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Reading
Activity & Writing
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Background
American education
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Education is "like a big window opening,"
according to the English novelist Mary Webb. Americans are proud
of the fact that the window of knowledge is never slammed shut
for any of the nation's citizens. All American children are
offered twelve years of free public education, and most good
students can get financial help to continue their studies for
many more years. Adults who wish to attend school also find
many opportunities. In this nation of rapid change, there can
be no age limit on learning; everyone must study---in classrooms
or independently---to keep in touch with the changing life around
him. |
When a student graduates
from high school, he may attend college if his high school record
and test scores are good enough to gain him admittance. American
education on the college level (sometimes called higher education)
is provided by more than 3,000 institutions. They range in size
from very small schools serving only a few hundred students
to huge state universities with student bodies exceeding 40,000.
Some are supported privately and some by local and/or state
governments. Some admit only men and some only women, but most
are coeducational. Some are called colleges, which means that
they offer only undergraduate courses. Others are called universities,
which means that they have undergraduate, graduate, and professional
schools. Recently, more and more junior colleges (offering the
first two years of college only) have been established.
Since World War II, one of the most dramatic developments
in higher education has been the enormous increase in the number
of students. In 1939, about 1.5 million men and women were enrolled
in the nation's colleges and universities. By 1970, the number
had grown to 8.5 million; estimates for 1980 run to 11 million.
To meet this demand, colleges and universities have expanded
tremendously. Between 1945 and 1967, 300 university branches
were established. In addition, many new schools have been built.
This huge expansion reflects the nation's population explosion
as well as a trend toward democratizing higher education. Today,
a college education is seen as the right of any capable student
rather than as a privilege reserved for the wealthy.
Colleges and universities offer a vast array of subjects.
The student can sample different fields of knowledge, but he
usually concentrates (majors) in one field during his last two
years of college. If he wishes, he may obtain professional training
at the undergraduate level, for example, in accounting, teaching,
journalism, or dramatics. Certain state colleges specialize
in training agricultural experts and engineers. For those who
wish to prepare for military careers, the United States government
maintains four special academies.
At the college level, the academic year is about nine months
long (usually from mid-September until early June or from late
August until May). After completing four academic years with
acceptable grades in an approved course of study, the student
earns a bachelor's degree. Some students complete college in
less than four years by attending summer sessions. At most colleges,
the academic year is divided into either two or three semesters,
excluding the summer session. College grades, from highest to
lowest, run A, B, C, D, F. An F is a failing grade; if a student
receives an F in a particular course, he does not get credit
for having taken the course. College students must maintain
at least a low C average in order to remain in school.
American universities offer three main categories of graduate
degrees. In most fields of specialization, a master's degree
can be earned by one or two academic years of study beyond the
bachelor's degree. A Ph.D. degree (doctor of philosophy) usually
takes at least three years beyond the master's. To earn a Ph.D.
in almost any field, the student must generally pass oral and
written examinations in his specialty, produce a long research
paper which makes an original contribution to his field of study,
and pass reading examinations in one or two foreign languages.
There are also graduate professional schools in medicine, dentistry,
and law, among other fields. |
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