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CHAPTER 1 U.S. UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION

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Education in the United States will almost certainly be different from the system offered in your country. This chapter gives you an introduction to the degress available in the United States, the different types of institutions, and some key terms and ideas you will come across if you want to study at a U.S. university or college.

Colleges, Universities, and Institutes: The Distinction

Degree-granting institutions in the United States can be called by any of these terms, and colleges and institutes are in no way inferior to universities. As a general rule, colleges tend to be smaller and usually offer only undergraduate degrees, while a university also offers graduate degrees. The words “school,” “college,” and “university” will be used interchangeably throughout this booklet. An institute usually specializes in degree programs in a group closely related subject areas, so you will also come across degree programs offered at institutes of technology, institutes of fashion, institutes of art and design, and so on.

Within each college or university you will find schools, such as the school of arts and sciences or the school of business. Each school is responsible for the degree programs offered by the college or university in that area of study.

Bachelor’s and Associate Degrees

The bachelor’s degree typically takes four years to complete, though some students take slightly less time to finish, while others may take longer. The associate degree usually takes two years to complete. Associate degree programs may be “terminal” programs, which lead into specific careers upon graduation, “transfer” programs, which correspond to the first two years of a bachelor’s degree and tend to be more liberal arts based. Under the latter option you could then transfer into the third year of a four-year bachelor’s degree program. Associate dgree programs are offered at two-year colleges known as junior or community colleges (see below). Four-year colleges and universities offer bachelor’s degree programs, with a small number also offering associate degree programs.

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