Normally, the period from the start of the Spring-Summer term (May 1) to the end of the Winter term (April 30).

Approval to register in a program of study at the University. Admission is valid only for the term indicated on the offer and is void if not followed by registration. For more information, visit the future students section of our website.

Scholarship granted upon admission based on a student’s average. Students must maintain an 8.5 grade point average (GPA) to be able to renew the scholarship at 100% of the initial scholarship amount or an 8.0 to 8.4 GPA to
be able to renew the scholarship at 50% of the initial scholarship amount.

If you cannot renew your scholarship after your first year, you can receive it again in subsequent years if you obtain a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 8.5 or higher (8.0 for 50% of the scholarship amount) by the end of the academic year. Here’s an example:

Recognition granted for a course completed with success at another academic institution towards the student’s program of study at the University of Ottawa (see also transfer credits).

A student who has been authorized by one of the faculties to take one or more courses but who does not obtain credits for the course. Auditors are not entitled to write examinations or to hand in assignments and may not change their status after the deadline has passed for course changes for the term in which they are enrolled. More information is available in the Regulation 1 – Categories and status of undergraduate students.

A generic term referring to either scholarships or prizes given for academic excellence or other kinds of achievements. For more information, visit the Financial Aid and Awards website.

An undergraduate degree conferred upon completion of a three- or four-year program of study (90 or 120 credits, respectively).

Non-repayable financial aid granted to students to pursue a program of study. Bursaries are granted based on financial need. Some bursaries, however, require recipients to meet other criteria (see also scholarship). 

Document containing official descriptions of programs of study, degree requirements and courses. View the online calendars for more information on your degree or program.

Process where a counsellor or another qualified professional or experienced person helps students learn about and select a program of study to prepare for a career.

An undergraduate program of at least 30 credits that entitles the student to earn a diploma (undergraduate certificate) conferred by the Senate of the University. These programs allow students to acquire knowledge in a specific area but do not lead to a bachelor’s or baccalaureate degree.

A program (a major or a minor) added to a student’s main program and that does not accept students directly.

A mandatory course taken to fulfill core-education or program-specific requirements.

Situation arising when the scheduled time period of one course or exam fully or partially overlaps the time period of another course or exam (see also timetable).

Academic stream offered in certain honours bachelor’s and master’s programs with alternating academic terms and paid work terms (also known as placements). For more information, visit the CO-OP program website.

A compulsory course for all students in related programs.

A course that must be taken at the same time as or have been successfully completed in advance of another course.

A series of teaching and learning activities and described in the calendars. For more information, visit the website of courses offered at the University of Ottawa.

The naming convention for courses comprising three letters followed by digits. The three letters indicates the discipline (e.g. FRA 1710 is a French course). One or two letters may be added at the end to identify the course section or the campus where the course is offered (e.g. FRA 1710 A). The first digit indicates the year of study. The second digit indicates the language in which the course is taught (numbers 1 to 4 indicate English, numbers 5 to 8 indicate French while numbers 0 and 9 indicate a bilingual course, a course taught in a non-official language, such as Spanish, or a course involving mainly individual work (e.g. thesis or practicum).
When two courses are equivalent in English and in French, they are identified by a difference of 4 in the number that appears in the fifth position, only for numbers between 1 and 8. (e.g.: ECO 1100 and ECO 1500 are equivalent, but not ECO 1100 and ECO 1700 or ECO 1500 and ECO 1900.)

The recommended order for taking your courses in order to complete your degree on time. For more information, visit the Course sequences site. 

Value assigned to an academic activity. Regular courses at the University of Ottawa are usually worth three credits and run for one term. Some courses are worth six or even nine credits, but these usually involve a practicum or internship.

Measure of a student’s academic performance in all courses in the student's program of study. The CGPA is calculated at the end of each term (see also grading system).

Academic and administrative unit at a faculty (e.g. Department of Communication, Department of Biology, etc.).

Document obtained after having successfully completed the requirements of an undergraduate program of study (bachelor’s) or a graduate program (master’s or doctorate).

Two degrees can be obtained at the same time if the requirements for both programs are met simultaneously (see also integrated program).

Branch of knowledge or instruction or a general subject area, such as psychology, philosophy, geology.

Measure of a student’s academic performance taking into account only a particular set of mandatory courses for the program and required to obtain certain bachelor’s degrees (see grading system).

Degree conferred upon the completion of a program of study at the PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) level.

Course chosen from all courses offered at the University of Ottawa so students can explore other disciplines or interests. Electives are part of degree requirements but not part of the core course or discipline-specific requirements (including compulsory and optional courses).

For example, a student enrolled in a bachelor’s with major in history can take a communications course as an elective.

