AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES

Higher education began in the United States in 1636, when Harvard College was founded in Massachusetts. The aim was to train men for service in church and civil state. Yale College, Princeton University, Columbia University are the oldest and the most famous American higher educational institutions.

Now there are about 3,000 colleges and universities, both private and public, in the United States. Students have to pay to enter universities.

All the universities are independent, offering their own choice of studies, setting their own admission standards. Higher educational institutions usually are governed by a board of trustees.

Most colleges and universities undergraduate courses last for four years. During the first two years students usually follow general courses in the art or sciences and then choose a major - the subject or area of studies in which they concentrate. The other subjects are called minors. Credits (with grades) are awarded for the successful completion of each course.

A college grants a bachelor's degree at the conclusion of studies.

A college prepares the student for either graduate study leading to master's or doctor's degree or a job immediately after graduation.

Students are classified as freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors

All students who have graduated from the senior class and who continue studying at a university are classified as graduate students. Scholarships are given when a student is doing exceptionally well at school.

American universities and colleges are usually built as a separate complex, called "campus", with teaching blocks, libraries, dormitories, and many other facilities grouped together.