Confused about DCU terminology? College life not only brings a new way of thinking, learning and teaching but also a new set of terminology.  This page helps you to become familiar with some of the terms we use.

Ab initio: Beginner level.

Contemporary: Current or modern.

Core Modules: These are compulsory modules that you must complete.

Credits: Each module carries a number of credits.

Discipline: A subject area you will be studying e.g. business/marketing/ computing/physics/law/biology/politics etc.

Elective: An optional course or subject that a student may select from among alternatives.

Full-time and Part-time: Most courses are offered on a full-time basis.  This means that you will usually attend classes during the day, from Monday to Friday. Some courses are offered on a part-time basis.  This means that students usually attend classes in the evenings and at weekends.  Part-time courses are more likely to be postgraduate.

Graduate: A student who has received an academic degree or diploma.

Intercultural: Developing your knowledge of different cultures e.g. France, Spain, Japan

Interdisciplinary: Involving two or more disciplines that would usually be considered distinct from each other e.g. marketing and engineering or business and languages.

Intervarsity: Competition between different universities or colleges.

Module Code: The code number allocated to a specific module. The module code will generally be used as a short way of identifying the module.

Module Title: The full title of the module.

Module: A subject or a number of subjects that make up a single topic of study.

Optional modules: You are often provided with a list of modules, from which you must choose a certain number along with the core modules.

Postgraduate: A student who continues studies after graduation.

Semester: There are two blocks of 15 weeks in a year (12 weeks of classes followed by 2 study weeks and a week or two weeks of exams).  These are called semesters and there are examinations at the end of each semester. Some modules only last for one semester (Semester 1 or Semester 2) and some modules last for the whole year (both Semesters).

Specialism: The concentration of your efforts on a particular field of study e.g. marketing or HR management; translation studies or intercultural studies; software engineering or information systems.

Undergraduate: A university student who has not yet received a first degree.