Categories of institution in the USA

The system of higher education in the United States is complex. It comprises four categories of institution:

1. The university, which may contain:

- several colleges for undergraduate students seeking a bachelor’s four-year degree;

- one or more graduate schools for those continuing in specialized studies beyond the bachelor’s degree to obtain a master’s or a doctoral degree.

2. The four-year undergraduate institution – the college – most of which are not part of a university.

3. The technical training institution, at which high school graduates may take courses ranging from six months to four years in duration, and learn a wide variety of technical skills, from hair styling through business accounting to computer programming.

4. The two-year, or community college, from which students may enter many professions or may go to four-year colleges or universities.

Any of these institutions, in any category, might be either public or private, depending on the source of its funding. There is no clear or inevitable distinction in terms of quality of education offered between the institutions, which are publicly or privately funded. However, this is not to say that all institutions enjoy equal prestige, or that there are no material differences among them.