Original Issuance Date: December 19, 2025
Last Revision Date: December 19, 2025
1. Policy Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to provide a list of general terms and definitions that are used in the 100 series of the UW System Administrative policy set.
2. Responsible UW System Officer
Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs
3. Scope
This policy is applicable to the 100 series of UW System Administrative policies and procedures.
4. Background
Academic and Student Affairs Policies (ASAPs) provide the necessary management framework to implement the priorities and strategic vision of the Board of Regents. ASAPs govern and ensure consistent management of many UW System operations, including but not limited to all aspects of academic and student affairs, such as legal compliance, program planning and array management, educational innovation, PK-16, Veterans, faculty, academic staff, and student shared governance, faculty sabbaticals, academic calendar, global education, faculty development, student transfer, financial aid, college readiness, diversity and inclusive excellence, and Title IX issues.
This policy provides general definitions for all ASAPs in the UW System Administrative Policies set.
5. Definitions
72-Credit Transfer Rule: Wisconsin Statutes § 36.31(2m) was revised on November 21, 2019 , requiring the UW System and Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) to “implement an agreement that identifies core general education courses totaling not fewer than 72 credits” that are “transferable and would satisfy general education requirements at the receiving institution or college, between and within each institution, college campus and technical college.”
Academic Program: A specifically designed curriculum leading to the attainment of a degree, area of specialization, or certificate.
Accreditation: A process of external quality review created and used by higher education to scrutinize colleges, universities and programs for quality assurance and quality improvement.
Applied Associate Degree: A degree awarded by WTCS and other technical institutions upon completion of a program that combines general education and occupational/technical courses and requirements, designed to lead directly to employment in a specific field.
Articulation agreement: A signed document that guarantees credit transfer from the completion of a degree or certificate at a Wisconsin Technical College to a specific university major.
Associate of Arts: This degree is primarily intended to provide a broad liberal arts background and is designed to be the foundation for most bachelor degree programs and to satisfy general education requirements.
Associate of Arts and Sciences: This degree is intended to provide a broad, balanced liberal arts and sciences background to satisfy the general education breadth requirements at four-year institutions. It is primarily awarded by institutions that offer a two-year terminal degree.
Associate of Science(s): This degree is primarily intended to provide a basic liberal arts background with an enhanced focus on knowledge of the physical and natural world and quantitative literacy. It is designed to provide the foundational courses in preparation for a bachelor’s degree with highly structured major requirements (e.g., art, engineering, business, and the sciences including biology, chemistry, and pre-professional programs).
Attribute: A designation assigned to courses offered at a university. An attribute may designate a course as meeting a requirement, such as breadth, general education, or ethnic studies, may denote the level at which the course is offered, or may in some other way describe the characteristics of a course.
Baccalaureate institution: A four-year, bachelor’s degree granting university.
Campus Early Education and Care Centers (Campus Centers): University facilities that provide high-quality child care and early education while often also providing instructional programs, academic research, future teacher training, and broader institutional family support.
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP): The CIP provides a taxonomic scheme that supports the accurate tracking and reporting of fields of study and program completions activity. CIP was originally developed by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in 1980.
Continuing Student: A student who maintains continuous enrollment at the same university, while working towards program/degree completion (as distinct from a transfer student).
Contract Training: Contractual relationships between UW System Institutions and organizations abroad for the purpose of providing training either outside of the United States or within any physical location that supports activities related to instruction or training (e.g., research or laboratory exercises) at a UW-Institution. It also includes all terms that describe this type of entity (e.g., campus, satellite, auxiliary, coordinate, extension, off-campus, regional or other).
Course-by-course: The evaluation of transfer courses one-by-one rather than as part of a block of credits.
Credit-bearing Courses: Courses approved by UW System institutions as meeting the institution’s requirements for awarding of credit.
Credit by Examination: Credit awarded as the result of learning demonstrated through the successful completion of an external standardized exam (e.g., CLEP, AP, IB, etc.) or internal department exam.
Credit Hour: The current federal definition of a credit hour is (1) One hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out of class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester or trimester hour of credit, or ten to twelve weeks for one quarter hour of credit, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or (2) At least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph (1) of this definition for other academic activities as established by the institution including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.” (Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 34, Part 600.2)
Credit for Prior Learning: Credit awarded for college-level knowledge and skills acquired through extra- institutional settings.
