Graduate Programs (Master’s & Doctorate degree):
This is the same as post-graduate education in India. It usually involves one year or more of education depending on the subject or course, and earns a master’s or doctoral degree like MBA, MS or PhD. Admission to a graduate program usually requires a minimum of 16 years of formal education. That is, 12 years of primary and secondary schooling and further 4 years of college education.
Masters degree is the first Graduate degree in the liberal arts and Sciences and certain professional fields requiring 30 credit hours of full-time study within a year or 2 years. You can get your Master's degree by taking 8 courses of subjects with 3 credits each plus a thesis of 6 hours credit or 10 courses of subjects with 3 credits each without the thesis. Some Universities have a final exam. Usually masters degree includes M.S and M.A degrees.
Research (Doctoral Degree) - The highest degree awarded in research-oriented academic disciplines, usually requiring 3 to 6 years of full time study besides the Bachelor's degree as preparation for University level teaching and research. Indian students with a Master Degree can apply for P.H.D.
The main criteria for admission is the applicants interest in the particular subject of research.
First Professional Degree - The degree required to be academically qualified to practice in certain professions, such as law, medicine etc usually requires a total of at least six years of study including prior college level work. It must have as a prerequisite at least two years of college credit. Different Educational Institutions College:
It is an independent institution that offers a four-year programme of undergraduate study in the liberal arts (BA, BFA) and sciences (B.S). Bachelors degree is the basic requirement for graduate work.
Universities:
- Universities are larger institutions that include several undergraduate colleges, graduate schools, and professional schools.
- Graduate school involves 1 or 2 years of study and offers advanced programs in arts and sciences which gives master's degrees like M.A or M.S, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) etc.
- Professional schools are institutions which specialize in a single field of study such as medicine, pharmacy, business administration, law etc.
Junior College or Community Colleges:
These colleges award only Associate Degree of Arts (A.A) and Sciences (A.S) which involves 2 year of study. After receiving Associate Degree, students must join a 4 years college or University to complete the Bachelor's Degree.
Vocational and Technical Institution:
These institutes specialize in training for the skilled trades and technical fields of employment. Duration of the courses depends on the particular subject. After completion, they will be awarded a certificate of completion and they can straight away join for a job.
Classes in USA
Usually, for most Universities and colleges the year begins in late August or early September and ends in May or June. The academic year is divided into semesters, trimesters or quarter depending on the institution. The semester system divides the year into 2 equal terms of 16 weeks. Each semester is 4 months. Trimester system has three equal terms of 16 weeks each, including a summer term. Quarter system divides the year into 3 equal terms of 11 weeks each.
Classes are lecture-based with practical (lab or practicum in U.S). Overhead projector, computer projections, multimedia are used along with the lectures. Printed notes and additional information on topics (Handouts in U.S) are given. Professors or advisors are always available to clear doubts. Interaction in class in encouraged.
Class Size
The average class size at the undergraduate level, in most universities is 100-150 for introductory courses. Advanced level classes will be smaller in size. Master's degree classes have an average of 20 students and Doctoral classes have an average of only 10 students.
Tests
Each semester has an average of 4 tests. Test range in style from multiple choice (objective type) format designed to gauge your knowledge of the subject and reasoning ability to essay or problem-solving type tests. There are 3 kinds of tests - open book tests, closed books tests and take home tests. In the 1st type, you can refer notes, text book, reference material etc during the test. 2nd one is usual tests that we have in India. In the rate is high.
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