OVERVIEW

Different types of schools

In the United States, the term higher education refers to formal education that begins after 12 years of elementary and secondary school.  The United States has several types of institutions of higher education: four-year colleges, which offer four years of undergraduate education; universities, which offer undergraduate, graduated, and professional education; two-year community or junior colleges; trade or technical schools; and proprietary (private) schools.   The term school is loosely used to refer to any of the above.

A school or college is an academic institution that offers degrees.  It may be a separate institution specializing in one subject, or it may be a part of a university.  Within a college, fields of study are, offered by departments (mathematics, chemistry, economics, etc.).  The instructors or professors teaching these subject courses are members of the faculty of these particular departments.  A university contains both an undergraduate college and a graduate school.

A community college (or junior college as it is also called) usually offers programs of one to two years duration.  Students at community colleges sometimes pursue a program, primarily in the liberal arts, and then transfer to a four-year college or university to complete work toward a bachelor's degree, students have the opportunity to graduate with an Associate of Arts diploma before transferring or enrolling in an occupational/technical programs.  Trade and technical schools, offering one- or two-year technical degrees, provide technical training in a specific field or vocation.  Proprietary schools are operated for profit.  Usually these schools offer technical and semiprofessional training, although recently their offerings have become more diversified.  Students who are considering studying at a proprietary school should investigate carefully to see if it is properly accredited.  Degrees and credits awarded by technical or proprietary schools normally are not acceptable for transfer to degree-granting colleges and universities.

To make sure that the institution you apply to is currently accredited (see below), you should consult Accredited Institutions of Postsecondary Education and the Handbook of Trade Technical Careers and Training (see Bibliography), which should be located in a counseling office in your country.

 

Accreditation

Unlike most countries, the United States has no national ministry of education.  U.S. education is decentralized; its direction falls under the responsibilities of the states.  State or local government authority governs public colleges and universities.  Private (or independent) institutions are governed y their own boards.  Recognition of U.S. institutions of higher education and of certain specialized programs is achieved by means of a voluntary and continuous process known as accreditation.

There are two basic types of accreditation: institutional and specialized.  Institutional accreditation is recognition of an institution as a whole; specialized accreditation is recognition of specific programs within an institution.  It is common for U.S. colleges and universities to have both institutional accreditation and specialized accreditation.

Accreditation is granted by recognized accrediting bodies, which have no connection with the U.S. government.  In order to become accredited, institutions or programs must meet minimum standards of quality established by the appropriated accrediting bodies.  In order to maintain accreditation an institution or program must demonstrated periodically that it is continuing to meet or exceed established standards.

Students should obtain information about the policies of their government and of prospective employers and appropriate professional societies in their country toward U.S. education and accreditation.  If it is the policy of any of these bodies to recognize course work and degrees only from accredited U.S. institutions or programs, students should carefully check on this accreditation before applying.

Information about accreditation may be obtained directly from U.S. institutions and from accrediting organizations.

 

Academic calendar

The academic year (or school year) is from 32 to 36 weeks in length. It usually begins in September and ends in early or late May, although some institutions begin their school year in August and some in October.  Some divide the academic year into two periods of about 16 to 18 weeks called semesters.  Other schools divide the year into periods of 11 to 12 weeks called quarters: students must be present during the three quarters that fall between September and May; the fourth quarter is for the summer vacation and a summer session.  Still other schools divide the academic year into three equal terms of about 15 weeks (including the summer session).  This is called the trimester system.

 

Summer sessions, which vary from five to ten weeks, are not considered part of the academic year; however, many colleges offer regular courses as well as special programs during the summer months.  Participation in these summer sessions may make it possible to complete a four year programs in three or three and one-half years, though some students may want to pursue other interests during the summer.

 

Types of academic degrees

The most common types of degrees offered in institutions of higher education in the United States are (from lowest to highest): certificates, associate, bachelors, masters, doctoral, and professional.

Two-year (community and technical) institutions offer programs corresponding to the first two years of undergraduate study.  They also offer many occupational programs varying in length from a few months to two years.  Most programs lead to associate degrees such as an A.A. (Associate of Art which is half of a bachelor’s degree), A.S (Associate of Science), and A.A.S. (Associate of Applied Science).  The academic program at community colleges is made up of liberal arts (i.e., social sciences, the humanities, and the basic sciences).  Other programs offer training for positions requiring technical skill, such as dental hygienist, legal secretary, computer technician, and laboratory technician.

Undergraduate colleges offer bachelors degrees: a B.A. (or A.B.-Bachelor of Art) or a B.S. (Bachelor of Science).  Students pursuing a bachelor's degree are called undergraduate students.  Undergraduates enrolled in a four-year institution are classified according to their year of study.  First-year students are called freshmen; second-year students, sophomores; third-year students, juniors; and fourth-year students, seniors.  Students from abroad do not necessarily enter U.S. colleges and universities as freshmen.  Some institutions determine the level of entry for each foreign student.  Students who have extensive experience in a field may be given advanced standing and admitted as sophomores, juniors, or seniors.

The first two years of a four-year college program are usually devoted to general learning.  Students take many courses, and the scope of each course is usually broad (as it is in a two-year college).  Survey courses treat a vast area of subject matter, such as the history of art from prehistoric cave painting to modern art.  Since they survey an entire field of study, they often are taken as introductory courses or as prerequisites for more specialized courses.

During the third and fourth years of college, students specialize in one field by concentrating most of their course work in it.  The field of concentration is called a major.  Certain courses are required in order to obtain a bachelor's degree in a chosen field.  Sometimes students can graduate with two majors.  There is also the opportunity for a sub specialization and this is called a "minor".

