College
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.
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.