C

About 60％ of all high school graduates in the United States go on to receive at least some higher education，which is provided by more than 3，500 universities and colleges.These institutions range in size from small colleges with only a few hundred students to huge state universities with more than 40，000 students.In addition，there are around 6，500 postsecondary vocational and technical institutions which enroll millions of students each year.

Universities are usually large and comprehensive institutions which provide not only four⁃years of undergraduate programs leading to bachelor’s degrees，but also graduate programs leading to master’s and doctoral degrees in various fields.Most universities have a liberal art college as well as a business school，a school of education，a medical school，and a law school.Professors at such universities are expected to conduct research and publish scholarly articles in addition to teaching classes.

Yale University

Public universities are governed by a board of trustees appointed by the state legislature.Tuition and fees for state universities are generally low for in⁃state residents，at around＄9，500 for undergraduate programs at top⁃tier public universities for the 2010⁃2011 school year.Students from other states or foreign countries have to pay out⁃of⁃state tuition，which is usually two to three times as much as in⁃state tuition.

Most private colleges and universities are mainly funded by tuition.Therefore，tuition for private institutions is much higher than for public universities.Tuition varies significantly across private institutions，ranging in recent years from an average of around＄36，000 at 40％ of full⁃time nonprofit colleges to about＄46，000 Yale University.

Many of the key universities in the United States are private universities.According to the 2015 university rankings compiled by U.S.News and World Report magazine，the top 10 national universities are all private.They are Princeton University，Harvard University，Yale University，Columbia University，Stanford University，the University of Chicago，the Massachusetts Institute of Technology（MIT），Duke University，the University of Pennsylvania and the California Institute of Technology（Caltech）.Harvard University in Massachusetts is the oldest university in the country，and Columbia University is currently the most expensive in terms of tuition and fees alone.

Aside from colleges within universities，the United States has many independent colleges that concentrate on four⁃year programs leading to bachelor’s degrees.Many of these are liberal arts colleges.Liberal arts colleges usually offer a broad range of courses for undergraduate students in the humanities（also called the arts），social sciences and natural sciences，but with an overall emphasis on the former.The humanities are such disciplines as language，literature，history，the academic study of art and music，and related interdisciplinary studies.Social sciences include anthropology，economics，geography，political science and psychology sociology.Natural sciences are disciplines such as mathematics，physics，chemistry，biology，astronomy，geology，and environmental sciences.The purpose of liberal arts colleges is to provide students with a broad range of knowledge and to develop their overall intellectual abilities，as opposed to more professionally⁃focused programs that tend to emphasize specific skills.Classes are usually small and students have ample opportunity to interact with professors，in contrast to many large universities.Most liberal arts colleges are private.

Community colleges usually offer two⁃year programs of general study or vocational training.Most community colleges are local public institutions supported by state and local taxes.Tuition for these schools is much lower than that at the state universities，in part because they usually are not residential institutions（i.e.，students do not live on campus）.This enables students to complete their first two years of college courses at low cost and remain close to home.After receiving an associate degree（A.A.or A.S.）upon graduating，they can either enter a profession or transfer to a four⁃year college or university to continue their studies.Today，in addition to general academic programs，most community colleges also offer technical，vocational，pre⁃professional，and adult education programs，many of which lead to associate degrees in professional and technical fields.In addition，many states also have special institutions such as technical colleges，agricultural colleges，teacher’s colleges，and post⁃secondary professional schools.These schools are usually funded by state and municipal government and tuitions are usually low.

The only institutions of higher education administered by the federal government are related to the military.The main ones are the U.S.Military Academy at West Point，New York;the U.S.Naval Academy in Annapolis，Maryland;and the U.S.Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs，Colorado.These institutions provide comprehensive undergraduate programs in addition to military training for future commissioned officers.The federal government also operates the U.S.Coast Guard Academy in New London，Connecticut;and the U.S.Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point，New York.

American colleges and universities offer three main categories of degrees：bachelor，master，and doctorate（or Ph.D.，meaning doctor of philosophy）.The bachelor’s degree is awarded after four years of undergraduate study and is required of students who seek to enter graduate programs.The degree has two specific titles：Bachelor of Arts（B.A.）and Bachelor of Science（B.S.）.Students who major in the humanities，social sciences，philosophy，religious studies，and related interdisciplinary or cultural area studies typically receive a B.A.，whereas students who major in physical sciences，engineering，and some professional fields generally receive a B.S.

After earning a bachelor’s degree，students can seek admission to graduate schools to pursue further studies and earn more advanced degrees.Students who want to apply to graduate programs must generally take a standardized test such as the Graduate Management Admissions Test（GMAT）for business school，the Law School Admissions Test（LSAT）for law school，the Medical College Admission Test（MCAT）for medical school，or the Graduate Record Examination（GRE）for most other programs.A master’s degree requires from one to three academic years of study beyond the bachelor’s degree，and a doctoral degree normally takes at least three years beyond the master’s.Occasionally，and especially in the natural sciences，students may enter a doctoral program without a master’s degree.The main degree for students who study medicine is the doctor of medicine（M.D.），and the equivalent for students of law is the doctor of jurisprudence（J.D.）.Students who have earned the J.D.also must pass a state test called the bar examination before they are licensed to practice law.