This is the VOA Special English EDUCATION REPORT.
This week, we continue our reports about how people from around
the world can attend a college or university in the United States.
We tell the difference between a college and a university in
the United States. A copy of this report can be found on the
Special English web page at w-w-w dot voa special english dot
c-o-m.
People attend a college or university to continue their education
after high school. This prepares them for work. It also provides
them with a greater understanding of the world and its past.
And, it helps them value the arts and sciences.
Students usually attend a college for four years to complete
a program of study. Those who are successful receive a bachelor¡¯s
degree. Colleges generally do not offer additional study programs
or support research projects. Universities often are much larger
than colleges. Universities carry out research. They also offer
several programs in many areas of study. Universities offer
bachelor¡¯s degrees after four years of study. They
also offer graduate degrees that require additional years of
study.
Modern universities developed from those of Europe¡¯s
Middle Ages. They took their name from the Latin word ¡°universitas.¡±
It meant a group of people organized for one purpose.
The first European colleges were groups of students who came
together because of the same interests. In England, colleges
were formed to provide students with living places. Usually
each group was studying the same thing, so the word ¡°college¡±
came to mean one area of study.
Today, most American colleges offer an area of study called
liberal arts. The liberal arts are subjects first developed
and taught in ancient Greece. They trained a person¡¯s
mind. They were considered different from subjects that were
useful in life.
The word ¡°college¡± also means a part
of a university that teaches one area of study. That is because
the first American universities divided their studies into many
areas and called each one a college. For example, the University
of Texas at Austin has fourteen different colleges. It also
has the most students of any single university in the country.
This year, more than fifty-two-thousand men and women are studying
there.
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This V-O-A Special English Education Report
was written by Nancy Steinbach, courtesy of VOAnews.com