Credits: Semester hour units (distinct from quarter or trimester).
Department Exam: Exams developed by an academic department program that awards credit for prior learning through the assessment of learning outcomes associated with a particular course or academic program curriculum.
Eliminate: Eliminating an academic degree program removes it from the Central Data Request (CDR) database effective for the designated term.
External Assessment: An assessment of prior learning that was created by, administered by, and evaluated by verified content experts outside of the UW institution.
Extra-institutional Award of Credit: Credit earned or awarded based on external exams or other means of evaluation used to demonstrate and document students’ learning.
Faculty Development: Professional growth of faculty that complements special institutional and System priorities, within the context of the institutional plan, including improvement of teaching skills and/or development of the curriculum, not covered within the definition of retraining or renewal. Retraining proposals are eligible to receive matching funds from the System faculty development account on the basis of an equal match by institutional funds. Renewal proposals and faculty development proposals are eligible to receive one-quarter funding from the System faculty development account if matched by three-quarter institutional funding.
Fast Track Program: The fast track process allows eligible programs to forgo the UW university review and appeal procedures. The proposed academic degree program is still subject to review by the proposing universities’ shared governance bodies, as well as UW System Administration and the Board of Regents (BOR), as indicated in the new program approval process.
Felony Conviction: The outcome of a criminal prosecution which concludes in a judgment that the defendant is guilty of a crime that is a felony.
Felony Plea: The outcome of a criminal prosecution which the accused pleads guilty or no contest to a crime that is a felony.
Fully Distance Education: An academic degree program that is delivered fully distance education is one in which a student may complete all (100%) of required coursework via distance education.
Higher Learning Commission (HLC): HLC is a regional accreditor that accredits colleges and universities in a 19-state region of the United States, including Wisconsin.
Industry exams and credentials: External assessment of workplace-based or industry training that includes a required demonstration of competency that, upon review of a verified content expert, may result in certification, licensure, or credit recommendations.
In-person: An academic degree program that is delivered in-person is one in which the student must complete more than 50% of the required coursework in person, suggesting that a significant “on-campus and “in-person” presence may be required. Some courses may be taken via distance education. A program that is referred to as predominantly in-person is one in which a student can complete more than 90% of the required coursework in-person.
Institutional statement: A public statement that is intended to be or could be perceived as representative of the entire institution or an entire unit.
Internal Assessment: An assessment of prior learning that was created by and administered by a UW university and evaluated by a content expert within a UW university.
International Education Advisory Council (IAEC): The UW System International Education Advisory Council is a resource for the advancement of international education and engagement for all UW universities.
International Student: An individual who is enrolled for credit at an accredited higher education institution in the U.S. on a temporary visa, and who is not an immigrant (permanent resident with an I-51 or Green Card), or an undocumented immigrant, or a refugee.
Liberal Arts Transfer Program: WTCS liberal arts transfer programs generally offer the equivalent of the first two years of general education courses required by UW institutions, meet the UW System standards for an associate degree as described in SYS 115, Associate Degree Standards and are designed for students planning to transfer to a baccalaureate institution. Upon transfer, student would obtain junior level standing.
Liberal Arts/Collegiate Transfer: A term defining the WTCS programs that offer an associate of arts or associate of science degree and/or prepare the student for transfer to a baccalaureate program (previously referred to as a WTCS College Parallel program).
Location: At the time of initial enrollment in a professional licensure or occupational certification program, a student’s location shall be defined as the following:
- A student who enrolls in a program that holds instruction primarily at a physical location on campus (on-campus instruction) shall be considered located in the state of Wisconsin. This determination is based on the student being located (in part or exclusively) in Wisconsin when receiving instruction and enrolling in a program designed, primarily, to lead to licensure in the state of Wisconsin.
- A student enrolling in a program that offers instruction in a hybrid learning format will be considered located in Wisconsin.
- A student enrolling in a program offered exclusively through distance education will be considered located at their current address listed on the official application and/or acceptance into the program.
