Английский язык. Higher education

3. Университет предлагает программу для студентов, аспирантов и профессиональные программы.

4. Если молодой человек заканчивает курс обучения, он получает степень бакалавра гуманитарных или естественных наук.

5. Если студент продолжает обучение, он получает степень магистра или доктора или профессиональную степень.

6. Университеты могут финансироваться из общественных или частных источников, а также религиозной общиной.

7. Если студент колледжа заканчивает курс обучения гуманитарным или естественным наукам, он получает степень бакалавра.

8. Местный колледж предлагает академические курсы и курсы неакадемических предметов.

9. Технические и профессиональные училища предлагают подготовку в различных областях.

ACTIVITY I

SUPPLEMENTARY READING:

PART I

DIRECTIONS:

Read the text.

Text 3 A College in America

I. Choosing a college

If you meet a group of twelfth grade students they are all talking about one thing: What are they going to do next year? Some students don’t want to go on with their education. When they leave school they will look for a job. Other students are thinking about colleges. They are each writing letters to three or four different colleges, and sending in forms. Colleges accept only those students who have done well in high school. They want to meet these students before they decide to accept them. Colleges want to know why students have chosen them, and how they will pay for their college education.

Students choose from about 2000 colleges in the US. Every school has its own special flavor. Top students may choose famous « Ivy League» schools like Princeton, Harvard, or Yale. They are the oldest colleges in the country — excellent, but very expensive.

Other students choose large universities because they teach lots of different subjects. Some choose small religious colleges. There are differences between colleges and the type of study programs they have. For example, many four-year «Liberal Arts» colleges are small and teach only the most important subjects for a general education. State universities are large. They teach many subjects and have some programs that last longer than four years. State universities are paid for by money from the state. Students from that state pay less to study there. Colleges are paid for privately, so students usually pay more to go there.

Whether a student chooses a small college or a large university, the cost of higher education in the United States is rising every year. Many parents find it too expensive. Colleges and universities often have money for students who cannot pay, but it is not enough for everyone. Some have part-time jobs while they are at college. Studying and working at the same time can be very hard. But these students think it’s worth all the hard work to get the college education they want.

II. Going to college

Going to college usually means leaving home for the first time. Most college students live on campus, which is the place where all the college buildings are. Some have rooms in buildings called dormitories. Others may live in «fraternity» or «sorority» houses. These are clubs of men or women students. They choose their members carefully. Some students prefer to live off campus. They try to find rooms or apartments near the campus.

A college diploma is called a degree. There are three degrees that students can earn. The first four years of college gives an undergraduate degree. Students in undergraduate school study lots of subjects. They do not choose their most important subject until the end of undergraduate school. They earn credits for the classes they complete. They must have a certain number of credits in their most important subject and some credits in other subjects, too. Then they get a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree.

With a BA degree, college students can go on to graduate school. After two or three years, they can get a Master of Arts (MA) degree. They take only subjects that lead to the MA. These are subjects that will be important for their later work. Graduate school can prepare students to become teachers or lawyers, for example. With a Master of Science degree (MSc), they can become scientists. They can prepare for work in business with a Master of Business Administration degree (MBA). Students can go on in graduate school to get a Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD). That is the highest degree university students can get. Most university teachers must have a PhD.

In the U.S., many students stay on at college to get a master’s degree, because a bachelor’s degree is often not enough to get the job they want. It can take a long time, and a lot of money. It can take at least ten years to become a lawyer, and five or six years to become a teacher. Many students are in their mid or late twenties when they finally start work.