Canadian Bureau for International Education

Studying in the United States

The American way of life is defined as dynamic, fast, multicultural and full of opportunities. America is a land of world-known universities, famous cities like New York and Los Angeles, as well as natural wonders like the Grand Canyon or Yosemite national park.

Your choice of university may be influenced by the type of program, level of study, but also by the region. To help you understand the education system in the United States and identify the best suited program for yourself, we have drafted an introduction to the United States Higher Education System.

Students have the opportunity to study within any of five major regions in the United States. This section of the website contains brief descriptions of the Regions of the US

The United States Higher Education System

United States Regions

The United States Higher Education System

The United States higher education system is comprised of approximately 6900 accredited postsecondary institutions and programs, attended by 16 million students, of which about half a million are international students. ‘Higher education’ stands for every type of formal education after the secondary level.

Each of the 50 United States is responsible for governing their states’ public colleges and universities. Education is not the responsibility of the federal government. The degree of control over educational institutions by each state varies tremendously.

The American higher education system is very diverse and complex. There is no countrywide university system in the United States. Nevertheless, there are national and regional organizations which set up benchmarks for higher education and recognize schools which fulfill those benchmarks.

A college or university in America is a stand-alone entity, whether public or private, meaning that each institution has the autonomy to determine its own program requirements, typically following degree guidelines set by the states or by specialized accrediting agencies. A public institution is subsidized by the government directly, whereas a private college is not.

Types of Degrees

Undergraduate Degree Programs

Study at a college or university leading to the Bachelor’s Degree is known as undergraduate education. The word college typically refers to an academic institution that offers post high school education but not graduate education.

A university typically refers to an academic institution that offers graduate (Master's or Doctoral) as well as undergraduate (Bachelor's) education.

Graduate Degree Programs

Study beyond the Bachelor’s Degree is known as graduate school or postgraduate education. Graduate programs focus on a specific field of study. Every graduate-level program is all-inclusive in nature and needs a lot of preparation for a substantial time period. The eligibility criteria are also made quite stringent in order to check the students’ understanding of the subject.

Three degrees exist at the graduate level:

The Master’s degree is the most common type of graduate degree. This type of degree may have either a professional or theoretical focus and usually requires a comprehensive examination and/or thesis or other original piece of work. The Master’s degree either prepares graduates for further advanced study at the doctoral level, or is itself a terminal degree. Most Master’s degrees are 2-year programs.

A professional degree provides access to advanced professions in fields such as law or medicine.

The doctoral degree is the highest academic award and recognizes the graduate student’s ability to conduct independent research. The most common degree of this type is the doctor of philosophy (PhD) but also includes the doctor of education (Ed.D). A Doctorate degree usually takes a minimum of five years to complete. Unlike undergraduates, graduate students begin specialized study from the first day.

Academic Calendar

The academic year at many schools is composed of two terms known as semesters. Some schools use a three term calendar known as the trimester system. Still others divide the year into four terms known as the quarter system, including a summer session which is optional.

The semester system is similar to the semester systems used elsewhere in the world. It has 2 terms in an academic year, each being approximately 15 weeks long. The academic year starts in the late August and ends in mid-December (Fall semester). The second semester starts in early January and ends in mid to late May (called the Winter or Spring semester).

The quarter system is rather unique to the US. It has 3 quarters in an academic year, with each quarter being approximately 10 weeks long. The Fall quarter starts in early September and ends in early December. The Winter quarter starts in early January and ends in mid-March. The Spring quarter starts in mid-March and ends in late May or early June.

Grading system

Grade

The word "grade" conveys two meanings, either ‘a year of education - the first year of school is "first grade”’, or “marks” - "grade A, B, C, D, or F"’.