Major: A field of specialization in undergraduate studies, with specific course requirements that may be fulfilled by transfer coursework.
Mixed Modality: An academic degree program that is delivered in a mixed modality is one in which the student may complete 50% or more of the required coursework via distance education. In some programs, students may be provided options to complete the program in multiple formats—In-Person, Fully Distance Education, or in a combination of delivery format(s).
Non-Baccalaureate Institution: Two-year, associate’s degree or certificate granting universities.
Non-Resident Student: A student who does not meet the requirements for paying in-state tuition rates as defined by state statute.
Occupational/Technical Coursework: Courses associated with a program offered at a technical college or university where the program has a specific focus on job related topics.
Official Campus Document: Summaries, transcripts, degree audits, or other documents displaying transfer credit, either as an electronic or hard copy version.
Portfolio: An organized collection of materials developed by a learner that describes, records, and verifies learning achievements as well as personal goals.
Portfolio Assessment: A PLA tool that comprises a collection of artifacts, reflections and evidence that are organized by student learning outcomes associated with a specific university course or academic program requirement.
Post-secondary: Education that took place following graduation from high school.
Pre-Professional Transfer Program: WTCS pre-professional collegiate transfer programs are A.A. or A.S. degrees offered by a WTCS district in a specified disciplinary area, e.g., engineering, business, and include liberal arts transfer credits, and transfer credits in the pre-professional core area. Upon transfer, student would obtain junior level standing.
Prior Learning Assessment (PLA): PLA is the practice of recognizing, evaluating, and awarding credit for university-level learning acquired outside the confines of university-sponsored credit instruction.
Professional Doctorate: A professional doctorate represents a mastery of the subject matter and techniques of a professional field.
Professional Licensure or Occupational Certification Program: An educational program that is designed to meet educational requirements for a specific professional licensure or occupational certification that is required for employment in an occupation or is advertised as meeting such requirements.
Program: a degree, a major, or a certificate program.
Program Monitoring: Program monitoring consists of system and university level processes to examine academic degree programs guided by a set of criteria determined by the universities related to theirs and UW System policy. Criteria may include enrollment, student credit hours, time to degree, and/or completion.
Programmatic Accreditation: The review of a specific program (e.g., art, music), profession (e.g., engineering, nursing), or freestanding school (e.g., law, medicine) by a professional organization that accredits programs in a particular field.
Public statement: A written public declaration by a university leader to students, faculty, staff, alumni, the press, the public, or other institutional stakeholders issued over a university-owned channel.
Publishing: Publishing an academic degree program adds it to electronic publications.
Receiving University: The university to which the student is transferring.
Redirect: A redirect is an academic degree program change of curricular components not to exceed a total of 50% of the curriculum being changed.
Reinstatement: Reinstating admissions returns an academic degree program to the systemwide academic degree program array. The program is re-published in electronic publications.
Renewal: Continued development and renewal of the expertise of faculty members in their fields of primary academic preparation in order to increase the ability of institutions and units to adapt to changing curricular, student and societal needs.
Requirements:
- General Education/Breadth: A category of requirements within a degree program that seeks to instill in students a “breadth” or range of knowledge in several disciplines (e.g. humanities, natural sciences, social sciences). NOTE: The term “general education” can be used in a wide variety of ways and UW universities do not use the term identically. It may be used very broadly to encompass several kinds of requirements, or narrowly to include only very specific requirements.
- College/School/Graduation: A set of requirements that may be university-wide and/or determined by a college/school or program for completion of a degree by students enrolled in that college/school.
- Competency/Proficiency: A category of requirements, within a program, that seeks to establish a minimum level of student proficiency in certain disciplines (e.g., English composition, speech, foreign language, math, quantitative reasoning).
- Cultural Diversity: Similar in nature to Ethnic Studies requirement, but may also include coursework covering other international or national immigrant groups.
- Degree: The combination of requirements necessary to be awarded a degree.
- Ethnic Studies: UW university graduation or general education requirement for coursework centered on African-American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian-American, or American Indian populations in the U.S.
- University-wide: Requirement(s) that must be completed by all undergraduate degree students enrolled at the university.
Resident Student: A student who meets the requirements for paying in-state tuition as defined by state statute.
