Higher Education in America

Over 3,300 institutions, public and private, in 50 states.

Over 1 million new students every year.

Four basic types:

Ø Technical schools (mechanics, computers, cooking, beauty, etc.) with programs of various lengths offering certificates;

Ø Junior or Community colleges offering two year Associate’s Degree (AA);

Ø Colleges, public and private, offering four year Bachelor’s Degree (BA, MS, MFA, MBA, etc.) or Doctorate (Ph.D.) degrees as well as professional degrees such as doctors (MD), dentists (DDS), and lawyers (JD).

Requirements for entering college typically include: finishing high school, attaining an acceptable score on a standardized test like the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test), fulfilling financial requirements, and completing an interview.

Public education, while technically free, is not. Students must pay for books, housing, food, and an assortment of “fees”. Scholarship, Loans, Grants, Work-Study Programs, as well as Teaching and Research Assistantships are available. The cost of private education is, especially at prestigious institutions is prohibitive (well over $10,000/year).

The typical college “freshman” is 18 years old, so by the time he/she has passed through four years as, progressively, a “sophomore,” “junior,” and “senior,” they will graduate at age 22. There is no mandatory minimum or maximum age foe entering or completing college.

If they so desire, college graduates can continue their education as “grad students”. Acceptable grades from college, plus acceptable scores on a graduate level standardized test (GRE, LSAT, MCAT, GMAT), and an interview are usually necessary. Master’s degrees typically take from one to three years, and doctorates begin at around two to three years. A Master’s requires the writing of a thesis, and a doctorate of a dissertation.

Collegiate athletics is big business in America.

The academic year can be divided into semesters, trimesters, or quarters, and summer vacations are typical. Winter and spring “breaks” are also common.

Students typically need around 130 credit hours to graduate with a BA. Credit hours are calculated as the number of official in-class hours students devote to a course per week, typically from 2 to 4. Students usually “major” in a subject, which usually requires some 35-40 credits, and can “minor:” in a subject at half the credit requirement of a major. Students may choose to double-major and/or minor.

Professional type work is almost impossible to get without at least a Bachelor’s, and, increasingly, a Master’s.

Read this short info about the best US universities and say why they occupy the first positions in the university ranking. For additional info check these universities websites.

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