Testing designed to evaluate the knowledge and skills a student has acquired with respect to material covered in a course or a program of study. Most university courses include a midterm and final exam. For more information, visit the Exam timetable website.

Permission granted to replace a course that is normally required in a program of study with another course.

Academic stream offered by the Faculty of Science where a given number of courses are taken in French, with or without language support (see also French Immersion Studies). For more information, visit the Extended French Stream website.

A main academic and administrative unit at the University of Ottawa (10 faculties in total).

• Faculty of Arts
• Faculty of Education
• Faculty of Engineering
• Faculty of Health Sciences
• Faculty of Law (Civil Law Section and Common Law Section)
• Faculty of Medicine
• Faculty of Science
• Faculty of Social Sciences
• Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
• Telfer School of Management

An academic stream offered in certain honours bachelor’s programs where a specific number of courses must be taken in French, with or without a language-learning support component (see also Extended French Stream). For more information, visit the French Immersion Studies site.

Status of a student registered for 12 credits or more in one term. In general, one course equals three credits.

Undergraduate degree for which a student must complete the equivalent of three or four years of studies and 90 or 120 credits, respectively and obtain the required cumulative grade point average (CGPA) for the program. Offered in the faculties of Arts, Science and Social Sciences, the degree provides a general university education in a three-year (with or without a minor) or four-year (with a major or a double minor) stream.

Measure of a student’s academic performance that corresponds to the sum of the final grade values for each course multiplied by the number of credits for each course divided by the total number of credits attempted (see also grading system).

Document presenting the academic results a student has obtained in a particular term (see also grading system).

Scheme used to assign grades at the University of Ottawa.

University studies leading to a graduate studies, certificate, a master’s degree or a doctorate (PhD). For more information, visit the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website. 

Degree conferred upon completion of a program requiring in-depth training in a single discipline or in an interdisciplinary area of studies with a minimum of 54 credits in the discipline or interdisciplinary area.

Undergraduate degree requiring the equivalent of four years of studies and at least 120 credits with a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) and diploma grade point average (DGPA), except in specific cases that have been approved by the Senate .

An honours bachelor’s with double major is an intensive program of study in two disciplines or two main areas of study requiring a minimum of 42 credits per discipline or area of study.

An honours bachelor with major and minor is an intensive program of study in one discipline with another area or sub-area of study added.

A discipline course that also allows students to improve their second official language. Students successfully completing an immersion course are granted three credits for the regular content course taken in their second official language and three additional credits for the accompanying language course, for a total of six credits (see also French Immersion Studies and Extended French Stream). 

The University’s secure online system for students. Students can access a variety of information and services, on campus or from home, such as financial aid, grade reports as well as Rabaska (student number and password required). Go to the InfoWeb site to log on.

A program in which the degree requirements of two separate bachelor's degrees are completed, thus leading to two separate diplomas.

Program available to students interested in studying at another Canadian university or abroad for one term or an entire academic year.

A four-year undergraduate program of 36 credits in two disciplines, allowing for a dual specialization (e.g. philosophy and political science).

Class activity in a laboratory where students conduct practical work related to their course material.

The language used for teaching activities in a course or program.

Language-proficiency development activity associated with a disciplinary course taken in a person’s second official language as part of an immersion course.

A teaching activity in which the subject matter is communicated orally to a class with minimal student interaction.

An official document authorizing a student to take courses at another institution and to transfer the credits from these courses to their program at the University of Ottawa. The letter of permission form is available online. 

The classification of the education qualification a student is pursuing.

A course or program that accepts a limited number of students.

Program for which the University restricts the number of students able to register.

A main discipline or field of study and intensive training, usually consisting of 42 credits in the discipline or field of study. Eighteen credits must be in courses at the 3000 level or above and six credits must be at the 4000 level.

Degree conferred upon the completion of a master’s level program of study.

A person who does not meet the regular admission requirements at the University of Ottawa and who applies for admission at least two years after last attending high school. For more information, visit the undergraduate site for mature applicants. 

Introductory-level training in a branch or sub-branch of a particular subject or discipline consisting of 30 credits of which at least 6 must be at the 3000 level or above.

A program requiring students to take courses in at least three disciplines.

An identified set of courses within a field of study chosen so the student can gain a certain degree of specialized knowledge in the field (e.g. engineering management option).

A course included in the program requirements and that must be chosen from a particular disciplinary field or from a list of specific courses.

Status of a student registered for fewer than 12 credits during a term.

A course that must be successfully completed as a condition for taking another course.

A course that must be successfully completed by a student who does not have the required educational background to enroll directly in first-year university courses.

Status of a student whose academic standing is below the required minimum for a particular program of study but who is allowed to continue in the program on the condition the student’s cumulative grade point average is equal to or above the required minimum CGPA within a specific period.

