Higher education

The US system of education

The age of entry to compulsory education in the U.S. varies, according to the state, between 5 and 7 years of age, 6 being the most common. The age at which compulsory schooling ends varies between 16 and 18 years of age, the most common being 16. School education does not end until age 18, or completion of the 12th year of school. Students may graduate a year earlier or later depending on when they entered theschool. The length of primary education varies from four to seven years. Each state determines what grade range constitutes primary education, called "elementary education". Secondary education takes place in grades 7-12, depending upon the laws and policies of states and local school districts. There is no national structure, curriculum or governing law; all laws and policies are set and enforced by the 50 state governments and the over 14,000 local school districts. There are a statewide minimum course requirement and other graduation requirements in each State which usually correspond to the general/basic track.

Many students, upon finishing high school, choose to continue their education. The system of higher education includes 4 categories of institutions.
The community college, which is financed by the local community in different professions. Tuition fees are low in these colleges, that's why about 40 per cent of all American students of higher education study at these colleges. On graduation from such colleges American students get "associate degree" and can start to work or may transfer to 4-year colleges or universities (usually to the 3rd year).
The technical training institution, at which high school graduates may take courses ranging from six months to three-four years, and learn different technical skills, which may include design business, computer programming, accounting, etc. The best-known of them are: the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Technological Institute in California.
The four-year college, which is not a part of a university. The graduates receive the degree of Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS). There are also small Art Colleges, which grant degrees in specialized fields such as ballet, film-making and even circus performance.
The university, which may contain:
several colleges for students who want to receive a bachelor's degree after four years of study;
one or more graduate schools for those who want to continue their studies after college for about two years to receive a master's degree and then a doctor's degree. There are 156 universities in the USA.
Any of these institutions of higher education may be either public or private. The public institutions are financed by state. Most of the students, about 80 per cent, study at public institutions of higher education, because tuition fees here are much lower. Some of the best-known private universities are Harvard. Yale and Princeton.

The academic year is usually nine months, divided into two terms. Studies usually begin in September and end in July. Each college or university has its own curriculum. During one term a student must study 4 or 5 different courses. There are courses that every student has to take in order to receive a degree. These courses or subjects are called major subjects or "majors".

1. Find the English equivalents to the words below and write down both Ukrainian and English words:

Система освіти, предмет, обов’язковий, вища освіта, початкова школа, граматична школа, університет, технічна школа, навчальний план, загальноосвітня школа, середня освіта, випускатися з університету, загальнодержавний мінімум, ступінь бакалавра, оплата за навчання, студентське життя, продовжувати освіту.

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