Topic 4. American Universities and Colleges

4.1. Read and translate the text:

There is no national system of higher education in the United States of America. The national government gives no direct financial aid to the state higher schools. Each state controls and supports at least one university. A University may get money from several different sources.

A publicly funded university gets some money from the state government. A privately funded university gets money only from private sources. A University may be funded by a religious group.

In the United States a student who has finished high school may continue in higher education. There are several ways to do it: universities, colleges, community colleges, and technical or vocational schools.

A university in the USA usually consists of several different colleges. Each has a special subject area. There may be a college of liberal arts where humanities, social science, natural sciences and mathematics are taught. There may be a college of education and a college of business. There may be a college of arts and science, a college of literature, science and arts. A program for undergraduates usually takes four years. University students get an undergraduate degree in the arts or science. If they complete a course of study they get Bachelor of Arts or Science degree. Students may leave the university at this time. They may also go on for a graduate or professional degree. The university always has programs for graduate and professional study in many subjects.

The period of study in an American college or University is four years. The academic year is nine months and comprises two terms or semesters. The first or fall term usually begins the last week of August and continues until the middle of December with approximately four weeks intermission for the Christmas holidays. The second semester begins in January and continues until the end of May. The students are usually given three to five days for the Easter holidays. In addition to the regular academic year, many colleges offer courses of study for those who are interested in making up coursework or for those who would like to accelerate their program. The first-year students are called freshmen.

Students choose a major subject and take many courses in this subject. The student’s progress is evaluated by means of tests, term papers and final examinations. Each academic year students take nine examinations. The student’s work is given a mark, usually on a five point scale. Letters indicate the level of achievement. «A» is the highest mark. «F» denotes a failure.

The average student is expected to take 16 credits each semester or

32 credits during the academic year. When the student has accumulated more than 30 credits he passes to the next class and becomes a second-year student or sophomore. After a student has successfully completed four years of study and acquired 124 or 150 credits he becomes a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science and is ready for graduation.

The methods of instruction in the universities are lectures, discussions, laboratory works and term papers or seminars. There is enough flexibility however to allow each student in collaboration with the adviser to develop an individual program in accordance with his or her own interests and preparation.

A college has no graduate or professional programs. If a college student completes a course of study in arts or science, he or she gets Bachelor’s of Arts or Science degree. If college students want to continue for a graduate or professional degree, they must go to University. A college is usually funded in one of the three ways already described.

After completing four years of study the students get a traditional Bachelor’s degree (either a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science). Then after a year or two of further study the students may get a Master’s degree.

After three years of study and research and presenting a dissertation he or she may get a still higher degree as Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.).

The study at the University is not free of charge. Everyone must pay a tuition fee whose amount is various from state to state. Students’ total expenses for a year are very high. Though each University offers a number of scholarships, many of students have to work in order to pay their expenses.

Most of the U.S. Universities have a central campus. Colleges of Law, Business, Medicine, Engineering, Music, Journalism can be found in one campus. Thus a student can attend courses at various colleges. Every student must select at least one course from each of the basic fields of study.

Most cities have colleges or universities that hold classes at night as well as in daytime. In this way people may work for a degree or just take a course in the subject that interests them.

Just across the Charles River from Boston is Cambridge, America^,s most famous student town.

Cambridge is sometimes called the birthplace of American intellectual life: It has the nation^,s oldest university, Harvard University¹⁰ (Fig. 13), founded in 1636. Cambridge remains a center of intellectual life, especially since it is also home to MIT, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Harvard has an excellent reputation in many fields; MIT is a leader in science and technology. Students attending Harvard and MIT come from around the world; Harvard alone has students from 90 countries.

Fig. 13. Harvard University