Glossary of Terms Used

  • anti-requisites refer to courses where content overlap precludes courses being taken together for credit. Students are urged to view the listing in Part V of this Handbook and consult their department for guidance.
  • core or compulsory courses are courses that students must complete in order to be awarded a degree.
  • course substitutionrefers to cases where a course is used to replace a compulsory or core course in a student’s programme requirements. Students must seek and obtain approval of replacement courses.
  • credit refers to a unit of study counting towards a degree or diploma. Undergraduate courses in the Faculty normally carry a weighting of three (3) credits.  A number of courses, however, carry a weighting of six (6) credits.
  • electives refer to courses designated to be part of your degree programme and may be listed in the Faculty Handbook or department brochure while free electives are courses which are optional in the degree programme concerned and may be selected from any department or faculty.
  • exemption with credit refers to cases where a student is granted exemption from UWI courses because the student has already passed  courses in other programmes at the UWI or passed courses of similar content at other recognized institutions.  Students are not required to take replacement courses. 
  • exemption without credit refers to cases where a student is granted exemption from UWI courses because s/he has already passed equivalent courses/subjects at other recognized institutions or from other examination bodies. Students granted exemption without credit are required to take replacement courses. 
  • leave of absence refers to a student being unable to continue his/her studies for a semester or more for financial, work related, personal or medical reasons. Permission must be requested through the Faculty Office.
  • level I, level II, level III represent the different standard of courses that must be completed in the undergraduate degree programme. Each level is designated by the first numeral in the course code.  Levels II and III courses are equally weighted for the assessment of class of degree. 
  • level 1 consists of a minimum of 30 Level I credits or 10 Level I courses and level II consists of a minimum of 60 Level II and Level III credits or 20 Levels II/III courses designated for each student’s degree programme. 
  • pre-requisites are courseswhich must be completed before registration for another course is permitted.