Universities are enormous institutions. Academia as a whole is mammoth. Like any large group of people, academics have invented thousands of confusing, overlapping, and rarely explained acronyms.<\/p>\n
For those entering the academic world, this secret language can be daunting. Sometimes it seems designed to exclude those who aren’t yet on the inside.<\/p>\n
If you are new to postgraduate study at AUT, never fear: we’ve compiled a list explaining the common acronyms you might come across, and what they mean for you. Pin this post to your bookmarks and refer back every time you come across a mysterious academic TLA (that’s Three-Letter Acronym).<\/p>\n
This glossary is divided into 3 parts. The first contains words and acronyms specific to AUT. The second defines academic acronyms that are common in New Zealand. The third explains acronyms that are generally used in English-speaking universities across the world.<\/p>\n
Let us know if you come across an acronym that’s not defined here, and we’ll keep building it up.<\/p>\n
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AUT Acronyms<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ADP<\/strong>: Associate Dean, Postgraduate. This person (one in each faculty, generally) is responsible for promoting and enhancing postgraduate study in the faculty. Find out who the ADP is for your faculty here<\/a>.<\/p>\n ADR<\/strong>: Associate Dean, Research. This person (one in each faculty, generally) is responsible for guiding research strategy in the faculty. Find out who the ADR is for your faculty here <\/a>(you’ll need to scroll to the bottom of the page).<\/p>\n AuSM<\/strong>: AUT Student Movement<\/a> (pronounced “awesome.”) They are AUT’s student organisation. They represent all AUT students, and they have a Postgraduate Affairs Officer on their Council<\/a>.<\/p>\n AUT<\/strong>: Auckland University of Technology.<\/p>\n AUTEC<\/strong>: AUT Ethics Committee<\/a>. They approve or decline research ethics applications. Ethics advisory services are also available to improve your chances of getting approved.<\/p>\n AUTEL<\/strong>: AUT Enterprise Limited<\/a>. They can advise on commercialisation and intellectual property issues, and they also run an annual Innovation Challenge event.<\/p>\n CfLAT<\/strong>: Centre for Learning and Teaching. They can support you if you are tutoring or lecturing.<\/p>\n PGR#<\/strong>: Most forms<\/a> you need for postgraduate research are coded PGR and then a number. Sometimes these acronyms are used to describe stages in a degree (e.g. “she’s doing her PGR9” would mean that the student was completing their confirmation of candidature by giving a presentation and filling in the PGR9 form.)<\/p>\n RCAB<\/strong>: Research Committee of Academic Board. This is the group that guides research strategy at AUT. Their decisions affect postgraduate research students; though UPB (see below) is more directly involved in postgraduate issues.<\/p>\n RIO<\/strong>: Research and Innovation Office<\/a>. They can advise on research funding, contracting, and partnerships. (NB. Their services are generally aimed at staff, as most postgraduate research funding is handled by the Scholarships Office; though there are some exceptions.)<\/p>\n SLC<\/strong>: Student Learning Centre<\/a>. They can help with academic writing and research skills.<\/p>\n ToC<\/strong>: Temps on Campus<\/a>. They list lots of temporary \/ casual job assignments around the university.<\/p>\n