Glossary of terms used in the schedule

This course schedule content is archived.

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A thru E

Absence for military service.: In accordance with section 51.911 of the Texas Education Code, a student is excused from attending classes or engaging in other required activities, including exams, if he or she is called to active military service of a reasonably brief duration. The student will be allowed a reasonable time after the absence to complete assignments and take exams. Policies affecting students who withdraw from the University for military service are given in General Information.
Access periods.: Access periods are designated time periods when specified groups of students may access the registration system. You may access the registration system as many times as necessary during your scheduled and open periods. Consult Access Periods or your online Registration Information Sheet (RIS) to determine when you are eligible. If you attempt to access the system at a time when you are not eligible, access will be denied. You should access the system during the earliest period for which you are eligible. If your session is terminated before you complete your transactions, log back in to continue. All transactions completed prior to the termination are saved.
Add/drop.: Students who have enrolled and made payment toward their tuition bills are considered to be "add/dropping" when they make changes to their schedules. The payment deadline for students participating in add/drops is different than the payment deadline for students who are continuing their initial registration. Check Payment Deadlines.
Adding a class.: When you attempt to add a class to your schedule, the registration system checks certain conditions. If any of the conditions below prevent you from adding the class, and you do not receive the waitlist option, you will be told.
Advising bar.: An advising bar is a code placed on the record of a student who is required to consult an academic adviser. A student may not access the registration system until the advising bar is cleared by his or her major department on the computer. See advising and major codes or consult your RIS to determine if advising is required for you.
Attendance.: Regular attendance at all class meetings is expected. Instructors are responsible for implementing attendance policy and must notify students of any special attendance requirements.
Cancellation of registration.: A student may cancel his or her unpaid registration by dropping all classes prior to the first payment deadline. The University will drop all the student's classes if the student does not make payment by the deadline. Once payment has been made, a student who does not wish to continue at the University must withdraw. (Also see "Withdrawal.")
Classes added, canceled, or changed after the Course Schedule is published.: You may select classes added after the Course Schedule is published when you use the search option in the registration system. Additional information about added courses is available from the academic departments offering them. If a class is canceled or the meeting time or room is changed after you have registered for it, that information will be reflected on your class listing page. It is your responsibility to double-check your class listing prior to the first class meeting.
Classification.: Undergraduates are classified as freshmen, sophomores, juniors, or seniors, based on the number of semester credit hours passed and transferred, regardless of the hours' applicability toward a degree. Semester hours used to determine classification include coursework completed in residence, transferred credit, and credit by examination, extension, and correspondence. Hours in progress and hours failed are not counted in determining classification.; A graduate student is a student who has been accepted to the Graduate School, a graduate program in the College of Pharmacy, the Red McCombs School of Business, or the School of Law. Degree-holding but nondegree-seeking students are classified as a separate group for registration purposes in access period one.; Your classification is listed on your RIS. Classification may change as a result of additional credit hours earned at the end of a semester or summer session. Use your updated classification to determine your access time.
Class meeting time and place.: The credit value of courses is expressed in semester credit hours. Most courses are designed to require approximately three hours of work a week throughout the semester for each semester hour of credit given; that is, for each hour a class meets, an average of two additional hours of preparation is expected of the student. The time requirement in the laboratory, field, or studio varies with the nature of the subject and the aims of a course, so there is no fixed ratio of laboratory to class hours.; Most courses meet three hours a week in the fall and spring semesters and have a value of three semester hours. In a six-week summer term, courses meet seven and a half hours a week for three semester hours of credit.; See meeting time for standard meeting times and intervals between classes.; The time or meeting place of a class may not be changed without notifying the registrar in advance. A class may not meet in a facility that was not assigned to it.
Class roster.: Faculty Members: If students (except auditors) whose names are not on your official class roster (twelfth class day for long-session semesters, fourth class day for summer terms) are attending your class, send them to the registrar's office to obtain official documentation of their registration. A student must be registered for a course to receive credit for it.; Students who are not on your CLIPS class roster should not be allowed to attend until they are on the roster.; Errors in your class roster should be reported to the Office of the Registrar, 475-7656.
Class title.: The class title appears to the right of the course number and applies to all of the class sections listed below it until a new title is printed. In general, class titles are listed in alphabetical order for each course number except where preceded by a topic number.
Completing registration.: In order to secure classes selected during registration, a student must take action before the payment deadline to complete the registration process. The student must make a payment if there is an amount due; pay with financial aid if eligible; or confirm attendance if the entire tuition bill is zero. Zero bills can occur when the entire bill is being paid by a grant or a third party such as the Texas Guaranteed Tuition Plan. Students take these actions at My Tuition Bill.
Continuing student.: A continuing student is a student who is enrolled at the University for the spring semester 2009. A student who receives an undergraduate degree from the University and enters the Graduate School is considered a new student. (Also see "New student" and "Readmitted student.")
Course abbreviation.: Course abbreviations are listed with the names of the fields of study in the pull down menus on the search page. Within a department or program, courses are listed alphabetically by field of study.
Course number.: (see also Credit value and Letters) Each field of study is identified by a name and a one-, two-, or three-letter abbreviation. Courses with the same abbreviation are listed in numerical order by the last two digits of the course number and then alphabetically by any subsequent letters. For example, a course numbered 679K precedes one numbered 379L. In the summer session, course numbers are prefixed by a letter:; Summer session courses prefixed by f, n, and w are listed together in numerical order; courses prefixed by s are listed separately in numerical order following the f, n, and w courses.
Credit card transactions.: You may charge your tuition to your credit card. A 1.75% convenience charge is added to all tuition and mandatory fee payments, or tuition loan payments, made by credit card. You may also use a credit card to clear most financial bars to gain access to the registration system. Because this process depends on agencies and technical systems other than those at the University, under some circumstances you may not be able to clear your bars by credit card and will therefore be denied access to the registration system. It is recommended that you clear financial bars before your scheduled access times by following the procedures outlined in registration procedures.; Questions about credit card transactions should be directed to Student Accounts Receivable, (512) 475-7777.
Credit value.: Each course in the field is identified by a number made up of three digits or three digits and a letter. The first digit of a course number indicates the credit value of the course in semester hours. Courses numbered 201 through 299 have a value of two semester hours; 301 through 399, a value of three semester hours; and so on. A zero as the first digit indicates that the course is noncredit. If the course number ends with the letter A, B, X, Y, or Z, see letters below. A course with the single-word title Laboratory or Discussion is also noncredit, regardless of its course number; these sections are always taken concurrently with a credit-bearing lecture course.
Directory information.: The following policies are taken from General Information, Appendix C.; Sec. 9-201. Directory Information; (a) “Directory information” is defined as a student’s; (b) Directory information is public information and will be made available to the public except as noted in subsection 9–201(c).; (c) A currently enrolled student may restrict access to all or some of their directory information or may remove all or some of their information from public directories through Restrict My Info during the first twelve class days of any semester or the first four class days of any summer term. A request to restrict information will remain in effect until revoked by the student.
eBilling.: Students who register early will receive an electronic billing notification for tuition. No paper bills are mailed. Students must keep their email addresses current, because notices are sent to the email address on the student record as verified at the time of registration. Electronic billing notifications are also sent for tuition and emergency cash loans.
eCheck.: An eCheck is an online payment that functions like a traditional paper check. It does not require a high-assurance EID and can be used by anyone acting as an eProxy. Transactions that are returned to the University, regardless of reason, will be treated as returned checks.
Electronic funds transfer.: An electronic funds transfer is an electronic withdrawal of funds from your bank account using pre-established authorization. Account information is stored and can be used for money in (refunds, financial aid) or money out (payments). A high-assurance EID is required. Transactions that are returned to the University, regardless of reason, are treated as returned checks.

