College

From Canonica AI

Overview

A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering vocational education, or a secondary school.

Etymology

The word "college" is from the Latin word collegium which means "community", "society", or "guild". The term can be traced back to the Roman Republic, where a collegium was a club or society, a group of people living together under a common set of rules (con- = "together" + leg- = "law" or lego = "I choose" or "I read").

History

The origins of the college date back to the ancients. The concept of higher education was present in Ancient Greece, where Plato's Academy and Aristotle's Lyceum were established as educational institutions. In Ancient Rome, the term collegium was used to describe a group of people living together under a common set of rules, essentially a guild or a club.

A wide shot of a college campus with several buildings, green lawns, and walking paths.
A wide shot of a college campus with several buildings, green lawns, and walking paths.

Types of Colleges

There are several types of colleges, each designed to offer different types of education and training.

Community Colleges

Community colleges, sometimes called junior colleges, are two-year schools that provide affordable postsecondary education as a pathway to a four-year degree.

Liberal Arts Colleges

Liberal arts colleges focus on undergraduate education and dedicate themselves to the advancement of knowledge, broadening their students' intellectual horizons, and developing their students' critical thinking and leadership skills.

Vocational Colleges

Vocational colleges, also known as trade or career schools, and correspondence schools provide vocational education, in order to teach students skills needed for a specific job.

College Systems Around the World

The use and meaning of the term 'college' varies around the world.

United States

In the United States, 'college' and 'university' are loosely interchangeable, whereas in some instances, 'college' may refer to a school within a university, usually consisting of several departments.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, 'college' is more often used to refer to a secondary or high school, a training institution that awards trade qualifications, a part of a collegiate university, or a vocational institution.

India

In India, 'college' generally refers to an institution that offers undergraduate studies, while 'university' refers to a higher education and research institution that offers both undergraduate and postgraduate studies.

College Education

College education includes teaching, research, and social services activities, and it includes both the undergraduate level (sometimes referred to as tertiary education) and the graduate (or postgraduate) level (sometimes referred to as graduate school).

Undergraduate Education

Undergraduate education is the post-secondary education previous to the postgraduate education. It includes all the academic programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree.

Postgraduate Education

Postgraduate education involves learning and studying for academic or professional degrees, academic or professional certificates, academic or professional diplomas, or other qualifications for which a first or bachelor's degree generally is required, and it is normally considered to be part of higher education.

See Also