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| U.S.A.
Education System |
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The
U.S. educational system is very different from its Indian
counterpart. U.S.A. has more than 4,600 accredited colleges
and universities, which offer a wide range of graduate and
undergraduate programs. |
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| Program |
Top |
| Types Of Programs |
Undergraduate
programs (Bachelor degree) : |
This is the
first level of post-secondary education that begins
after 12 years of primary and secondary schooling. It
includes at least 4 years of education and earns a bachelor's
degree (Most Indian graduation courses are of 3 years
duration). There are also two-year programs which earn
an Associate degree. A student who has an associate
degree has to study further for a minimum of 2 years
to earn a bachelor's degree. |
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.
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| Institute |
Top |
| Types of Institutions: |
| There is no
central ministry of education in the U.S. and each institution
can determine its own programs and admission standards.
There are private as well as state funded colleges. |
Universities
are academic institutions that include one or more undergraduate
colleges, as well as any number of graduate and professional
schools, i.e. schools offering study for a single profession
such as law. |
Four
year colleges are undergraduate institutions
offering academic programs leading to a bachelor's degree.
Community colleges or junior colleges are undergraduate
institutions offering up to two years of academic instruction
beyond secondary school at a relatively low cost. These
offer certificate programs that last for a few months
to a year as well as associate degrees. |
Institutes
of technology or polytechnic institutes offer
specialized programs in sciences and engineering, in
addition to basic sciences, humanities and the social
sciences, at both the graduate and undergraduate levels
.s |
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| Accreditation |
Top |
| Accreditation |
| Accreditation
is a process by which universities and their programs
are recognized for maintaining a certain level of performance
and quality. Accreditation is usually done by non-governmental
agencies called accreditation bodies. There are two
types of accreditation : regional & professional.
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Regional bodies
ascertain whether colleges and universities as a whole
meet certain standards of educational quality. |
In addition,
certain professional accrediting bodies evaluate the
quality of education in specific fields like Business,
Law etc. |
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Ensures
that universities meet minimum standards. |
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Only
national and international form of evaluation
for US universities. |
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Increases
the recognition of degree by employers and schools.
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Helps
in case the student wishes a transfer to another
university. |
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To check out
the list of accredited US universities, go to
www.chea.org |
NOTE
: Government of India recognizes only accredited U.S.
universities
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It
is advisable to apply to only accredited universities.
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| Semester |
Top |
| Semesters |
| US universities
offer two main semester intakes: |
Fall
Semester (September/October): |
This is the main intake and almost all programs are
offered at this times. More financial aid is also
available for this semester and as funds are allocated
for the entire year during this time.
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Spring
Semester (January/February): |
This is the
mid-year intake. There is limited financial assistance
available for this semester as most universities allocate
funds to projects in the Fall semester. |
Some universities
also have a Summer intake around July. |
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