Maximum number of hours.
undergraduate	fall/spring 17 summer 14
graduate	fall/spring 15 summer 12
law	fall/spring 16 summer 14

Classification by semester credit hours.
freshman	0-29 hours of credit
sophomore	30-59 hours of credit
junior	60-89 hours of credit
senior	more than 89 hours of credit

Summer session prefixes.
f	first term
n	nine-week term
w	whole session
s	second term

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F thru J

Fees.: The total of field trip, laboratory, supplementary, and incidental fees for a class is listed after the class title.
Financial bar.: A financial bar is a code placed on the record of a student to deny access to the registration system because of a delinquent debt to the University. Your RIS identifies any bars that were in place when the RIS was created; however, additional bars may be placed on your record after creation of your RIS but before your access period. In most cases, financial bars may be paid by credit card (see above) or by check or cash at the cashiers in MAI 8. Western Union Quick Collect may also be used to pay most financial bars. Some financial bars must be resolved in person at the administrative office that imposed the bar. Returned check bars cannot be paid by eCheck or electronic funds transfer.; If you clear a bar by check and your check is returned to the University, your registration will be incomplete. If payment is not received within ten calendar days of the returned check notice, you will not be registered for classes.
Headnote.: A headnote is a section of the Course Schedule that lists the administrative personnel for an area, along with their office addresses, phone numbers, and web sites. In many cases, important information about course prerequisites, descriptions, and registration restrictions is given in the headnote.
In absentia registration.: A candidate for a degree who has completed the requirements for graduation and needs to register only for the purpose of having a degree conferred, may register in absentia. Undergraduate students must initiate in absentia requests through their academic deans by July 17, 2009. If payment is received by the deadline, the in absentia registration is complete. If you apply near the deadline, hand carry the request and payment to Registration, MAI 16, to ensure payment by the deadline. Graduate students may only register in absentia in the fall semester.
Instructor.: If an academic unit updates the instructor of record, and if space allows, the instructor's last name and first initial are shown to the right of the meeting location.