Retraining: Development of scholarly resources of faculty members in fields of study allied to those in which they have their primary academic preparation in order to increase the ability of institutions and units to adapt to changing curricular, student, and societal needs and to contribute to the continued professional growth of faculty.
Reverse Transfer: The post-transfer recognition of college credits, earned at the receiving baccalaureate university, for which the sending associate’s degree granting university accepts in transfer and grants credit toward conferral of an associate’s degree, after a student transfers from an associate’s degree granting university to the baccalaureate granting university.
Sabbatical: Sabbatical refers to the professional leave program authorized by Chapter 36.11(17) Wis. Stats.
Sabbatical Leave: Sabbatical leave may be taken by faculty for a period of up to two consecutive academic terms. See Regent Policy Document 20-5, Sabbatical Leave Program for Instructional Faculty.
School/College: The definition of a college or school, and the creation of a new school or college follows the Wisconsin statutory provisions as indicated below.
- Stat. § 36.09(1)(gm): “The board shall not create, except as specifically authorized by the legislature in each instance, any new college, school or its functional equivalent if such college, school or functional equivalent has academic programs at the graduate or professional, post-baccalaureate level.”
- Stat. § 36.09(1)(gm)1: “For the purposes of this paragraph, college or school means an academic unit below the university level but above the departmental level, including but not limited to a graduate school, law school, medical school, social work school, architecture school, business school and a public administration school.”
- Stat. § 36.09(1)(gm)2: “For the purposes of this paragraph, a new college or school shall be deemed to have been created if an administrative position of dean or its functional equivalent is established and if a new instructional program, separate and distinct from the programs currently available at that university, is established.”
- Stat. § 36.09(1)(gm)3: “This paragraph does not apply to the redesignation or reorganization of existing colleges or schools if accomplished through the reclassification of existing positions or the restructuring of existing organizational entities.”
Sending University: The university from which the student is transferring.
Sponsors and Sponsored Programs: The term “sponsors” refers to all the entities that together develop, offer, and administer study away or study abroad programs. Sponsors include sending institutions, host institutions, program administrators, and placement organizations.
Student: An individual enrolled in an undergraduate, graduate, or professional degree program at a UW System institution. This policy also applies to any visiting students from other postsecondary institutions who want to participate in services or programs requiring disclosure under this policy.
Study Away: Study Away is an opportunity for students to study at locations separate from their home campus in order to gain valuable experiences in different areas of the United States, and the U.S. territories. Study Away programs can also include volunteering or work (including internships), classroom study, research, and service learning.
Study Abroad: Education abroad or Study Abroad is defined as any of a number of opportunities by which students can complete part of their degree program through educational activities outside the United States. The standard length of Study Abroad has been programs with a duration of a semester or a year, but it also more frequently includes short-term programs and faculty led programs between semesters or in the summer. Study Abroad programs can also include volunteering or work abroad (including internships), classroom study, research, and service learning.
Suspend: Suspending admissions allows a university to temporarily remove an academic degree program from the systemwide academic degree program array. Within five (5) years of suspending admissions a university may opt to reinstate the program without BOR approval or eliminate the program. While in suspended status the program is unpublished in electronic publications.
Teaching and Research Abroad: Opportunities by which Faculty members can study, teach, and or do research abroad. This includes academic year sabbaticals leaves (SYS 10-A to 160-B), but typically refers to faculty teaching or doing research abroad for a semester or summer term outside of the United States. This also often involves faculty exchanges with partner institutions abroad.
Time of Initial Enrollment: Unless otherwise defined by federal law, and for the purposes of this policy, a university may consider the time of initial enrollment as a student’s official enrollment in a professional licensure or occupational certification program and/or the receipt of the student’s financial commitment to the first class, semester or term required for completion of a licensure program.
Transfer Credit: Credit earned at one university accepted in transfer at another university.
Transfer Student: A designation given to a degree-seeking student who transfers credit from another university of higher education, other than credits earned solely during summer session or while enrolled in high school.
Unit: A school, college, department, division, center, institute, or institutional office.
