About the USA educational system

Introduction

US higher education system In the United States, higher education takes place in colleges and universities. The word "college" can be completely synonymous with the word "university", as is the case with the Ivy League's Dartmouth College. However, more often "college" means community college - an institution of 2-year higher education with the assignment of an Associate degree. This is a typical path for students who cannot afford 4 years of bachelor's degree, or as a preparatory path to an elite university. University education in the United States is divided into 3 main stages:

Undergraduate (4 years)
Master (2 years)
Doctorate.

Distinctive features of higher education in the USA

Freedom of choice.

In the first 4 years of a bachelor's degree, only about 1/3 of the program is occupied by the chosen specialisation. The rest of the courses are electives that the student chooses for himself and which may not be related to the chosen specialty at all, but serve an important role in expanding horizons and developing interdisciplinary skills. Moreover, you can enter most American universities without declaring a specialty at all, and choose it only in the 2nd year. This path is called undeclared major. The system of points (credits) allows the student to be independent from the program in a way that is interesting and useful to him personally, as well as to regulate its intensity.

Up-to-date curriculum and innovations.

Behind American universities is the vast majority of the latest developments and research in all spheres of life. The Internet, GPS, browsers, Google search engine, touch screens - all this is the result of the work of students and teachers from the universities of Cornell, Illinois Urbana-Champaign, MIT, Stanford. US universities, unlike Russia, are the driving force behind the country's progress and economy. It is at universities that the most important research is carried out, professors receive high fees and choose this work because of its prestige and breadth of opportunities, and not on a residual basis or on pure enthusiasm.

Privileged position in society.

For American children, the opportunity to get a higher education is not a given, but a unique opportunity. Higher education in the US is paid and expensive: many families start saving money for college from the moment a child is born. It is because of the financial factor that most Americans do not have a 4-year bachelor's degree, but are limited to a 2-year college. Against this background, foreign specialists with a bachelor's and master's degree are welcome candidates for any employer, they have an excellent opportunity to find a job and gain a foothold in the United States.