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K thru O

Letters.: Two courses that have the same abbreviation and the same last two digits may not both be counted for credit unless the digits are followed by different letters. For example, English (E) 325 and 325K may both be counted. The letter A following a course number designates the first half of the course; B, the second half. For example, Music 612A is the first half of Music 612; Music 612B, the second half. The letter X following a course number designates the first third of the course; Y, the second third; and Z, the last third. For example, Law 621XY means that the first two-thirds of the six-hour course, Law 621, is being given during one semester. Credit value for course numbers ending in A, B, X, Y, or Z is reduced accordingly. MUS 612B, for example, has a value of three semester hours rather than six.
Meeting place.: The building and room or other meeting location is given after the meeting time. Buildings are identified by three-letter abbreviations, which can be interpreted using the list of buildings printed with the campus map.
Meeting time.: The class meeting time is printed to the right of the unique number in the course schedule. Days of the week are listed by their initial letters:; The designation MWF, for instance, means that the class meets every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday throughout the semester. Occasionally, a note under the title indicates that the course meets on additional days, or that the course meets only on specific dates or for a part of the semester. Following the abbreviation for the day(s) of the week is the class meeting time. Standard meeting times are as follows:; Some classes have more than one meeting time that students must incorporate into their schedules. These additional times are printed immediately below the first meeting time.
My Tuition Bill site.: You may pay your tuition bill through the secure site My Tuition Bill. Tuition bills are not mailed; students receive an electronic billing notification. Pay your tuition bill using eCheck, by credit card, or by electronic funds transfer. ‘Confirm Attendance’ or ‘Pay with Financial Aid’ at this site. UT EID and password are required. Because this process depends on agencies and technical systems other than those at the University, under some circumstances you may not be able to pay by credit card.
New student.: A new student is a student who has not previously attended the University, or a student enrolling in the Graduate School for the first time.
Nonfinancial bar.: A nonfinancial bar is a code placed on the record of a student to deny access to the registration system because a requirement of an administrative office has not been satisfied. See Clearing bars to registration for information on clearing bars. Bars incurred after your RIS is created may be placed on your record prior to your access period(s). A nonfinancial bar must be resolved in person at the administrative office that imposed the bar.
Notelines.: A noteline is the text below a class title in the detailed view of the class in this schedule. The noteline may include a description, prerequisite, enrollment or other restrictions, and cross-listed courses. Prerequisites and descriptions for all courses are given in the undergraduate, graduate, and law school catalogs.
Optional fee changes.: If you want to add or delete an optional fee after your preliminary registration, you may use the Web during any of your access times. To make changes after you have paid your fee bill, go to the sponsoring department.

Standard class meeting times.
fall/spring	MWF 8-9am, 9-10am, 10-11am, 11-12noon, 12-1pm, 1-2pm, 2-3pm, 3-4pm, 4-5pm (50 minutes with a ten-minute interval at the end of class) TTh 8-9:30am, 9:30-11am, 11-12:30pm, 12:30-2pm, 2-3:30pm, 3:30-5pm (75 minutes with a fifteen-minute interval at the end of class)
summer	MTWThF 8:30-10am, 10-11:30am, 11:30-1pm, 1-2:30pm, 2:30-4pm (75 minutes with a fifteen-minute interval at the end of class)

