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College and University
See also: Universities in the United States
Post-secondary education in the United States is known as college or university
and commonly consists of four years of study at an institution of higher
learning. Like high school, the four undergraduate grades are commonly called
freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior years (alternately called first year,
second year, etc.). Students traditionally apply to receive admission into
college, with varying difficulties of entrance. Schools differ in their
competitiveness and reputation; generally, the most prestigious schools are
private, rather than public. Admissions criteria involve the rigor and grades
earned in high school courses taken, the students GPA, class ranking, and
standardized test scores (Such as the SAT or the ACT tests). Most colleges also
consider more subjective factors such as a commitment to extracurricular
activities, a personal essay, and an interview. While numerical factors rarely
ever are absolute required values, each college usually has a rough threshold
below which admission is unlikely.
The Stata Center for Computer, Information and Intelligence Sciences at
Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA.Once admitted, students
engage in undergraduate study, which consists of satisfying university and class
requirements to achieve a bachelor's degree in a field of concentration known as
a major. (Some students enroll in double majors or "minor" in another field of
study.) The most common method consists of four years of study leading to a
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), a Bachelor of Science (B.S.), or sometimes (but rarely)
another bachelor's degree such as Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.), Bachelor of
Social Work (B.S.W.), Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.,) or Bachelor of
Philosophy (B.Phil.) Five-Year Professional Architecture programs offer the
Bachelor of Architecture Degree (B.Arch.)
Unlike in the British model, degrees in law and medicine are not offered at the
undergraduate level and are completed as graduate study after earning a
bachelor's degree. Neither field specifies or prefers any undergraduate major,
though medicine has set prerequisite courses that must be taken before
enrollment.
Some students choose to attend a community college for two years prior to
further study at another college or university. In most states, community
colleges are operated either by a division of the state university or by local
special districts subject to guidance from a state agency. Community colleges
may award Associate of Arts (AA) or Associate of Science (AS) degree after two
years. Those seeking to continue their education may transfer to a four-year
college or university (after applying through a similar admissions process as
those applying directly to the four-year institution, see articulation). Some
community colleges have automatic enrollment agreements with a local four-year
college, where the community college provides the first two years of study and
the university provides the remaining years of study, sometimes all on one
campus. The community college awards the associate's degree, and the university
awards the bachelor's and master's degrees.
Homer statue at the University of VirginiaGraduate study, conducted after
obtaining an initial degree and sometimes after several years of professional
work, leads to a more advanced degree such as a master's degree, which could be
a Master of Arts (MA), Master of Science (MS), Master of Business Administration
(MBA), or other less common master's degrees such as Master of Education (MEd),
and Master of Fine Arts (MFA). After additional years of study and sometimes in
conjunction with the completion of a master's degree, students may earn a Doctor
of Philosophy (Ph.D.) or other doctoral degree, such as Doctor of Arts, Doctor
of Education, Doctor of Theology, Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Pharmacy, Doctor
of Physical Therapy, or Doctor of Jurisprudence. Some programs, such as
medicine, have formal apprenticeship procedures post-graduation like residency
and internship which must be completed after graduation and before one is
considered to be fully trained. Other professional programs like law and
business have no formal apprenticeship requirements after graduation (although
law school graduates must take the bar exam in order to legally practice law in
nearly all states).
Entrance into graduate programs usually depends upon a student's undergraduate
academic performance or professional experience as well as their score on a
standardized entrance exam like the Graduate Record Examination (GRE-graduate
schools in general), the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT), or the Law
School Admissions Test (LSAT). Many graduate and law schools do not require
experience after earning a bachelor's degree to enter their programs; however,
business school candidates are usually required to gain a few years of
professional work experience before applying. Only 8.9 percent of students ever
receive postgraduate degrees, and most, after obtaining their bachelor's degree,
proceed directly into the workforce.
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