Marks

Students are evaluated on the basis of "marks". Professors give each student marks/grades for each course. The marks are based upon all the following or combination of the following criteria, depending on the school and the type of program:

Classroom participation: Discussion, questions, conversation. Students are expected to participate in class discussions, especially in seminar classes. This is often a very important factor in determining a student's grade.
A midterm examination: Usually given during class time.
One or more research or term papers, or laboratory reports.
Short exams or "quizzes" intended to inspire students to keep up with their assignments and attendance. These are very rare at the graduate level.
Final examination: These are the final examination after completion of the course.

Most instruction is organized and conducted in one of two kinds of courses: lecture and seminar. Lectures are sometimes large and can make discussion difficult. For this reason, a large lecture course will often be split into smaller groups or sections, which meet separately to permit discussion and/or scientific experimentation. Seminar courses are the most common form of instruction at the graduate level. These classes are generally smaller, permitting opportunities for direct student participation and closer interaction with professors.

Grading and Evaluation

The typical grading scale:

Grade	0-100	Pass/Fail
A	93-96	Pass
B	83-86	Pass
C	73-76	Pass
D	63-66	Pass (not always)
E, N, U or F	Below 60	Fail

Sometimes + or – are added for finer qualification, such as: A+ (a grade of 97-100) or A- (a grade of 90-92).

For graduate programs, you may be required to maintain a certain average to remain in the program that is much higher than simply the minimum passing grade.

GPA is the grading system used in the colleges and universities of the US. As a student you complete your degree with a grade point average or a GPA. Most universities use a GPA scale of 4.0. It is a quantitative figure representing a student’s accumulated grades.

Adapted from:

Eckel, Peter and Jacqueline King, “An Overview of Higher Education in the United States: Diversity, Access, and the role of the Marketplace”, American Council of Education, 2004.

http://www.path2usa.com/usainfo/education/higher_edu_usa.htm

http://www.usaeducation.us/Higher/

United States Regions

Source: http://library.thinkquest.org/4552/

The regions of the United States are geographic areas which include multiple states. The United States can be divided into five main regions:

Northeast (green)

Southeast (red)

Midwest (yellow)

Southwest (blue)

West (purple)

These regions are grouped by history, traditions, economy, climate, and geography. Each region is different from one another.

Northeast (green)

Geography

Long ago glaciers covered much of the land, and as they moved they wore down mountains and carried away the fertile soil. This part of the region has broad valleys and rolling hills, with a few low mountain ranges, part of the Appalachian Mountains.

Most of the land in the Middle Atlantic states are part of the Coastal Plain, the low land that stretches along the Atlantic Ocean. Crops grow well in this rich soil. There are several mountain ranges, including the Allegheny Mountains, the Pocono Mountains, the Adirondacks and the Catskills.

The most important waterway in the region is the St. Lawrence Seaway, which connects many inland ports on the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. The Erie Canal connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.

Climate

The Northeast has a varied climate, with four seasons each year. The winters are cold, the summers can be hot. The temperature becomes colder as you travel northward.

Southeast (red)

Geography

This area is part of the Coastal Plain and is mostly flat. The Atlantic coast in this region is known for its beautiful sandy beaches. There are many rivers and oak and pine forests. Large coastal marshes form where the fresh water from the rivers mixes with the salt water from the ocean. The Everglades, a huge low, wet land, covers much of southern Florida.

The Southeast region contains many important shipping ports, including Norfolk, Virginia and New Orleans, Louisiana. The Port of Miami is known as "The Gateway of the Americas." To the north and west of this region lie the Appalachian Mountains. The foot of the mountains, the fall line, is a great source of waterpower.

Climate

The Southeast region is part of the Sun Belt. It contains many climatic zones ranging from temperate, to sub-tropical, to tropical, to arid. The weather is very mild with much rainfall. Along the southern Atlantic coast and the Gulf coast, summers are long and hot and winters are short and mild. This region is frequently hit by hurricanes from August through November, especially those states on the Gulf coast.

