2. Mark the statements as True or False.

1. American Universities are financially independent of the government.

2. Each state has the right to set its own amount of tuition fee.

3. Each College has its own campus.

4. The basic programme of courses is the same for all students.

5. After graduation a student has two specialities.

6. After writing a dissertation a student receives a Master's Degree.

Higher Education in the United States

There are more than two thousand institutions of higher education in the United States with the number of students ranging from fewer than a hundred to 40,000.

Young people who want to enter higher education must meet some requirements. They must have attended a high school for four years. No student is admitted to a college or university without having completed a four-year course in high school. This means that a student who wants to study at the university or college must begin by doing good work in high school. If his grades in high school are satisfactory, he is admitted to a university or college, were he may take a Bachelor’s degree after a four-year course of study. About fifty three per cent of pupils who complete their high school course go on to a college or university.

The first two years in an American college or university differ somewhat from a similar period in a European one. These years in American college are a continuation of secondary education. During this time certain courses in English, social sciences, natural sciences and so

on must be completed before a student may begin an intensive study of this special field.

Nearly all of colleges and universities in the United States are coeducational. This means both men and women attend the same university.

It is common for students to leave home to study, and only about 15% of all university students live at home while they study. Students may live either on the university campus in one of the dormitories or in private homes in the city in which the University is located.

Although a great deal of time must necessarily be devoted to study, students find time for recreation. There are football, basketball, and base116 ball games, teas and dances, concerts, debates, club programs and plays, to mention only a few of the many activities. Most recreational activities are not expensive for the student.

US Academia: Some Explanations

The American academic year usually runs from some time in September to the end of May. Most, although not all, schools run on a semester system.

Achievement is measured by grades which are given on papers and tests during the course of the semester and a final examination at the end of the semester. The final grade is based on all of the work done for the course.

The degree programs contain several major courses and a certain number of credit hours is given for every course. A student must take a predetermined number of credit hours in order to graduate. One can drop or add a course in the beginning of the term but not in the middle of the semester.

Students are encouraged to discuss any academic problems or questions they may have with their academic adviser. In the classroom, Americans are encouraged to ask questions and

to voice their opinions, even if they differ from those of the professor.

American and European Systems Compared

Education in America is largely the business of the individual State, not of the Federal Government. Each of fifty states has its own system of education. There is no Minister of Education such as exists in many other countries, no national system of education. In addition to

public schools, academies, colleges and universities, there is a great number of private institutions of education. The Federal Government of the United States doesn’t interfere in any way with public education within the States.

Americans tend to study a larger number of subjects than Europeans, in schools, and particularly at the university. Seven subjects are required for a first degree (Bachelor’s degree) in many colleges. In the USA wide, and sometimes superficial, knowledge is often valued more

than specialization.

The aim of American education is to create a good citizen, rather than a scholar. That is why great emphasis is placed on social duties and obligations, on communicating with other people, and obtaining varied information, which will be of practical use in life.

The Open University

1. The Open University was founded in 1964 by the Labor Government for those people, for some reason, had not a chance to enter any of the universities, especially those above normal student age. It takes both men and women at the age 21 and over. At the beginning of the

1990s some 150,000 students followed the Open University courses.

2. No formal academic qualifications are necessary for entry to these courses, but the standards of its degrees are the same as those of other universities. The first course began in 1971, and in a decade the number of undergraduates reached 65,000. It’s a non-residential¹ university. In teaching the university uses a combination of television and radio broadcasts, correspondence courses and summer school, together with a network of viewing and listening centres².

3. Lecturers present their courses on one of the BBC’s television channels and by radio. They have also produced a whole library of short course-books, which anyone can buy at bookshops. Students write papers based on the courses and discuss them with tutors at meetings or by

correspondence once a month.

4. Degrees are awarded on the basis of credit³ gained by success at each stage of the course. Six credits are necessary for a BA degree⁴ and eight credits for a BA Honors degree. The time of staying on at the Open University is unlimited.

Пояснения к тексту:

1 без постоянного помещения

2 видео- и аудиоцентры

3 «успешно» – оценка за сданные экзамены

4 степень бакалавра

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