HIGHER EDUCATION - Or - STUDYABROAD in
USA / Canada / UK / Australia / New Zealand

There are four levels of degrees one can study for at a college or university. They are:



The A.A. / A.S. degree or Associate's Degree
A two-year degree given by a two-year community or junior college. It is possible to transfer from a two-year college to a four-year college in order to complete the Bachelor's degree.

The B.S. (Bachelor or Arts) or B.S. (Bachelor of Science) Degree
Given after four years of study at an undergraduate college or university. This degree usually includes 60 credits of general educational courses (Sociology, Psychology, History, Philosophy, etc,) plus 60 credits of specialization in the major. There are many types of Bachelor degrees - B.S.M.E. (Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering), B.F.A. (Bachelor of Fine Arts), etc.

The Master's Degree
Requires one to three years of study after obtaining the Bachelor's degree. Time required is dependent on the field of study. There are several types of Master degrees: M.A. (Master of Arts), M.S. (Master of Science), M.B.A. (Master of Business Administration), M.Ed (Master of Education). A Master's degree comprises writing a thesis and / or taking comprehensive exams.

The PhD. (Doctor of Philosophy) or end. (Doctor of Education) Degree
Usually requires 3 additional years of study after obtaining the Master's degree. It requires original research to be conducted and written up in the form of a ' dissertation along with the oral defence of that research.

Types of Colleges & Universities
There are many types of colleges and universities in the west, and several different ways to classify each. Classification can be based on whether a school is financially supported by a state or not; the history of a school; how and when it was first established; or how the school primarily functions now. International students coming from quite different educational systems may be unfamiliar with the ways schools are sometimes classified, so here's some more information:

Public Universities:
These are state-affiliated institutions that are publicly-supported (financed by public taxes) and they're usually large in size. They normally offer all levels of degrees and many different fields of study. Public colleges and universities are relatively in expensive for residents of the state where the schools are located (since they're funded in large part by state tax revenues). Foreign students pay ''out-of -state'' tuition, which is higher, often significantly so.

International students may find it hard to gain admission to these schools at the undergraduate level, because preference is often given to state residents. This is especially true in the field of engineering, business, and computer science. Many state university systems have a number of different campuses situated all around the state. Sometimes one campus will be the preeminent one in terms of research and graduate study - this school is sometimes referred to as the ''flagship'' campus of the system. There are many notable public universities across the country-just a few examples of ones situated in a country such as United States would be: Pennsylvania State University, Ohio State University, the University of California, the University of North Carolina, and the University of Texas.

Small Liberal Arts Colleges:
There are hundreds of small liberal arts colleges throughout the country enrolling anywhere from fewer than 1 ,000 students to several thousand. They are usually dedicated primarily to the undergraduate study of the traditional arts and science disciplines; humanities, sciences, and social sciences.

Strictly liberal arts colleges are often quite old (by western - standards, anyways) and are usually private schools (meaning they're supported by tuition fee, private donations, and grants). Many of these colleges were a traditionally single-sex (all-men or all-women but that's only true these days in a handful of cases, usually exclusively women's colleges). Sometimes these schools were founded with a religious affiliation, but the overwhelming majority of them don't take this into account any more in terms of admissions or day-to-day student life.

These colleges are usually highly-rated institutions because they stress small classes; individual attention for their students; and a close relationship between the faculty and students. Many of them also generally have stringent admission standards. Among these schools are: Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore, Bowdoin, Smith, Mount Holyoke, Vassar, Bryn Mawr, Oberlin, Grinnell, and Pomona College. Where's the Ivy League, you ask? Read on...

The Ivy League:
Although these schools are among the oldest and most famous in the country, the Ivy League itself was not officially formed until the 1950s-as an athletic conference! Members of the Ivy League are: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, Columbia, and the University of Pennsylvania (a private college, not to be confused with Penn State University). AII these schools are in the Northeastern US. Ivy League colleges stress undergraduate liberal arts education, but they also have noted graduate and professional schools. Tuition at these private schools is among the highest in the country, and admission is generally highly competitive.

