University education in the usa

1. Higher education in America is provided by colleges and universities. The

main difference between a college and a university is that the latter is a collection of colleges each of which specializes in a different field.

2. American colleges and universities are either private or public. There are nearly 1900 institutes of higher learning in America. Roughly one-third is state institutions, 1,200 are private ones. Only about half of the school children graduate from high school in America and receive a high school diploma. College is getting more expensive every year. Not all American families can afford university education.

3. The American higher school offers a wide variety of courses. In the same school a student can specialize in economics, chemistry and physics, Latin and the humanities, or in automobile mechanics. During the four-year higher school program, the student studies four or five major subjects per year. In addition the students usually have classes in physical education, music and art. The first two years are a continuation of secondary education; then a student begins an intensive study of his special field. If a student fails a course, he repeats only that course and not the work of the entire year.

4. Students are classified as freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors. A freshman is a first year student; a sophomore, a second year student; a junior, a third year student; and a senior, a fourth year student. All students who have graduated from the senior class and who continue studies at a university are classified as advanced students or graduate students.

5. At the conclusion of studies a college or university grants a bachelor's degree; after one or two additional years of studies - a master's degree. The highest academic degree is the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). It may take a number of years to complete the original research work necessary to obtain this degree.

6. The majority of college graduates have to apply to public or private employment agencies to get any job, which is not an easy thing.

Notes:

Is provided by - зд. осуществляется

Students are classified as - студентов подразделяют на...

10. Будьте готовы отвечать на вопросы по теме «Education in Russia, England and the USA»

Примерные вопросы по зачетным темам

Education

1. Is education in GB compulsory from the age of 5?

2. At what age do pupils usually move from primary to secondary education?

3. What is the difference between selective and comprehensive education?

4. Define the following: nursery school, boarding school, grammar school.

5. What are the main differences between university courses in Britain arid in our country?

6. Do you think education should he free? Are there advantages in a fee-paying system?

7. Do you think children should be tested at the ages of seven and eleven?

8. What are your views of boarding schools / single-sex schools?

9. How usual is it to go to university in Russia?

10. Is it difficult to enter a university?

11. Is university education necessary for professional jobs? What other ways are there to get professional qualifications?

12. Is it easy to find a job for a college graduate in England? And in Russia?

13. What are the main problems in the education system in Russia?

14. What do you know about higher education in the USA?

15. What degrees can a person get, studying at American universities?