University glossary

For a fast consultation, this glossary may help you clarify some terms and definitions concerning the university system.

• Study area
  University qualifications are organised into study areas depending on the training received and the specialisation.
• Study cycles
  The university cycles depend on the workload of the qualifications. There are 1st cycle, 1st and 2nd cycle, 2nd cycle and 3rd cycle qualifications, according to the current system. You access the higher cycles from a lower cycle.
• Assigned centres
  These are centres associated to a university and managed by a public or private entity that offer university teaching that complements the university qualifications or that specialise in a line or that are set up in a geographical area where there is little university offer.
• Integrated centres
  These are centres that make up part of the academic structure of the university and are responsible for academic, administrative and managerial organisation and processes that lead to obtaining a university qualification.
• Complementary training
  This is additional training which, in some cases, students who wish to do 2nd cycle studies most follow. Complementary training is determined by university regulations.
• University credit
  This is a unit of value given to university teaching. It corresponds to ten hours of theoretical or practical teaching, or its equivalent. Each subject has a certain number of credits.
• ECTS Credits
  This is the unit of value for university teaching in the European Higher Education Area. Each ECTS credit is equivalent to about 25-30 teaching hours. The assignation of credits measures the hours corresponding to theoretical and practical classes, study hours, those dedicated to doing seminars, work, practical work experience or projects, and those required to prepare for and sit exams and tests.
• Departments
  They are responsible for organising and developing research, offering suitable teaching for the areas of knowledge and teaching in the third cycle at each university. Each university has departments for each area of knowledge.
• University schools
  These are university centres that usually organise studies that lead to obtaining qualifications of diploma holder, teacher, technical architect or technical engineer.
• European Higher Education Area (EHEA)
  The process started with the Bologna Declaration and is aimed at creating a European higher education area, promoting the convergence of different educational systems with the aim of improving the quality, transparency and compatibility of studies, qualifications and diplomas in all European countries.
• Faculties and higher technical schools
  They impart the studies that lead to obtaining the qualifications of licentiate degree holder, architect or engineer. They can also organise studies leading to obtaining qualifications of diploma holder, teacher, technical architect or technical engineer.
• University and research institutes
  These are centres that belong to a university and are mainly dedicated to scientific and technical research in specific areas and can organise or develop doctorate programmes.
• Permanence regulations
  Each university has its own operating regulations that govern the academic activity: setting exam dates, passing credits, annulling or reviewing registrations, combining studies, etc. To find out about the regulations of each university, you can consult their website.
• Minimum mark
  This is the minimum mark required to access a university qualification. It does not reflect the difficulty of the studies, but the offer and demand, therefore it varies each year. The more demand there is for a qualification, the higher the minimum mark required.
• PAU (University Entrance Exam)/strong>
  This is the name given to the university entrance exam, an exam that all sixth form students must pass to be able to study at university.
• Study plan
  These are the set of teaching areas organised by a university, which, if passed, give you the right to obtain the qualification.
• Pre-Registration
  This is the process to be followed to choose the university and the qualification you wish to study. It is a system that shares out the university higher education places in the most democratic way possible.
• Selectivity exam
  This is the name commonly given to the university entrance exam (PAU).

Last update: 09/11/2006 Reviewed: 09/11/2006

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