TYPES OF COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

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TYPES OF COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

PUBLIC:

Ø  Majority of public universities are operated by the states and territories, usually as a part of state university system.

Ø  Each state supports at least 1 state university and several support many more. For example: California has 3 public higher education systems:-

1.       11 campus University of California campus

2.       23 Campus California State University System

3.       109 Campus California Community Colleges system.

Ø  Local cities and counties may also support colleges and universities.

Ex. Montgomery College, Washington DC, is funded and operated on behalf of the county government. It’s primary support comes from the taxpayers within the county where it operates and it may receive some funding for specific projects from either state or federal government.

Ø  There is no “National” University in the USA, which means the federal government doesn’t manage any public institutions directly.

Ø  The only public institutions managed by the federal government are the “5” service academics:

1.       Army

2.       Navy

3.       Air Force

4.       Coast Guard

5.       Merchant Marine

Ø  Also, the use of name of a state or city, doesn’t automatically mean that it is a public university. Ex: Murray State University is a public university whereas University of Pennsylvania is a private institution.

PRIVATE:

Ø  They do not receive any primary support from any government entity.

Ø  They can be either non-profit or for-profit institutions.

Ø  For-profit institutions focus more on careers and technical education. Ex: University of Phoenix.

Ø  Also, these private universities/colleges are either secular or may have a religious affiliation such as Protestantism, Roman Catholicism etc.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A COLLEGE & A UNIVERSITY IN THE USA

Ø  Universities are more research oriented institutions which provide both Undergraduate and Postgraduate education.

Ø  Some universities have professional schools, which are attended by those who plan to be practitioners instead of academics. Ex: Business schools, medical school etc.

Ø  In USA, these different units within the universities are called colleges or schools.

Ø  These colleges/schools are divided into departments. Ex: An Anthropology department within a college of Arts & Sciences within a larger university.

University

Colleges / Schools

NOTE:

Ø  Boston College, Dartmouth College, College of William and Mart have retained the term ‘College’ in their name in spite of being a university

Ø  Likewise, Wesleyan University uses the term ‘University’ even though it offers only a few graduate programs.

LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE:

Ø  4 year institutions which focus on Liberal Arts are called Liberal Arts College.

Ø  These colleges emphasize more on interactive instruction. Hence, the student faculty ratio is much low as compared to in universities. Also, they have lower enrolments.

Ø  Liberal Arts Colleges have classes taught by full-time faculty rather than graduate student teaching assistants (TAs), who often teach classes at research universities.

Ø  Most of the liberal Arts Colleges are private although there are a few Public as well.

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Posted in: California,California State University,Colleges and Universities,Education,Montgomery College,Murray State University,Public university,Washington DC

MS IN USA IN 1, 2 or 3 YEARS?

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MS IN USA IN 1, 2 or 3 YEARS?

Ø  You can complete Masters degree anywhere from 1 to 3 years. It all depends on the type of program you decide to study.

1.       Thesis Track

2.       Non-thesis ( Course Only) track

3.       Internship ( thesis or non-thesis)

4.       Thesis to non-thesis

Ø  Typical student will take 3 courses per semester and usually don’t take any courses in Summer.

Thesis Track (Masters)

Ø  Thesis program usually includes 8 Courses + Thesis. If you can complete 4 courses in 2 semesters and 1 semesters for Thesis. If you start in Fall semester, this is how the program will look

                Fall – 4 Courses

                Spring – 4 Courses + Thesis

                Summer – Thesis

Non-Thesis (Masters)

Ø  Course only program will require you to complete around 36 credits (12 Courses). If you have any pre-requisites courses, then it will take longer to complete Masters Program.

                Fall – 3 Courses

                Spring – 3 Courses

                Summer – Break or internship ( 1 year)

                Fall – 3 Courses

                Spring – 3 Courses ( 1 year and 9 months)

MS with Internship

Ø  It’s very likely a student can do 2 semesters of Internship with Thesis or Non-thesis option.  So, you can run into following timeline.

Ø  We will use Spring as start semester.

                Spring – 3 Courses

                Summer – Break

                Fall – 3 Courses

                Spring – 3 Courses

                Summer – Break

                Fall – Internship

                Spring – Internship

                Summer – 3 Courses

                

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Posted in: Academic term,Course credit,Doctor of Philosophy,Education,Master's degree,Research,Thesis,United States

MASTER’S DEGREE IN 1 YEAR FROM USA

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CAN I GET MASTER’S DEGREE IN 1 YEAR FROM USA?

Ø  Yes, it’s possible to complete Masters Degree in 1 Year.

Ø  Typically Universities require to complete 30 to 36 credit hours to get Masters Degree.

Ø  1 Course is equivalent to 3 credit hours (usually). It varies between universities.

Ø   Some schools have Thesis option instead of course work. To, complete Maters degree in 1 year, you will have to take more courses than a typical student will register in a semester.

