Higher Education in the usa

American colleges and universities are either public or private, that is, supported by public funds or supported privately by a church group or other groups acting as private citizens although under a state charter.

A college is generally defined as an institution of higher learning which offers a course of institution over a four-year period, and which grants a Bachelor’s degree at the conclusion of studies. A college prepares a student for two things: either graduate study leading to master’s or doctor’s degree or a job immediately after graduation. A student who majors in business administration for example, may be fully prepared for a career in business when he/she has finished a college.

Harvard College was established in 1636. It was a small institution, enrolling only 20 students in 1642 and 60 in 1660. It soon became more than a theological training school and established itself as a liberal arts college. The next institution of higher learning was the College of William and Mary, which opened in 1693 at Williamsburg, Virginia. Other colleges were founded in the next century, but all of them remained small schools for long periods. Students entered at the age of 14 and remained until they were 18, and the curriculum, while rigidly academic and classic was by modern standards rather secondary in nature.

Colleges and universities were established in various states. It was in 1817 that the first students came to study at the University of Michigan. It is called in the USA ‘The Mother of State Universities’. The next state university was the University of Virginia, founded in 1819. Some state universities have large endowment funds, which provide a substantial portion of their support. Other sources of income are student fees, gifts, and endowments.

2. Make up a plan of the text in the form of questions.

3. Give the summary of the text according to your plan in a written form.