Undergraduate USA: General Information
Hello, hello.
I read several articles on the Education 2.0 blog and noticed that people on the site are showing interest in education abroad. The blog posted a considerable number of articles on education in the West, but none of them are centralized in the study in the US for a bachelor's degree. I thought that this topic may well be interesting to many readers and decided to start a small series of articles in which I will try to highlight this topic.
I myself study for a bachelor’s degree in Information Sciences (University of Pittsburgh, USA). During my student life, I managed to change 3 universities and as a result I am familiar with a considerable number of various administrative procedures related to translation, admission, adaptation and life on campus. In this series of articles I would like to highlight exactly these topics.
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I would like to begin with a small introduction in which I will try to quickly and concisely describe what a bachelor's degree at American universities is.
In the educational system of universities in the United States only 2 levels: undergraduate education (undergraduate education) and graduate education (graduate education). Bachelor's studies can be started after graduating from school in the US or abroad. Also for graduates of schools there is an opportunity to get a preparatory education in a college (community college) before entering a university. And for foreign students there is an opportunity to adapt and learn the language in the so-called language courses (English as a Second Language Program).
On average, studying up to the level of a bachelor takes about 4 years, but it can be less or more depending on the number of subjects taken by a student per semester. For example, I finish in 4.5 years. Some of my friends managed to finish university in 3.5.
The bachelor's degree is divided into several types: Bachelor of Arts (Bachelor of Arts), Bachelor of Science (Bachelor of Science), Bachelor of Philosophy (Bachelor of Philosophy), Bachelor of Engineering (Bachelor of Engineering), etc. Each of these types cover a number of different specialties . For example, a bachelor of science degree is awarded to both geologists and programmers.
The division into specialties in the USA is a little different from the division into specialties in the CIS countries. Every university in the USA is divided into departments, or schools. Each school corresponds to one or more specialties (major). For example, I study at the School of Information Sciences and the specialty that all graduates of this school receive is simply called “Information Science”. Graduates of our specialty are distinguished by the so-called concentration. Concentrations are a narrow specialization of the student in his school and are determined by the subjects that the student studied during the course of study. The concentration of the student is completely dependent on the choice of the student’s items and, in fact, is not formal. For example, as I studied at the School of Information Sciences, I studied about 6 subjects in one way or another related to the development of information systems and, I believe that my concentration is information systems, but this is not documented anywhere. Concentration is not indicated in the diploma.
The bachelor's degree provides an opportunity to start studying both for a master’s degree and a doctor, which is a big difference from the education system in Russia and the CIS countries, where training for a doctor is possible only after receiving a candidate’s degree. But according to statistics, a very small percentage of people who have completed a bachelor’s degree in the United States continue to study. Moreover, in many mid-level universities and higher the level of employment after training for a bachelor’s degree is quite high.
Thus, a bachelor's degree can be obtained fairly quickly, in a number of specialties and with an almost unlimited number of narrow specializations. Given that the degree provides an opportunity for both employment and continuing education for a doctoral or master's degree, obtaining a degree in the United States should sound quite tempting.
It was a small educational program on the general provisions of undergraduate in the United States. In the next part, I will try to be more specific when it comes to enrolling in American universities.
PS I would like to ask not to judge strictly. This is my first article on Habré. It would be nice to get the opportunity to continue this cycle of articles.
I read several articles on the Education 2.0 blog and noticed that people on the site are showing interest in education abroad. The blog posted a considerable number of articles on education in the West, but none of them are centralized in the study in the US for a bachelor's degree. I thought that this topic may well be interesting to many readers and decided to start a small series of articles in which I will try to highlight this topic.
About me
I myself study for a bachelor’s degree in Information Sciences (University of Pittsburgh, USA). During my student life, I managed to change 3 universities and as a result I am familiar with a considerable number of various administrative procedures related to translation, admission, adaptation and life on campus. In this series of articles I would like to highlight exactly these topics.
')
I would like to begin with a small introduction in which I will try to quickly and concisely describe what a bachelor's degree at American universities is.
Arrival and deadlines
In the educational system of universities in the United States only 2 levels: undergraduate education (undergraduate education) and graduate education (graduate education). Bachelor's studies can be started after graduating from school in the US or abroad. Also for graduates of schools there is an opportunity to get a preparatory education in a college (community college) before entering a university. And for foreign students there is an opportunity to adapt and learn the language in the so-called language courses (English as a Second Language Program).
On average, studying up to the level of a bachelor takes about 4 years, but it can be less or more depending on the number of subjects taken by a student per semester. For example, I finish in 4.5 years. Some of my friends managed to finish university in 3.5.
Specialization
The bachelor's degree is divided into several types: Bachelor of Arts (Bachelor of Arts), Bachelor of Science (Bachelor of Science), Bachelor of Philosophy (Bachelor of Philosophy), Bachelor of Engineering (Bachelor of Engineering), etc. Each of these types cover a number of different specialties . For example, a bachelor of science degree is awarded to both geologists and programmers.
The division into specialties in the USA is a little different from the division into specialties in the CIS countries. Every university in the USA is divided into departments, or schools. Each school corresponds to one or more specialties (major). For example, I study at the School of Information Sciences and the specialty that all graduates of this school receive is simply called “Information Science”. Graduates of our specialty are distinguished by the so-called concentration. Concentrations are a narrow specialization of the student in his school and are determined by the subjects that the student studied during the course of study. The concentration of the student is completely dependent on the choice of the student’s items and, in fact, is not formal. For example, as I studied at the School of Information Sciences, I studied about 6 subjects in one way or another related to the development of information systems and, I believe that my concentration is information systems, but this is not documented anywhere. Concentration is not indicated in the diploma.
Opportunities after graduation
The bachelor's degree provides an opportunity to start studying both for a master’s degree and a doctor, which is a big difference from the education system in Russia and the CIS countries, where training for a doctor is possible only after receiving a candidate’s degree. But according to statistics, a very small percentage of people who have completed a bachelor’s degree in the United States continue to study. Moreover, in many mid-level universities and higher the level of employment after training for a bachelor’s degree is quite high.
Total
Thus, a bachelor's degree can be obtained fairly quickly, in a number of specialties and with an almost unlimited number of narrow specializations. Given that the degree provides an opportunity for both employment and continuing education for a doctoral or master's degree, obtaining a degree in the United States should sound quite tempting.
It was a small educational program on the general provisions of undergraduate in the United States. In the next part, I will try to be more specific when it comes to enrolling in American universities.
PS I would like to ask not to judge strictly. This is my first article on Habré. It would be nice to get the opportunity to continue this cycle of articles.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/76345/
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