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P thru T

Prerequisites.: Certain course prerequisites listed in the Course Schedule and/or University catalogs are checked during registration. Students may be allowed to enroll in these courses but are advised that it is still their responsibility to ensure that they meet the prerequisites, since these may be enforced at any time by the department offering the course.
Rank.: Except in the School of Law and the College of Pharmacy, the last two digits of the course number indicate the rank of the course. If 01 through 19, the course is of lower-division rank; if 20 through 79, of upper-division rank; if 80 through 99, of graduate rank.
Readmitted student.: A readmitted student is a former student at the University who has applied for readmission and has been accepted for the summer session 2009.
Registration by proxy.: For registration and advising transactions that must be completed in person, a student may allow another person to act on his or her behalf. However, federal law and University regulations do not permit the release of confidential information without written authorization. To allow someone to act as your proxy, you must submit a release to Registration in MAI 16. You must sign the release, and your proxy must come to MAI 16 to pick up the release. The release and your proxy's photo ID must be presented for each transaction. Note: Your proxy may not sign a promissory note on your behalf.
Registration information sheet (RIS).: The secure Web site at RIS lists personal information, advising information, access times, and financial and nonfinancial bar information. A high assurance EID and password are required.
Religious holy days.: A student who misses classes or other required activities, including examinations, for the observance of a religious holy day should inform the instructor as far in advance of the absence as possible, so that arrangements can be made to complete an assignment within a reasonable time after the absence.
Retroactive withdrawal.: Students are expected to follow the normal withdrawal procedure whenever possible. Requests to withdraw after the semester has ended are considered only if the student had urgent, substantiated, nonacademic reasons and was unable to withdraw by the deadline. Requests for retroactive withdrawal must be submitted to the student's dean before the end of the next long-session semester.
Syllabus.: Faculty members must provide a syllabus to students on the first meeting day of the class. The syllabus must contain the following:
Title IX/ADA/504 coordinators.: Federal law prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender (Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972) and disability (Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990). The University has designated the following persons as Coordinators to monitor compliance with these statutes and to resolve complaints of discrimination based on gender or disability.

Disability (Section 504/ADA); Gender (Title IX)

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U thru Z

Unique number.: The five-digit number(s) listed below each title and its associated information identifies each section of the course. This number is required to complete registration transactions.
Use of letters.: Two courses that have the same abbreviation and the same last two digits may not both be counted for credit unless the digits are followed by different letters. For example, Mechanical Engineering (M E) 136N and 236N may not both be counted; however English (E) 325 and 325K may both be counted.; The letter A following a course number designates the first half of the course; B, the second half. For example, Music (M) 612A is the first half of Music 612; Music 612B, the second half. The letter X following a course number designates the first third of the course: Y, the second third; and Z, the last third. Credit value for courses with numbers ending in A, B, X, Y, or Z is reduced accordingly. MUS 612B, for example, has a value of three semester hours rather than six.
UT EID.: The UT EID is an electronic identifier that allows a student to use secure online services. You may activate your UT EID and choose a password on the UT EID Self-Service Tools page.
Waitlists.: Students use online waitlists to indicate that they wish to be added to a class if a seat becomes available. Academic departments use online waitlists to manage registration in some classes. The online waitlist system adds eligible students to classes on a first-come, first-served basis. Students use their UT EIDs to access their waitlists at See My Waitlists
Web-based class sites.: Password-protected class sites such as Blackboard and CLIPs are associated with many University classes. Syllabi, handouts, assignments, and other resources may be available within these sites. Site activities may include exchanging email, engaging in class discussions and chats, and exchanging files. In addition, electronic class rosters are a component of the sites. Students who do not want their names included in these electronic class rosters must restrict their directory information in the Office of the Registrar, MAI 1, or online.; For information on restricting directory information, see Directory information.
Western Union Quick Collect.: Payment for delinquent debts and registration may be made by Western Union Quick Collect. To use Quick Collect, complete a blue Quick Collect Payment Form at a Western Union Office (call 1-800-325-6000 to locate the nearest office), indicating that the amount is payable to University Texas Austin and the code city is Longhorns, TX. The type of payment should be listed as either financial bars or registration. You must also give your name and UT EID. This transaction is cash only.
What I Owe.: You may use the secure web site What I Owe to pay most departmental charges and clear financial bars by eCheck, credit card, or electronic funds transfer. UT EID and password are required. Because this process depends on agencies and technical systems other than those at the University, under some circumstances you may not be able to pay by credit card.
Withdrawal.: To withdraw is to resign from the University as a student for the current semester. A student cannot withdraw from the University simply by not going to class or by dropping all classes; he or she must follow the withdrawal procedure.

After tuition has been paid, a student must apply to his or her dean for permission to withdraw. Refunds are processed according to the refund schedule on the Withdrawal Petition and Refund Request form. Students who withdraw prior to the first day of classes will receive a 100% refund of tuition, less a $15 matriculation fee. Refunds for students who withdraw after choosing the three-payment plan (not available during summer sessions) are based on the total tuition, not the installment amount paid. Withdrawals for medical reasons must be approved by the associate director for clinical services of University Health Services, who will instruct the registrar to withdraw the student under specified conditions. The refund, if any, will be determined by the effective date on the withdrawal petition form.