Universal Undergraduate Credit Transfer Agreement (UCTA): The annually reviewed and renewed agreement between UW System and Wisconsin Technical Colleges System (WTCS) that describes the history, process and course sets to meet the requirements of the 72-Credit Transfer Rule (Wisconsin Statutes, § 36.31(2m)).
University Accreditation: The review and certification of a university by a regional or national accrediting body.
University housing: A residential facility that is operated or managed by a UW System institution, or any residential facility for which the university assigns housing.
University Leader: Leadership roles include the UW System president and vice presidents, the university chancellors, provosts, vice chancellors, deans, directors, and department chairs. The policy recognizes that department chairs primarily are faculty members and, as such, can make individual statements consistent with their academic freedom. This policy applies to department chairs only when they make a formal institutional statement on behalf of the academic department that they chair. In addition, the policy covers other administrative leaders beyond those enumerated above who, when communicating in their official capacity, are likely to be perceived as speaking in the name of and on behalf of the institution or one of its units.
Unpublish: Unpublishing an academic degree program removes it from electronic publications.
UW System Academic Majors Dashboard: This dashboard is developed for the purposes of academic degree program planning at the University of Wisconsin System. It provides information about academic majors offered at the UW universities and their mode of delivery, suspension status, and changes over time.
UW System Board of Regents Policy on Select Mission Statements: Wis. Stats. § 36.09 (1)(b) requires the UW System Board of Regents to establish a mission statement for each UW System university. Wis. Stats. § 36.09(1)(d) requires the Board to establish policies to guide program activities to ensure that they will be compatible with the missions of the universities of the UW System. Consistent with these requirements, at a minimum, each select mission statement must:
- Uphold the principles of the UW System mission statement.
- Uphold the principles of the UW System core mission statement for either the doctoral or comprehensive university cluster, whichever is appropriate for the university.
- Describe specific program responsibilities and types of degrees offered by the university.
- Meet any applicable accreditation requirements related to select mission statements.
Any changes to a select mission statement must be approved by the Board of Regents, following a public hearing at the university.
UW System Collaborative (HLC Consortial) program: a UW System Collaborative (HLC Consortial) program is one that is authorized by the BOR to be jointly offered by more than one (1) UW university. Each degree-granting university involved in the collaboration has the authority to grant the degree. The UW universities establish a consortial agreement to administer the degrees and provide a proportion of the educational program.
UW System Provost Council: The UW System Provost Council is comprised of the Chief Academic Officers for each of the 13 UW System universities.
UW University Associate Degree: An associate of arts and science degree awarded by UW universities which meets the minimum requirements approved by the UW Board of Regents.
Wisconsin Technical Colleges System: composed of 16 colleges and 54 campus locations, WTCS is a system of vocational, technical and adult education programs.
6. Policy Statement
7. Related Documents
SYS 102.A, New Academic Degree Programs, Changes to Academic Degree Programs, and Additional SYS 102 Items
SYS 110, Criteria and Approval of Wisconsin Technical College Liberal Arts and Pre-professional Transfer Programs
SYS 115, Associate Degree Standards
SYS 121, Professional Licensure and Occupational Certification Programs: Determining Student Location
SYS 135, UW System Undergraduate Transfer Policy
SYS 136, Required Disclosures for Participation in Certain UW System Services and Programs
SYS 138, Award of Credit by Prior Learning Assessment
SYS 138.A, Award of Credit by Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Procedure
SYS 140, UW System Templates For Articulation Agreements Between UW System Institutions and WTCS Districts
SYS 145, Development and Operation of Off-Campus International and Study Away Educational Programs for University of Wisconsin System Students
SYS 146, University of Wisconsin System Faculty and Academic Staff for Study Abroad and Study Away
SYS 156, Guidelines for Faculty Retraining, Renewal, and Development
SYS 160, Faculty Sabbatical Program
SYS 165, The Academic Calendar
SYS 175, Accreditation Visits and Reports
SYS 175.A, Accreditation Visits and Reports Procedure
SYS 180, Campus Early Education and Care Centers
SYS 185, Awarding of UW System Credit in Wisconsin Schools
SYS 185.A, Procedure for Awarding of UW System Credit in Wisconsin Schools
SYS 195, Institutional Statements
8. Policy History
First approved: December 19, 2025
9. Scheduled Review
December 2030