The Midwest (yellow)

Geography

Most of the Midwest is flat or rolling land. It is also called the Central Plains. The plains are surrounded on the east by the Appalachian Mountains and the Rockies on the west. To the west of the Central Plains are the Great Plains. The Mississippi River flows through this region, a great means of transportation. There are two other important waterways, the Ohio River and the network of routes within the Great Lakes. Four of the Great Lakes touch the Midwest, Erie, Huron, Michigan and Superior. Large ports on these lakes created major cities such as Cleveland, Chicago and Milwaukee.

Climate

The eastern part of this region receives from 20 to 40 inches of precipitation each year. This region is part of Tornado Alley, an area with the most frequent tornados in the country.

Southwest (blue)

Arizona | New Mexico | Oklahoma | Texas

Geography

Outside of the cities, this region is a land of open spaces, most of which is desert and many areas of grasslands, or prairies. There are large cities and thick pine forests and even some mountains. One of the biggest problems of this region is a limited water supply. The lowest lands are along the Texas Gulf coast, part of the Coastal Plain. The Central Plains spread through central Oklahoma and into Texas. The Rocky Mountains go north from New Mexico. The Colorado Plateau begins at the western edge of the Rocky Mountains, covering much of northern New Mexico and Arizona.

The Colorado River cut beautiful canyons in this area, including the magnificent Grand Canyon. The Rio Grand River brings much needed water to the area. There are three large deserts in this region, the Sonoran Desert, the Chihuahuan and the Painted Desert in northern Arizona, a beautiful place to visit.

Climate

The climate is hot and dry, but varies from one area to another. Cities such as Phoenix, Arizona have 300 days of sunshine a year!

West (purple)

Geography

The West is a region of scenic beauty and is the most geographically diverse. All of its states are partly mountainous. The mountains in the west are newer than those in the east, and therefore higher. They have not had time to erode as much. To the west of the mountains, winds from the Pacific Ocean keep the land moist. To the east, however, the land is very dry. West of the Rockies are the Sierra Nevadas and the Cascades, where you can find Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier, the tallest peak. There are also many fertile valleys, especially in California and Oregon.

Beyond the valleys are the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the south and the Cascade Range in the north. These are the highest mountains in the United States. The Cascades are volcanic, a famous one, named Mount St. Helens, erupted explosively in 1980. East of these mountain ranges is a vast, arid land, including most of Nevada, Utah and Arizona, including the Mojave Desert and the Sonoran Desert. Rain Shadows help to form deserts in this area.

Beyond the deserts lie the Rocky Mountains, hundreds of miles wide, and run from New Mexico to Alaska. Some of the tallest peaks are located in Colorado. East of the Rocky Mountains begins the Great Plains, a vast grassy plateau sloping gradually down to the forests near the Mississippi River.

Alaska and Hawaii, being detached from the other western states, are very different from the other states in this region, but are usually classified as part of the West. The northern part of Alaska is Tundra, frozen flat land. The Hawaiian islands were formed from volcanoes, two of which are still active.

Climate

Climate in this region varies with elevation. High mountains have a timberline. The temperature is too cold for trees to grow. Alaska has a unique climate. It is cold and wet for much of the year. Many places in Alaska receive as much as 100 inches of precipitation a year.

San Diego, California is quite different. The weather there is hot and dry, and it only receives about 10 inches of rain a year. Hawaii enjoys a warm climate, but not too hot, due to cool ocean winds. Those winds also bring a lot of rain. The island of Kauai has the wettest place on earth, receiving almost 40 feet of rain a year.

Death Valley in the Mojave Desert, in Southeastern California and parts of Nevada, Arizona and Utah, is one of the hottest and driest places in the United States.

Adapted from:

http://ameerpetstudent.com/usa.php

http://www.infoplease.com/states.html

http://www.dembsky.net/regions/

http://www.nashua.edu/novakc/Regions/region.htm

http://usa.usembassy.de/travel-regions.htm