchment does indicate if the degree program completed was at the honours or general level.
  • General Degree is a credential granted to students who have successfully completed at least 15.00 credits (normally the equivalent of 3 years of full-time study), including specific course requirements. General degrees are only offered in the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science programs.
  • Honours Degree is a credential granted to students who have successfully completed at least 20.00 credits (normally the equivalent of 4 years of full-time study) including specific course requirements.
  • Distinction is the standing attributed to a degree granted when a student's cumulative average is 80.00% or higher. With Distinction only appears on the official transcript (not on the degree parchment).
  • Major is a specific area of emphasis within a degree program. Students following a major will have a set of core courses to complete successfully, as well as a certain number of electives (which may or may not include restricted electives).
  • Minor is a secondary area of emphasis within a degree program. Students following a minor will normally have a set of core courses to complete successfully, as well as a certain number of electives (which may or may not include restricted electives).
  • Specialization is an area of emphasis related to the degree program. Some degree programs require a student to declare a specialisation and some do not. Majors, Minors, and Areas of Concentration are all types of specializations.

Degree Specializations

A list of available specializations (majors, minors and areas of concentration) and their corresponding degree programs are available in Section X--Degree Programs of the current Undergraduate Calendar.

Student Population (University of Guelph)

A chart representing an annual reporting of the student population by degree and semester level is available in Section XV-- Summary of Attendance of the current Undergraduate Calendar.

Student Rights and Responsibilities

Students have fundamental rights and responsibilities which maintain the integrity of the University as a community for learning. Basis of conduct considered to be consistent with the goals and well-being of the University community and a review of the process in place to review reported incidents of misconduct are outlined in the Student Rights and Responsibilities brochure in Section XIV—General Information of the current Undergraduate Calendar under the heading Student Rights and Responsibilities and on the Student Affairs website. The code of conduct was developed collaboratively by students, staff and faculty and is regularly reviewed by the entire University community.

Summary of Degree Requirements

Requirements for all degree programs are available in Section X--Degree Programs of the current Undergraduate Calendar. Normally a student's approval for graduation is contingent on them successfully completing all requirements outlined in Section X of the current Undergraduate Calendar for the year they entered the degree program they are applying to graduate from. The calendar year is noted on the Program Evaluation in WebAdvisor. Questions about degree program requirements should be directed to the Program Counsellor for the appropriate program.

WebAdvisor

WebAdvisor is an online academic organizational tool. The WebAdvisor Tutorial that provides information, instructions, answers to frequently asked questions, and solutions for common errors. This page also provides links to other web resources such as Course Schedule and Final Examination Schedule (information on these linked pages may be term specific and, therefore, updated on a regular basis).

WebAdvisor for Students

Using WebAdvisor students can register for classes, view personal academic records and make financial payments. If a student is under investigation for academic misconduct s/he cannot use the register for classes, add or drop functions in WebAdvisor (they require signature approval from their Program Counsellor). Students with inquiries regarding WebAdvisor should use the Help function available on the WebAdvisor site.