Ø  But, you cannot complete MBA in1 year in US. MBA in US is designed for 2 to 2.5 year program.

                Regular Full time students will take:

Ø  9 Credits in Fall 2009,

Ø  9 Credits in Spring 2010

Ø  6 Credits in Summer 2010(Optional),

Ø  9 Credits in Fall 2010 and graduate

                But to complete MS in 1 year you will have to take

Ø  12 Credits in Fall 2009

Ø  12 Credits in Spring 2010

Ø  9 Credits in Summer 2010

Ø  US education system is different from UK.

Ø  Completing MS in 1 year is possible, but it will be very hectic. Trying to get and maintain 4.0 GPA will be very tough.

Work Experience and Internship:

·         Having work experience will definitely help, but not required.

·         If you are thinking to postpone Masters program just for the sake of getting work experience, its not necessary.

·         But, if you are already working and plan to study in US after 1 or 2 years, then there is nothing   you can do now. Use that experience to get a job after Masters degree.

·         Students can always work as an intern for 1 or 2 semesters to get the work experience.

·         Majority of the students get hired as Full time employee after completing Internship. But, it takes lot of effort to find internship. You must start building your professional network as soon as you start your course work.

Degrees:

Ø  In the US, students entering post secondary education typically have completed 12 years of primary & secondary education.

Ø  Post – secondary institutions are either known as a college or a university. ( are also informally referred to as school )

Ø  Undergraduate education mainly consists of 2 to 4 years of study at 1 or more institutions, with the intent of completing either an Associates (2 year) or a bachelor’s (4 year) degree.

Ø  There are more than 4,000 universities and colleges in the USA.

Ø  Graduate or Professional education in the US is followed by the completion of a 4 year bachelor’s degree and may consist of a Master’s, Doctoral ( PhD or EdD ) or a professional degree such as a JD ( Juris Doctor ) degree.

Undergraduate Education:

Ø  The 4 years of undergraduate study are called

                Freshman (First Year)

                Sophomore (second year)

                Junior

                Senior

Ø  In the undergraduate study, students need to choose a ‘Major’ , a particular subject for specialization.

Ø  Students might also enroll for double majors or ‘minor’ in another field of study.

Ø  The common degrees that the 4 year undergraduate study can lead to are:

                Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

                Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

                Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A)

                Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.)

                Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng)

                Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch) – 5 year program

Ø  The American UG degree is a 4 year program unlike the Common Wealth country degrees which last for 3 years.

Ø  An American undergraduate degree is divided into 2 components:

Lower Division

Upper Division

                Both these components last for 2 years each.

Ø  General education classes and basic classes in the major are taken in lower division and more specialized classes in the major are taken in upper division.

Ø  Also, unlike in the European model, in the US, professional degrees such as law, medicine, pharmacy and dentistry, are ordinarily not offered at the undergraduate level and are completed as graduate study after earning a bachelor’s degree , depending on the program

Ø  These professional fields do not require a specific undergraduate major, though medicine, pharmacy and dentistry have set pre-requisite courses that must be taken before enrolment.

Ø  Such pre-professional programs or majors are sometimes referred to as pre-med, pre-dentistry, pre-vet etc.

Ø  An Associate degree is also awarded to the students who attend 2 years at a Community college, which offers academic, technical and vocational studies.

Ø  Community colleges award degrees as the following after 2 years of study:

Associate of Arts (A.A.)

Associate of Science (A.S.)

Ø  These colleges are more affordable options providing clear pathway to a 4 year institution.

Ø  Also, some of these colleges have automatic enrolment agreements with a local 4 year college or university, where the community college provides the first 2 years of study and the university provides the remaining 2 years of study. These programs are often called “2+2” programs.

Graduate Education:

Ø  The period after Bachelor’s or undergraduate study is referred as  ‘post-graduate education’ in most of the countries and except in the USA, where it is termed as ‘graduate education’

Ø  Graduate education leads to a Master’s degree, a Doctoral degree or a professional degree.

Ø  Generally, following degrees are awarded:

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Master of Engineering (M.Eng)

Master of Business (MBA)

Master of Education (Med)

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Master of Architecture (M.Arch)

Ø  After additional years of study and sometimes in conjunction with the completion of a Master’s degree, students may earn a Doctor of Philisophy (PhD) or other doctoral degree such as Doctor of Education (EdD), Doctor of Theology (DTh), Doctor of Medicine (MD), Doctor of Jurisprudence (JD) etc.

NOTE:

In USA, students with Bachelor’s degrees may apply directly into doctoral programs without first earning Master’s degrees in some majors.

Ø  Some programs, like medicine have formal apprenticeship procedures post-graduation such as residency or internship which must be completed after graduation and before one is considered to be fully trained.

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Posted in: Certified Public Accountant,Colleges and Universities,E-learning,Education,Master of Accountancy,Master of Business Administration,Masters Degree,United States