Vocabulario útil
USEFUL VOCABULARY
Alumnos visitantes:Term used to describe foreign students registered at the UCM for non-UCM credit bearing classes. Credit may or may not be awarded by the home institution. Most Reunidas' students do not register through this venue.
Año: Year of study in a degree program
Año académico: academic year,
Año natural: calendar year.
Asignatura: Course.
Apuntes : Class notes. Tomar, coger apuntes: to take notes.
Aula: Classroom.
Aula de informática: Computer lab.
Bedel /Conserje: Building staff in charge of the front desk and classroom use.
Biblioteca: Library
Cafetería/Bar: Snack bar and school cafeteria.
Calificación: Grade (see Notas)
Campus Virtual: On-line course tool (such as Blackboard) where professors upload pertinent course material and information.
Carrera: Degree program
Carga lectiva: Course load.
Carné: ID.
Carné de la Biblioteca: Library card
Carné de la Facultad: Student ID
Casillero: Mailbox assigned to programs (at front desk) or professors (in their departments).
Catedrático: Full professor.
Ciclo: See below since definition changes depending on academic system.
Convalidar: To approve course in other system or find equivalent
Convocatoria: Summons to take the final exam. Segunda convocatoria refers to make up exams in September.
Cuatrimestre o semestre: semester
Curso: School year (such as junior year). In Spanish system it goes from 1st through 4th or 5th year depending on degree.
Curso académico: academic year
Decano /Decanato: Dean/Dean’s office.
Departamento: Department within a school.
Despacho/Oficina: Office.
Docencia:Instruction, teaching. Professors are often referred to as Docentes.
Erasmus /Sócrates: University exchange programs with other European universities.
Especialidad: Major or area of specialization in a degree program.
Exámenes: Examen parcial: Midterm, examen final: final exam.
Expediente académico: Academic transcript. La nota media is the GPA.
Facultad: A “school” or department within the University which offers degrees in different, but related fields.
Fotocopiadora: Photocopy machine.
Fichas: Index cards where students put their picture and personal information. One is turned in to each professor within the first weeks of class. It is not a registration form, just an informational card.
Gestión de Alumnos-GEA: Initials referring to the registration computer program used a the UCM. When students enroll as Alumnos Visitantes, they are entered into this database. Registration for Reunidas or Humanities classes is done through a different process.
Grupo: Course section. Sometimes these are numbered or have letters assigned to them.
Itinerario: Track or focus of studies (within a major)
Lectivo: Days classes are imparted. A día no lectivo means there are no classes scheduled.
Librería: Bookstore.
Matrícula: Course registration.
Notas /calificaciones: Grades. In Spain, they follow a 1 to 10 scale, 10 being the highest score, and anything above 5 is considered passing. They use the following terms: Suspenso (SS) (under 5, thus failure), Aprobado (AP):5-6, Notable (NT):7-8, Sobresaliente (SB): 9-10, matrícula de honor (MH):10+, only awarded to a limited number and implies economic benefits as well as academic ones). No presentado (NP): no show to final exam.
Plan de estudios. This is the degree structure, which specifies the courses and credits which must be taken to qualify for a specific degree. Most Spanish degrees have been restructured in the past few years, which means that some students (now in the final years of their degree) are still on older “planes”. When asked to click on either one plan or another, Reunidas students should always choose the most recent one (planes will be specified according to the year in which they were approved).
Plazo: Deadline.
Portería: Front desk.
Profesorado: Faculty members, teaching staff.
Programas: Syllabi.
Rectorado: University administration building.
Reprografía: Photocopy service.
Revisión de examen: Scheduled time for students to meet individually with their professor to review their final exam.
Secretaría: Administrative department.
Temario: List of topics to be covered in class.
Título/titulación: Degree.
Trabajos: Research papers.
Tutor: Advisor
Tutorías: Professor office hours.
SPECIFIC TERMS USED IN THE DIFFERENT ACADEMIC SYSTEMS:
Grados: Academic system used in Europe as a result of the Bologna process, insuring equivalencies throughout Europe and facilitating exchanges. Education is based on lectures and labs, individual and group learning. Emphasis is placed on acquired skills and not so much on theory. A more hands on approach. ETCS credits are granted and alternative classes/ experiences/activities (such as previous language instruction, community service, internships, etc. may receive credits. The completed 4 year degree is roughly equivalent to an American undergraduate degree.
Formación básica: Breadth classes, usually common to a number of related degrees (within the same area of study). usually offered in the first two years.
Asignaturas obligatorias: Mandatory classes for a specific degree.
Asignaturas optativas: Roughly equivalent to major electives.
1º ciclo: Undergraduatelevel.
2º ciclo: Master level.
3º ciclo: Doctorate level.
Licenciatura: Degree program corresponding to previous Spanish academic system where specialization begins during the first year. Consisting of 4 or 5 years schooling, it is roughly equivalent to a master degree upon completion. Most classes are composed of lectures with one or two exams for assessment.
Asignaturas troncales y obligatorias: these are two different types of mandatory classes. Degrees in Spanish universities are very rigid compared to most U.S. degrees and most of Spanish university students´ classes are mandatory.
Asignaturas optativas: optional classes for students in the degree program. Roughly equivalent to Major electives.
Asignaturas de libre elección: optional classes offered by a department for students of other areas. Roughly equivalent to free electives.
1º ciclo: First two years of the degree.
2º ciclo: Last two years of a degree.
3º ciclo: Doctorate level courses