Common University Acronyms
Colleges seem to have a whole unique language now, and 蹤獲扦-Dearborn is no different! On this page you'll find acronyms, abbreviations, and other terms that you might hear, but don't know what they are. For starters, here at 蹤獲扦-Dearborn, we talk about four colleges, each with its own abbreviation. So if someone asks you What college are you in? They mean:
- CASL: College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters
- COB: College of Business
- CEHHS: College of Education, Health, and Human Services
- CECS: College of Engineering and Computer Science
To find other terms, use the links below to jump to a letter or scroll through the page. Buildings are also included - check out this map to find where they are located.
AB: Administration Building
Add/Drop: This refers to dropping and adding classes, and there are specific times during the term when this must occur. Visit the for specific details.
APC: Auxiliary Program Center
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CA: CASL Annex
Career Connections:This database of employment opportunities includes full, part-time, and internship/co-op positions. Start early to find positions you might be interested in so you can work towards gaining the skills needed!
Canvas: This is the Learning Management System (LMS) used at 蹤獲扦-Dearborn and is similar to others you may have used such as Google Classroom or Blackboard. Use this to access most of your courses to find resources such as the syllabus, assignments, and readings. Note that not all faculty use this tool.
CASL: College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters (often pronounced "Castle")
CAPS: Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is here to help you maintain your mental health and wellness so you can succeed. Visit umdearborn.edu/caps for more information.
CB: Another acronym used for CASL Building
CECS: College of Engineering and Computer Science
CEHHS: College of Education, Health, and Human Services (often pronounced "Chess")
Chancellor: This is the individual who is in charge of everything for 蹤獲扦-Dearborn. They are responsible for strategic planning for campus and the overall campus vision.
CIS: Computer and Information Science (this is a building and a major!)
COB: College of Business
Co-op/Internship: Different majors may use different terms to describe the experiences that will help you build essential transferable skills that can be used in a professional setting. These can be paid, unpaid, for credit, or not for credit - visit umdearborn.edu/internships for information for your specific college.
CR: Chancellors Residence
CSS: Campus Support Services
DAS: Disability and Accessibility Services
Dean: The individuals who are responsible for all of the activities of each college. We have four deans at 蹤獲扦-Dearborn, one for each of the colleges.
Degree Works: This is an online auditing tool to help you monitor your degree completion progress.
DDC: Dearborn Discovery Core is the name of 蹤獲扦-Dearborn's general education program for undergraduate students. These classes serve as a means of discovery for students, providing a foundation for learning, connecting to potential new areas of interest and building tools for success in whatever field a student pursues.
Drop/Add: This refers to dropping and adding classes, and there are specific times during the term when this must occur. Visit the for specific details.
: Use this online file and collaboration to share, upload, download and edit files. Login with your university login and password.
Duo Mobile: Mobile phone application used as the second authentication piece for all university systems (Canvas, 蹤獲扦 Google, time sheets, etc.).
ECE: Electrical and Computer Engineer
ECEC: Early Childhood Education Center
EIC: Environmental Interpretive Center
ELB: Engineering Lab Building
Enrollment Deposit: An amount that you pay to hold your seat once youve been admitted. This amount is typically applied to your first semester account. You may seek a refund if you do not decide to enroll at a particular school, though some schools will have a deadline to take this action.
Experiential Learning: This the process of learning by experience, and then reflecting on this experience. It can be a more formal experience such as a co-op or internship as well as being involved in a student org or team and reflecting on the skills gained.
Faculty: These are specialists in their fields who teach the courses at the University. They have different rankings, largely based on their degrees and experience. Address them as Professor [LASTNAME] in (and out!) of the classroom unless otherwise instructed.
: Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The form required by the Department of Education (DOE) to determine your eligibility for federal funding. Uses tax return information to calculate your Expected Family Contribution (EFC), which is used by the DOE and schools to determine your access/eligibility for need-based funds.
FCN: Fairlane Center North
FCS: Fairlane Center South
FERPA: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records.
First Gen: At 蹤獲扦-Dearborn, a first generation college student is defined as a student whose parent(s) or guardian(s) did not have the opportunity to complete a bachelor's degree.
