Unit VI Universities in the usa

In their last year of high school, students often apply to more than one college or university. Each college or university in the USA has its own re­quirements for admission. Most colleges and universities require applicants to take a standard entrance exam: the American Collegic Test (ACT) or the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). SAT must be taken in your senior year in high school. It is given on a certain day in December or January at a local college. The test takes a whole day. There are three parts: Math, English and Logic. Every student gets a book with questions. The book is divided into sections, with about 70 questions each. Each of the three subjects has a max­imum of 800 points. The lowest score for getting into university is 550.

The system of higher education in the USA consists of four categories of institutions: universities, four-year colleges, technical training institutions and two-year community colleges.

Depending on the source of financing higher education institutions may be either public (state-supported) or private. At a private college the tuition is higher. Overall they are much the same as state universities. The subjects are divided into compulsory and optional. The sub­ject the student specializes in is called a "major". Optional subjects are called "electives". Every student is assigned an "academic adviser" or a "faculty adviser" who will help the student decide on a plan of study based on his/her goals and the requirements for a degree.

Four years of undergraduate study at a university's "undergraduate schools" or colleges lead to a Bachelor of Arts (B. A.) or Bachelor of Science (B. S.) degree. "Graduate schools", which are part of a university or are separate in­stitutions, offer advanced programs which lead to a master's (M. A. or M. S.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph. D.) or Doctor of Education (Ed. D.) degree.

Junior colleges, technical colleges, and community colleges are two-year institutions, usually public, offering technical training and a basic academic program.

Some junior and community colleges award only an Associate of Arts (A. A.) degree without specifying a major. Other junior, technical and com­munity colleges award A. A. degrees to liberal arts students and A. S. (Asso­ciate in Science) or A. A. S. (Associate in Applied Science) degrees to stu­dents who major in science or practical technology. After receiving an A. A., 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.

Ex.1 Find the English equivalents in the text.

Диплом средней школы, базовые предметы, факультативные курсы, условия приема, общепринятый вступительный экзамен в американские вузы, приемная комиссия университета, школьный экзамен на проверку спо­собностей, четырехгодичный колледж, государственные вузы, частные вузы, основной предмет, назначать советника (куратора), продвинутые программы, доктор образования, колледж начального высшего образо­вания, местный колледж, степень (диплом) выпускника гуманитарного местного колледжа или колледжа начального высшего образования с двухлетним курсом обучения, общеобразовательный курс в американ­ских колледжах и университетах, переводиться в вузы с четырехлетним курсом обучения, завершить обучение для получения степени бакалавра

Ex.2 Answer the questions using the information given in the text.

1. What are general requirements for admission to US colleges and uni­versities?

2. What types of higher education institutions are there in the USA?

3. What degrees do American colleges and universities award after four years of study?

4. What degrees do graduate schools award?

5. What degrees do junior colleges and community colleges award?