Workday Student Glossary
Browse and search common Workday Student terms and definitions to quickly understand the language you’ll see across registration, academics, and your student record. This glossary helps translate Workday terminology into familiar GVSU concepts, making it easier to navigate tasks and find the right information when you need it.
| GVSU Term | Workday Term | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Emphasis / Concentration | Focus | A concentration area within a program of study. |
| Effective Date | Effective Date | Date when a version of something goes into effect. Based on the action being completed it may be past, present, or future date. |
| Deptarment Prefix (i.e. BMS) | Course Subject | Area of study for a course, such as Accounting or Biomedical Science. In Workday these align with "departments" and can be used to filter courses. |
| Delivery Mode | Delivery Mode | How a course section is taught: in person, online or hybrid (a combination of in-person and online instruction). |
| Delivery Method | Instructional Format | The type of class: lecture, seminar, studio or workshop. |
| Degree Requirement | Academic Requirement | An element of the academic progress tool that outlines the requirements to complete a program of study (major). An academic requirement is a required course or set of courses that enables advisors, staff, and students to track and verify student's progres |
| Declare Date/Catalog Year | Declare Date | When a student started a particular program of study. |
| Course Section | Course Section | An offering in a specific academic period (semester) of a specific course. For example, BIO 120-01 |
| Course Definition | Course Definition | Central source of data related to an individual course, such as title, credit value, description, eligibility rules. |
| Course | Course | A class. For example, BIO 120 |
| College/Department/School | Academic Unit | The primary organizational structure in Workday Student. Used to represent school, division or any other unit that admits students and offers courses. Academic units are organized to manage business processes, security access, and reporting. |
| Class Standing | Class Standing | First-year, sophomore, junior, senior, non-degree or graduate. For undergraduates, the standing is determined by the number of credits earned including transfer/test credits, not by the number of years in attendance. |
| Class Standing | Class Standing | First-year, sophomore, junior, senior, non-degree or graduate. For undergraduates, the standing is determined by the number of credits earned including transfer/test credits, not by the number of years in attendance. |
| Catalog Year | Requirements Effective Date | The year that corresponds with the academic requirements within a particular program of study. Typically, this is the year the student started. |
| Banner | Legacy System | Current technology system or application in use that will be replaced. |
| Attributes, Special Populations | Cohort | A specific group of students defined based on certain criteria. Cohorts are used to provide effective advising, report on student populations, and manage student applicants. |
| Attribute | Course Tags | Custom identifiers that attach to courses or course sections to categorize them and make easier to track and manage. |
| Anticipated Graduation Date | Expected Completion Date | The academic term the student is anticipated to graduate. |
| Admitted | Matriculation | Used to identify a student that has accepted their offer of admission and their records move into Workday. This then creates the academic record and begins the onboarding process. |
| Active/Stopped out | Program of Study Status | Indicates where a student is in the completion of their program of study, whether overall record is active or inactive. |
Page last modified February 11, 2026