FLCE: Fairlane Cottage East 3B
FLCN: Fairlane Cottage North 2C
FLCS: Fairlane Cottage South 1A
FLPB: Fairlane Pony Barn
FH/WC: FieldHouse/ Wellness Center
GB: Grounds Building
HHS: Health and Human Services
Hold: According to the Registrar's Office, you can't register if you have a hold credit. They say "A hold credit could result from having outstanding financial obligations to the university, academic probation, mandatory advising or other academic or non-academic conditions that require resolution prior to registration." You can check view your holds in . In reference to the , a "hold" is a request for a book that will be then held for you at the circulation desk for 7 days.
HPEC: Heinz Prechter Engineering Complex
IAVS: Institute for Advanced Vehicle Systems
IMSE: Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering
ITS: Information Technology Services provides consistent and secure delivery of computing resources to the 蹤獲扦-Dearborn campus community. The HelpDesk can answer questions and provide solutions for problems related to IT. Contact them for questions regarding uniqname and password issues (logging in to campus resources), UPrint (a printing service for all students), campus computer labs, software for campus or home use, file storage or email (Box or Google problems).
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Liberal Arts: This includes academic subjects such as literature, philosophy, mathematics, and social and physical sciences as distinct from professional and technical subjects. At 蹤獲扦-Dearborn, these are found in CASL.
: This is an online directory that contains profiles for all individuals (students, faculty, staff, and alumni) on all three campuses.
ME: Mechanical Engineering
ML: Mardigian Library
MPS: Monteith Parking Structure
MRL: Modular Research Laboratory
MSEL: Manufacturing System Engineering Lab
(M)Talent: This is the distinction on the official transcript that students can earn through the Talent Gateway.
: This portal provides students with the opportunity to see tasks that they need to complete, schedule appointments, access key university resources, and use search or utilize a chatbot for answers to common questions
NSB: Natural Sciences Building
NSBS: Natural Sciences Building South
Office hours: These are open times when you can meet with your faculty to discuss the material being presented in class or other related interests you have. Faculty usually announce their office hours on the first day of class, and they want you to come!
OIA: Office of International Affairs
Ombuds: Ombuds Services provides students with independent, impartial, informal, and confidential assistance regarding 蹤獲扦-Dearborn policies and procedures. Note that confidentiality cannot be promised if there is serious risk of imminent harm or if required by law.
OMI: The Office of Community Engaged Learning (formerly: Office of Metropolitan Impact) strives to deepen the volume, value, and impact of mutually beneficial community partnerships for purposes of enhancing excellence in research, teaching, learning, and service in support of the University of Michigan Dearborn's mission and vision.
PEC: Professional Education Center
Prerequisite: This is a course that is required before you take another course because the material builds on the knowledge gained in the first course.
Provost: This is the chief academic officer of a university or college and is responsible for all curriculum and academic programs. At 蹤獲扦-Dearborn, the Provost is also responsible for global learning, digital education, the library, research, enrollment management, and student affairs.
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Recitation: Sections that provide students with additional time with their instructors to go over problems similar to the ones assigned, review the lecture and help clarify subject matter that was not fully explained or understood.
Registrar: This is the office responsible for all of student records and class registration. They handle all class lists, transcripts, add/drop, and many other records.
ROC: Recreation and Organization Center (currently closed)
SACUA: The Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs is the executive arm of the University of Michigan Faculty Senate and of the Senate Assembly, the primary faculty governance unit of the University.
SAP: Satisfactory Academic Progress
SEP: Student Educational Plan
SFC: Science Faculty Center
SLC: The Science Learning Center helps all students succeed in science courses and laboratories by emphasizing and teaching essential mathematical, graphing and laboratory skills. The SLC also provides self-paced practice with the instruments before class. It is located in 1143 Natural Sciences Building South (NSBS).
SLRC: Science Learning & Research Center
SSB: Social Sciences Building
START: The Student Advising and Resource Team: This department helps undergraduate students begin their academic career at 蹤獲扦-Dearborn with a strong foundation for success understanding degree requirements, scheduling, selecting a major or managing school/life balance. CECS transfer students who are admitted directly