The system of Higher Education in the USA

fIG. 15.

There is no national system of higher education in the United States of America. The national government gives no direct financial aid to the higher schools. Each state controls and supports at least one university.

The institutions of higher education may be either public or private. The public institutions are financed by state. The higher school may be funded by a religious group. Most of the students, about 80 per cent, study at public institutions of higher education, because tuition fees here are much lower. Some of the best-known private universities are Harvard, Yale and Princeton.

Fig. 16. Harvard

The system of higher education includes 4 categories of institutions:

The two-year community colleges, which are financed by the local community in different professions. Tuition fees are low in these colleges, that’s why about 40 per cent of all American students of higher education study at these colleges. On graduation from such colleges American students are awarded only an «associate degree» i.e. Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree without specifying a major. They can start to work or may transfer to 4-year colleges or universities (usually to the 3rd year). The well-known community colleges are the Community College of Philadelphia and Harper College in Illinois.

The technical training institution, at which high school graduates may take courses ranging from six months to three-four years, and learn different technical skills, which may include design business, computer programming, accounting, etc. The technical colleges award Associate in Science (A.S.) or Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degrees to students with major in science or practical technology. After receiving A.S. or A.A.S. degree, many students transfer to four-year colleges or universities to complete the requirements for a bachelor’s degree.

The best-known technical training institutions are the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Technological Institute in California and others.

The four-year colleges, which are not a part of a university have no graduate or professional programs. If a college student completes a course of study in arts or science, he or she gets Bachelor’s of Arts or Science degree. If college students want to continue for a graduate or professional degree, they must go to University. A college is usually funded in one of the three ways already described. There are also small Art Colleges, which grant degrees in specialized fields such as ballet, film-making and even circus performance. The Pedagogical Colleges may contain several colleges for students who want to receive a bachelor’s degree after four years of study. The most famous examples of four-year colleges are Hanover College, Central Christian College of Kansas, Professional Careers Institute and others.

The universities in the USA usually consist of several different colleges. Each has a special subject area. There may be a college of liberal arts where humanities, social science, natural sciences and mathematics are taught. There may be a college of education and a college of business. There may be a college of arts and science, a college of literature, science and arts. A program for undergraduates usually takes four years. If they complete a course of study they get Bachelor of Arts or Science degree. Students may leave the university at this time. The universities also offer advanced programs which lead to a master’s degree. (M.A. or M.S.). After another year or two of study and research the students may get a still higher degree as Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

Except above mentioned universities there are another prestigious ones: University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University and Brown University.

The methods of instruction in the universities are lectures, discussions, laboratory works and term papers or seminars. There is enough flexibility however to allow each student in collaboration with the adviser to develop an individual program in accordance with his or her own interests and preparation.

The academic year lasts usually nine months and divided into two terms. Studies usually begin in September and end in July. Each college or university has its own curriculum. During one term a student must study 4 or 5 different courses. There are courses that every student has to take in order to receive a degree. At the same time there are subjects which the student may choose himself for his future life. These courses are called «electives». A student has to earn a certain number of «credits» (about 120) in order to receive a degree at the end of four years of college. Credits are earned by attending lectures or laboratory classes and completing assignments and examinations.

Students who study at a university or four-year college are known as undergraduates. Those who have received a degree after 4 years of studies are known as graduates. They may take graduate program for another 2 years in order to get a master’s degree. Further studies are postgraduate which result in a doctor’s degree.

Most cities have colleges or universities that hold classes at night as well as in daytime. In this way people may work for a degree or just take a course in the subject that interests them.

Just across the Charles River from Boston is Cambridge, America’s most famous students town.

Cambridge is sometimes called the birthplace of American intellectual life: it has the nation’s oldest university, Harvard University, founded in 1636. Cambridge remains a center of intellectual life, especially since it is also home to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.