A

Academic – The general name given to university staff who are involved in teaching the course content to students.

Alumni – A person who successfully completes a course from university then becomes an alumnus of that university.

B

Bachelor’s degree – The type of undergraduate qualification students are awarded after successfully completing a 3 or 4 year university degree. Bachelor’s degrees have a range of titles including Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Engineering (BEng), Bachelor of Science (BSc), Bachelor of Education (BEd), Bachelor of Law (LLB) etc. See a list of undergraduate courses.

C

Campus – The place where the university buildings and sometimes accommodation sits. At Cardiff Met University, we have two main campuses – Llandaff Campus and Cyncoed Campus.

Course – A course is the programme of study you selected, that leads to a degree. A course is made up of a mixture of lectures, seminars and tutorials, with a mixture of compulsory and optional modules.

Course Rep – These are the SU’s biggest group of reps. Each course has a representative that is nominated to pass on student feedback, either to staff or other reps in the structure. Course reps attend their Programme Committees and attend training provided by the SU.

D

Degree – a university qualification. Different types of degrees have varying titles but most common are a BA, Bachelor of Arts or a BSc, Bachelor of Science. You are awarded your degree with varying honours; First Class Honours, Second Class Honours (2i or 2ii) or Third Class Honours.

Dissertation – some courses require a dissertation, which is a large piece of work to be completed in the last year of a degree programme, selected by the student, a focussed piece on one area of their learning.

E

Enrolment – this is the process you go through at the very beginning of your time at university where you officially join and agree to be a student on the course you are studying for the academic year

F

Freshers – a common term used to describe first year students, when at the beginning of their course and/or new to university.

Feedback – This is a chance for students to share their thoughts and opinions on anything to do with life at Cardiff Met. You are able to do this through online surveys, face to face meetings, contacting a rep, speaking to the SU or a staff member and module evaluations.

G

Gap year – Students can take a year ‘out’ between secondary school and university or straight after graduation. Students may want to take a gap year to do paid or voluntary work and/or travel, others may have a year ‘out’ because they did not get the A-level grades to go to their university of choice.

Graduation – when a student receives their degree, usually a ceremony held where students are invited to attend and are awarded their degrees with other students from their course.

H

Halls – Short for ‘Halls of Residence’ which is student accommodation on campus often run by the university and available for first year students.

Higher Education (HE) – this is the third level of education; study at this level is normally undertaken by students over the age of 18, after they leave school. Higher Education is a collective for both universities.

I

Induction – Your induction happens during induction week which marks the transition into your new student status, providing you with information about the university, your school, your course and services available to you.

L

Lecture – a large gathering of students listening to course content delivered by one academic, often in large lecture theatres.

Lecturer – an academic who is the ‘teacher’ at university who delivers the course content for your degree. Alongside teaching, some lecturers also carry out research in their subject area.

Lead Rep – This group of SU reps either represent their year group or department within their school. They act as a link between the course reps and the school rep, and are responsible for passing on feedback either to staff or the School rep. Lead reps attend school level meetings alongside the school rep and attend training provided by the SU.

M

Master’s degree – A postgraduate qualification that students can study towards after completing their Bachelor's degree.

Module - the term ‘module’ refers to an instructional subject of your course that focuses on one particular topic. Your course or subject area will comprise of multiple modules that make up your learning.

O

Open day – An event held by the university either online or in person at the university campus, for prospective students to explore the university and speak to staff and students. There are often talks and tours held by university representatives. Open days are a great way to get a feel of the university and the city; see what it’s really like to study at Cardiff Met.

P

Personal Tutor – a personal tutor is an academic member of staff who is assigned to you as a student on a one-to-one basis to help monitor your progress and provide support and guidance on your university experience.

Placement year – A placement, often optional, is a year of work experience, away from university and in the field of study, usually taken between the second and third year of a students degree study.

Postgraduate – a Postgraduate student will have already completed an undergraduate Bachelors degree and will be studying for a higher qualification such as a Masters (MA), doctorate (PhD) or a course such as a PGCE.

S

Seminar – Typically less students attend a seminar than a lecture, but more that there would be in a tutorial. It is the closest setting to a classroom lesson.

Students’ Union – Most universities have a Students’ Union. They look after and support the students’ interests, provide important support services and organise fun events throughout the year. 

School Rep – There are 6 school reps representing 5 schools, with Sport and Health Sciences split into separate campuses. These reps are selected by the SU through an application and interview process. They represent their students in school level meetings and are ambassadors for the SU. They attend training provided by the SU before the start of the new academic year.

T

Term – Cardiff Met divides the academic year into two terms. Term 1 starting in the autumn and Term 2 starting in the spring. Some other institutions use the term semester instead of Term and it is often interchangeable.

Tuition fee loans – Paid directly to the university from Student Finance Wales.

U

Undergraduate – Students studying for a Bachelor’s degree, Foundation degree, or Higher National Diploma (HND).

Undergraduate degree – Normally the first Higher Education degree undertaken by students over the age of 18 after they have completed school or college.