The following definitions may be helpful to students’ understanding of the educational culture of postsecondary education:

Academic Record: transcript of grades, courses, credits and related academic information kept on file by the College.

Accelerated Internet: offered completely online without any onsite face-to-face or traditional classroom meetings at DCCC campuses; shorter in length than a 15-week semester.

Accelerated Session: a period less than the fifteen-week semester in which students can complete coursework on an accelerated basis.

Associate Degree (A.A., A.A.S., A.F.A., A.S.): a two-year degree that generally prepares students for further study or entry into the workplace.

Asynchronous or Internet Course: offered completely online without any onsite face-to-face or traditional classroom meetings at DCCC campuses; does not require students to attend class meetings at designated days and times.

Certificate: recognition provided for completion of short-term vocational or career-training programs.

Classroom/Internet Instruction: offered in a blended format with one or more face-to-face or traditional class sessions at a DCCC campus and at least one or more online sessions.

Core-to-Core: Core-to-Core articulations document a particular college's or university's promise to accept the general education credits embedded in a specific degree from the College.

Credit: the value assigned to a college course depending on the number of class hours per week. For example, a three-credit course meets three hours per week.

Dual Admission: A Dual Admission agreement guarantees admission to the partner school and can also guarantee admission to a particular bachelor's degree.

Elective: an optional course selected by the student.

ESL (English as a Second Language): English courses offered to speakers of other languages who completed most of their previous education outside of the United States to improve their English writing, grammar, reading, speaking and listening skills.

FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid): a free financial aid application that must be submitted by students seeking grants and/or loans from state and federal governments, colleges and other sources.

GED (General Educational Development): a test for people who have not graduated from high school that is used to confirm their mastery of information covered in a basic high school curriculum.

Internships: option to attend college and do paid work, receiving credit for both.

Major: the course of study in which a student concentrates coursework, time and attention.

Placement Test: assessment given to new students to determine their skill levels in English, reading and mathematics and their academic starting point.
 
Prerequisite: a level of accomplishment required prior to enrolling in a particular course. For example, English Composition I is a prerequisite for English Composition II.

Registration: transaction through which students enroll in coursework.

Semester: usually a fifteen-week period in which college courses are completed.

Synchronous: offered completely online and requires students to log into and attend all class meetings during designated days and times similar to the on‑campus classroom environment.

Synchronous & Asynchronous Online: offered online with a mix of face-to-face learning during designated days and times similar to the on-campus/traditional classroom environment, as well as learning that occurs outside of designated meeting times.

Traditional Classroom: students and instructors meet in the classroom at the same day/s and time/s specified in the schedule at one of the College’s campuses. 

Subject Abbreviations:

The following subject abbreviations are used throughout the catalog and refer to courses within a specific discipline.

• ACC, Accounting
• ADJ, Administration of Justice
• AHA, Health Administration
• AHM, Allied Health Medical
• AHN, Allied Health Nursing
• AHS, Surgical Technology
• ARB, Arabic (archived Fall 2023)
• ARC, Architecture
• ART, Art
• AUT, Auto Mechanics
• BIO, Biology
• BUS, Business
• CHE, Chemistry
• COMM, Communication Studies
• CPT, Carpentry
• CUL, Culinary Arts
• CS, Computing Science
• DPR, Computer Information Systems (archived Fall 2022, see CS)
• DRA, Drama
• ECE, Early Childhood Education
• ECO, Economics
• EDU, Education
• EGR, Engineering
• ELT, Electrical Occupations
• EMER, Emergency Management and Planning
• EMS, Emergency Medical Services
• EMTP, EMT Paramedic
• ENG, English
• ESL, English as a Second Language
• ESS, Earth and Space Science
• FRE, French
• FST, Fire Science Technology
• GER, German (archived Fall 2023)
• HIS, History
• HRM, Hotel and Restaurant Management
• HUM, Humanities
• HUS, Human Services
• HVA, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration
• IMM, Interactive Multimedia
• INT, Interdisciplinary
• IST, Industrial Systems Technology
• ITA, Italian (archived Fall 2023)
• MAT, Mathematics
• MPT, Municipal Police Training
• MTT, Machine Tool Technology
• MUS, Music
• NAP, Nurses Aide Program
• NDT, Neurodiagnostic Technology (archived Fall 2023)
• NET, Network Engineering
• NUS, Nursing
• OCS, Occupational Studies
• PCT, Process Control Technology
• PHI, Philosophy
• PHY, Physics
• PLB, Plumbing
• PLG, Paralegal Studies
• POL, Political Science
• PSY, Psychology
• REA, Reading
• RTH, Respiratory Therapy (archived Fall 2023)
• RUS, Russian
• SCI, Science
• SOC, Sociology
• SPA, Spanish
• STEM, Science, Engineering, Technology & Math
• SWO, Social Work
• TCC, Technical Department Core
• TCS, Construction Technology
• TDD, Drafting and Design Technology
• TEC, Technical Study
• TEL, Electronics Technology
• TME, Mechanical Technology
• TSC, Trauma Studies
• WLD, Welding