- •1)A general outline of the country. National symbols.
- •2) The population of the usa. Ethnic diversity, density. Native Americans. Languages.
- •3) The relief. Rivers and lakes. Mineral resources. Climate of the usa.
- •4) The history of North America (1000-1775)
- •5) George Washington. The American revolution. The declaration of independence.
- •6) The constitution of the usa. The bill of rights.
- •7)Abraham Lincoln. The civil war. The abolition of slavery.
- •8) The Executive Branch
- •The President
- •The Cabinet
- •9) The us congress. The capital building
- •The Structure of Congress
- •10) The judicial brunch of power. State and local government.
- •The us Supreme Court and Its Procedures
- •11) Washington dc. The us federal capital.
- •12) Historical background of American education. Pre-school and primary education.
- •13) Secondary education in the usa
- •14) College, university education. Academic degrees.
14) College, university education. Academic degrees.
At present there are more than 3330 colleges and universities. They offer such a great variety of requirements for admission and so many programs that foreigners usually have difficulty in identifying American colleges and universities with those in their own countries. Higher education in the USA has evolved two unique institutions. They are the 2year junior college or the Community College, and the 4 year college of liberal arts. Community colleges have dual roles. First, they offer studies leading to technical, and semi-professional occupations and second, studies which prepare students for 4 year degree granting institutions. As a result, community colleges enroll students with a wide range of abilities and interests. The liberal arts college takes two general forms – it may be one of the constituent units of a university complex, or an independent organization. The terms college and university are used interchangeably. The university college of liberal arts serves students in parallel undergraduate professional colleges such as engineering or business administration, by giving them courses in basic disciplines. This college as well as its independent counterpart, also provides pre-professional training of 4 years for students who proceed to the advanced professional schools such as law and medicine. Another characteristic feature of the American higher education is that credit for work is transferable among Universities. A student can accumulate credits at one university, transfer them to the 2nd one, and graduate from there or a third one.
The Bachelor’s degree in science or arts usually represents successful completion of a 4year course study. Much of the 1st two years includes courses in such fields as humanities, social science and fine arts. In the 3rd and 4th year the baccalaureate student specializes in two or more fields. The degree in usually awarded in the major field. The Master’s degree program represents a minimum of one year’s work beyond the baccalaureate. It involves one or all of the following requirements –
A thesis
General examination
Mastery of a foreign language
Doctoral programs usually consist of at least 3 years of study beyond the baccalaureate. There are 2 distinct types of doctoral programs – the professional degree and the research degree. The 1st type represents advanced training for the practice of a given profession such as doctor of medicine, dental science. The Research degree (PhD) is the highest degree in American higher education. Candidates are normally required to demonstrate reading proficiency in at least 2 foreign languages, to take a comprehensive exam, to demonstrate general knowledge in his field, and successfully complete and defend the conclusions of his dissertation.
Besides awarding earned degrees, some colleges and Universities also award honorary degrees as a form of deserved recognition for distinguished public service, or for outstanding creative work. For example, Doctor of Law is a purely honorary distinction.