Undergraduate program of study generally providing training that meets the requirements of a professional association or a college, such as medicine, engineering, teaching. The program contains a high proportion of discipline-specific courses.

Length of study varies among disciplines (one year for education, three years for law and medicine and up to four years for engineering and commerce). Acceptance into professional programs in law, medicine and education requires prior university studies.

An assessment tool or activity that evaluates a person’s knowledge in a given field and may or may not take into account the person’s education.

The set of courses that must be successfully completed in order to conferred a degree, diploma or certificate from the University. For more information, visit the Program of study and courses site.

An online application for students accessible through their InfoWeb account via uoZone that allows them to explore program and degree requirements as well as perform various transactions such as course registration or changes to course selection. 

Unit responsible for student recruitment, admission and registration as well as financial aid, scholarships and bursaries, maintaining academic records and publishing calendars and timetables. For more information, visit the Office of the Registrar website. 

The act of officially registering in one or more courses. The registration can be done online through Rabaska or in person with a University of Ottawa employee. For more information, have a look at the Course Registration Tool Box. 

Status of a student who has been admitted to a program of study leading to an undergraduate degree, diploma or certificate at the University of Ottawa and who is registered for one or more courses in a program. For more information, consult Regulation 1 – Categories and Status of Undergraduate Students .

Credits for courses completed in one program of study at the University of Ottawa recognized as partial fulfillment of the requirements of another program to which a student has transferred and that are included when calculating the grade point average for the student’s new program.

Non-repayable financial award granted to students based on academic achievement or other merit criteria. For more information, visit the Financial Aid and Awards site (see also bursary).

Academic and administrative unit at a faculty offering a professional training program (e.g. School of Translation and Interpretation, School of Nursing).

Official document received from the University of Ottawa after completing the independent learning course offered by the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute (OLBI) and passing the standardized second-language proficiency test. For more information, visit OLBI’s second-language certification site.

A letter used to differentiate between courses with the same course code that are offered more than once a year. The letter follows the course code. For example, SOC2511A (i.e. section A of SOC2511) is offered Mondays at 8:30 a.m. whereas SOC2511B (i.e. section B of SOC2511) is offered on Tuesdays at 1 p.m.

List of dates and deadlines or events during the academic year by term. For more information, see the online list of important dates and deadlines.

Status of a person who has received permission from the University to register for undergraduate courses in order to obtain university credits but who is not seeking an undergraduate degree, certificate or diploma from the University. For more information, visit the undergraduate site for special students. 

Classification of students as either a regular student or a special student. For more information, consult the Regulation 1 – Categories and Status of Undergraduate Students.

A course given through an interactive video system and transmitted via telephone connection to a location off campus.

Period when academic activities are offered. The University of Ottawa has three terms per academic year. The Summer term runs from May to August, the Fall term runs from September to December and the Winter term runs from January to April.

In general, the Fall and Winter terms run 15 weeks each, including the exam period. The Summer term breaks down into sub-terms of varying weeks.

Measure of the student’s overall academic performance for all courses in a given term (see also grading system).

A list of the courses offered during a particular term by an academic unit and including the course description, sections, location, time and names of professors for each course (see also course conflict). To find available courses, search the online course timetable.

An official and confidential document issued by the University of Ottawa at the student’s request that summarizes the results of all courses a student completed at the University (see also grading system).

Credits for courses completed at another university that are recognized and counted as partial fulfillment of the requirements of a program of study at the University of Ottawa (see also advanced standing). Results of the courses are not used in calculating grade averages.

Teaching course usually offered in addition to a lecture in which the material is dealt with in more detail and provides for more student-teacher interaction than lecture courses; includes time for discussion and questions.

University studies leading to a bachelor’s degree or an undergraduate certificate; a person pursuing such studies. For more information, visit the Undergraduate Students website.

University of Ottawa student card that provides proof of status as a University of Ottawa student (necessary at mid-terms or final exams, for example). It also gives students access to a wide range of services and goods such as the gyms and sports facilities, libraries (to borrow books, movies, music scores and CDs), audio-visual equipment rental, photocopies, meals and snacks at all food services locations, books, etc.

For more information, visit the uOttawa Card site.

University’s secure online system that allows students to take care of a variety of transactions related to their studies (student number and password required).

The online application links all student online accounts together in one portal and provides students with access to their uOttawa email, InfoWeb and Virtual Campus accounts as well as to many more tools to help them during their studies. Visit uoZone.

Portal allowing the University community to access online course websites as well as other e-learning resources. For more information, visit the Virtual Campus site.

Work experience (paid or unpaid) related to the student’s program of study (see also CO-OP).

Period usually equivalent to 24 completed credits (or two terms of full-time study) but that can vary depending on the program or faculty.