Sometimes you'll find the term ''Ivy League'' also applied, somewhat inaccurately, to any top-notch private liberal arts college. And despite the cachet of the term ''ivy League," There are many other colleges and universities, both private and public, that are just as highly rated and as difficultly get into-stanford being just one example.



Denominational or Religiously-Affiliated Schools:
There are a large number of colleges and universities in the United States that were formed by religious groups and organizations and which continue this active affiliation. They are not limited in admission, however, to members of that religious group. They are administered by members of their religious group and often run in line with their religious precepts. Among well-known schools in this category are: Notre Dam and Georgetown (both Catholic), Brandeis and Yeshiva (Jewish), Brigham Young (Mormon), Southern Methodist University, (Methodist) and Earlham (Quaker).

Technical Institutes:
These are schools specializing primarily in engineering and science, and are particularly noted for their research and graduate programs. Most international students who attend these schools are admitted at the graduate degree level.

The undergraduate colleges of these schools also offer a variety of liberal arts courses along with their technical subjects. Undergraduates admitted to these schools usually have especially strong background in math and sciences, as witnessed by grades and standardized test scores (e.g. SAT or GRE). M.I.T.(the Massachusetts Institute) are a few of the noted schools in this category.

College or University?
Westerners love to have a variety in their personal lives and always like to have choices. This is reflected in the wide variety of institutions of higher learning, existing in different countries. The most prominent types are:

University:
The broadest type of educational institution, comprising both undergraduate and graduate schools. Universities often have several colleges, schools, or faculties (e.g. School of Engineering, College of Business, College of Liberal Arts & Science) and offer several levels of academic degrees (B.A. / B.S. / M.A./ M.S. / M.B.A. / M.D. / J.D. / Ph.D.)



College:
generally a three-year or four-year undergraduate academic institution (that's less complex and often smaller than a university.) Colleges primarily offer Bachelor's degree programs and sometimes a limited number of Master-level programs. (Colleges do not usually offer Doctoral programs.) Sometimes the term "college" is used for a specialized kind of degree-granting institution, such as a teacher's college or a technical college.

The oldest colleges are generally liberal-arts colleges, meaning that they provide a broad education in a variety of Arts & Science subjects, rather than specific technical or vocationally-oriented programs.

Professional school:
is a graduate program where people study for specific professions, such as: lawyer, (law school), doctor (medical school), veterinarian (veterinary school), dentist (dental school) or business person (business school) Usually professional school function as parts of a larger university, but some are ''free-standing'' and function on their own.

In the west, people generally attend professional schools only after completing an undergraduate program. (Some universities offer programs where students can attend a professional school at the same time as an accelerated college program)

It is important for the international student to understand that the education system is highly decentralized. Unlike most other countries, it does not have a Ministry of Education which standardize's education across the country.

There is a cabinet-level post of Secretary of Education, but it is a position with very little authority over day-to-day functioning of universities and their programs. The Secretary of Education cannot dictate uniform educational curriculum across the country.



Each State is autonomous, regarding policies of its own colleges and universities. Each state and school operates independently of the other. Therefore, there are various systems in place, which are often quite different from state to state. All states make some form of public - i.e. partially government-funded-college and university education available, but these systems are all organized differently. Colleges and universities are accredited by voluntary, self-government, regional associations (for example the Middle States Association of Colleges and Universities, the New England Association of Colleges and Universities, etc.) and not by governmental agencies. This accrediting is very important however, since many educational programs will only recognize other accredited programs.

Some Questions Regarding Studies Abroad
When choosing a school in the west, student's personal preferences are important. A student needs to find an atmosphere that will afford him/her the greatest comfort level. If the student feels comfortable, he/she will be better able to concentrate on his/her studies.

The atmosphere at a college or university and its location often make one school seem quite different from another. International students would do well considering the following questions-which are similar to those questions students ask when choosing a school. Innovation World Consultants - Dubai, requires answers to the following questions for the students in order to facilitate admission in suitable schools.



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