A master’s degree: an M.A. (Master of Arts) or an M.S. (Master of Science) usually requires at least two year's study beyond a bachelor's degree.  The requirements for this degree generally include completing a certain number of graduate courses, maintaining a minimum grade average of a B, writing a thesis, and passing examinations in all required courses.  In fields such as engineering and business administration, a two-year program is usually required to obtain a master's degree.  A master's degree can also be awarded in professional areas such as education, social work, and nursing.

Doctoral degrees, which include a Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy), Ed. D. (Doctor of Education), or Sc. D. (Doctor of Science), require a minimum of two year's full-time study beyond a master's degree.  In most fields considerably more time is necessary.  For example, completion of the requirements for a doctorate in a science usually takes four to five years of study beyond a master's degree.  Doctoral candidates attend lecture courses and seminars and must complete a major research project, pass comprehensive examinations, and usually write a dissertation.

Professional degrees, such as a M.D. (Medical Doctor), D.D.S. (Doctor of Dental Science), D.D. (Doctor of Divinity), and LL.D. (Doctor of Laws-Jurisprudence), are given by accredited professional school, and colleges usually affiliated with a university.

 

The credit system

A student progress towards a degree is measured in course units or credits.  These often are referred to as credit hour, semester hours (in the semester system), quarter hours (in the quarter system), or merely hours.  One class hour a week (usually a 50-minute period) for a semester or quarter gives one unit or credit.  Therefore, the typical three-period class (meeting three times a week for 50-minute periods during a semester or quarter) is rated as three units or credits.  Two or three laboratory periods are usually considered equal to one class hour.  For the undergraduate student, the normal program -called an academic load- is about 15 to 17 units per semester or quarter.  For the graduate student it is nine to 12 units.

 

Schedule

Students have the freedom and the opportunity to select their own class schedule and number of classes to take per semester.  This is why some students take longer than others to complete their degree.

 

Grading (marking) systems

There are several types of grading systems used in U.S. institutions.  Three commonly used systems are:

Letter grades:                                 Point-scale grades:                         Percentage grades:

 

            A- excellent                              3.4-4.0-excellent                      92-100 excellent

            B- good                                   3.0-3.3-good                             85-91   good

            C- average                               2.0-2.9-average                       75-84   average

            D- passing                                1.5-1.9-passing                        65-74   passing

            F- failing                                   0-1.4-failing                              below 65- failing

 

 

Many schools also make use of a pass-fail system.  The student who completes a course satisfactorily receives a grade of pass; the student who does not  receives a grade of “F” fail.  Some institutions use the pass-fail system for elective courses (courses not required).  Still other institutions have adopted a pass-no credit system- students who pass receive a grade of pass and receive credit for the course; for students, who fail, there will be no record that they took the course.

 

 

ENTRANCE EXAMS

English proficiency

Students planning to study in the United States must be able to read, write, speak, and understand the English language with a high level of proficiency.  Much of their success in academic programs will depend on their fluency in English.  Most colleges and universities require the TOEFL (Test of English as a foreign language); however, other institutions may have their own In-house English test or may use other instruments.

 

To measure English

At this institution, THEA (Texas Higher Education Assessment) or an alternative test is required by Texas law.

 

Graduate

A majority of graduate and professional schools in the United States as well as fellowship sponsors request that applicants take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).  The GRE is made up of a general test which contains sections designed to measure verbal, quantitative, and analytical ability, and subject tests, which are designed to measure knowledge and understanding of subject matter for graduate study in fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, physics, psychology, and certain foreign languages.  The Educational Testing Service (ETS), which administers the GRE, reports scores to test takers, to schools, and to fellowship sponsors.  ETS also annually publishes a free publication called The GRE information Bulletin.  This contains information on preparing for the GRE, registration instructions, locations of test sites, and practice test pages.  It may be obtained by writing to:  Graduate Record Examination, Educational Testing Service, Box 955, Princeton, New Jersey 08541, USA.

For those preparing to enter a medical school in the United States, there is the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).  The MCAT was developed by the Association of American Medical Colleges and is administered by the American College Testing Program.  The test is given in the spring and fall of each year at established test centers.  The MCAT reports sic scores for each candidate-one each in biology, chemistry, physics, science problems and skills analysis, reading and skills analysis, and quantitative skills.  Scores are reported on a scale ranging from 1 (low) to 15 (high).  For further information about the MCAT and registration materials, write to MCAT Registration, The American College Testing Program, P.O. Box 414, Iowa City, Iowa 52243, USA.

Other graduate entrance examinations include the Graduated Management Admission Test (GMAT) and Law School Admission Test (LSAT).  The GMAT measures general verbal and mathematical abilities that are developed over a long period of time and that are associated with success in the first year of study at graduate schools of business and management.  Because of the wide variation in course requirements for admission to graduate study in management, the Graduate Management Admission Council decided that a general test is more appropriate than a test of knowledge in specific subject areas.  The GMAT does not, therefore, measure achievement in specific fields.  The Graduate management Admission Council publishes an annual GMAT Bulletin of information free of charge.  This bulletin contains more detailed information about the test, test dates, registration, and test centers, and includes a list of graduate schools of management.  To obtain this bulletin write to:  Graduate Management Admission Test, Educational Testing Service, Box 966, Princeton, New Jersey 08541, USA. All accredited U.S. law schools require the LSAT.  It is a half-day examination given four times annually.  The test is designed to measure certain mental capabilities important in the study of law.  It produces an LSAT score and a separate score for writing ability.  A more detailed source of information of the LSAT is the Law School Admission Bulletin, which is published annually and is available free of charge from Law School Admission Services, Box 2000, Newtown, Pennsylvania 18940, USA.