Higher Education in the usa
There is no national system of higher education in the United States. Higher education is given in colleges and universities. There are over 2100 various higher educational institutions, including colleges, technological institutes and universities. The average college course of study is 4 years. The academic year is usually 9 months or 2 terms (semesters) of four and a half months each. Classes usually begin in September and end in June. The first-year students are called freshmen.
Students choose a major subject (профилирующий предмет, дисциплина) and take many courses in this subject. After four years, they get a traditional Bachelor's degree. Then the students may go on to graduate school (старшие курсы) and with a year or two of further study get a Master's degree.
After another year or two of study and research, they may get a still higher degree as Doctor of Philosophy (Ph. D.). The student's progress is evaluated by means of tests, term works and final examinations in each course. The student's work is given a mark, usually on a five point scale (5-балльная система). Letters indicate the level of achievement. «A» is the highest mark. «F» denotes a failure.
Most American colleges and universities charge for tuition. The methods of instruction in the universities are lectures, discussions, laboratory and course works and seminars.
Most cities have colleges or universities that hold classes at night as well as in daytime. In this way people may work for a degree or just take a course in the subject that interests them.
Read the text again and mark these sentences true (T) or false (F)
1. There is national system of higher education in the United States.
2. There are over 4000 various higher educational institutions, colleges, technological institutes and universities.
3. After two years, they get a traditional Bachelor’s degree.
4. The average college course of study is 1 year.
5. Letters indicate the level of achievement.”F” is the highest mark. “A” denotes a failure.
6. The student’swork is given mark, usually on a five point scale.
7. Most American colleges and universities charge for tuition.
8. Most cities have colleges or universities that hold classes at night as well as in daytime.
Find words in bold in the text which mean:
education at a university.
series of lessons.
a first university degree.
a student in their first year.
the term during the year when there is teaching at colleges and universities
a university degree that students get if they study for one or two years after their first degree.
Reading
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Read the text and tell in English about Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
MIT is an independent university located in Boston area. It was founded in 1861 by William Barton Rogers, a distinguished natural scientist, who believed professional competence to be best fostered (воспитывать) by the combining of teaching, research, and the application of knowledge to real-world problems. MIT held its first classes in 1865 after having delayed opening because of the Civil War. There were approximately 15 students enrolled at that time.
Today MIT has about 9,700 students, a faculty (профессорско-преподавательский состав) of approximately 1,000 and several thousand research staff. The total teaching staff numbers more that 1,800. The institute is broadly organized into five academic Schools — Architecture and Planning, Engineering, Humanities and Social Science, Management and Science — and a large number of interdisciplinary programs, laboratories, and centers, including the Whitaker College of Health Science, Technology and Management. A unique feature of MIT is that undergraduates join with graduate students, faculty, and staff to work on research projects throughout the institute.
Most academic activities take place in a group of interconnected buildings designed to permit easy communication among the Schools and their 22 departments. Across the street from this set of buildings there are athletic fields, the student center, and many of the dormitories.
The main purpose of the academic program at MIT is to give students a sound command (прочное усвоение) of basic principles, the habit of continued learning and the confidence that comes from a thorough and systematic approach to learning. This results in continued professional and personal growth, especially in today's rapidly changing world.
The two essential parts of all MIT educational programs are teaching and research. Both of these activities carried on together have greater potential than either performed alone. They provide experience in theory and experiment for both students and teaching staff.
Each student pursues a degree (стремиться получить степень) in one of the departments. Undergraduate courses at MIT lead to the degree of Bachelor of Science (S.B.). The academic programs require four years of full-time study for the Bachelor of Science. Degrees are awarded on the basis of satisfactory completion of general institute and departmental requirements (общеинститутские и кафедральные требования) in each program.
There is enough flexibility (гибкость), however, to allow each student, in collaboration with the adviser, to develop an individual program in accordance with his or her own interests and preparation.
Questions:
1. Where is MIT located and when was it founded?
2. How many students study there now?
3. What are the essential parts of the university?
4. What flexibility is thereb at university?
Make a presentation of Higher education in the USA.
Lesson 6.
Higher education in the USA
Grammar: Времена группы Continuous
Continuous шақтары тобы
Preliminary exercises
Do exercises from Macmillan English grammar in use.
Tell about the features of higher education system in our country and in the USA.
Exercise 1. Put the verbs in corresponding tense and form.
The Life of a Student
While I (walk) across the campus (университетский городок) the other day, I (meet) my old friend Bill, whom I (see, not) since May. Naturally, we (stop) (talk) to each other for a few minutes. I asked him how he (do) in his class that semester. He told me that he (take) a course in English that semester. He said that he (complete) the elementary course two semesters before, and by the next semester he (be) ready (take) the most difficult English course offered at this school. He also said that he (be) interested in getting his degree as soon as possible and he (ask, already) his adviser fo1 permission to take the final examination. «I am glad (hear) that you (make) such good progress», I (say) to Bill. Then I asked him if he (can) tell me the secret of his success. He answered that the secret of his success (be) simple and he (study) at least two hours a day to improve his English.
After that I told Bill I (have) a little difficulty with my course in French at the moment. I said that I (study, not) very hard the last semester, but I (work) harder in the future.
Exercise 2. Write nouns in the singular form.
cities, countries, societies, universities, technologies, lorries, industries, dictionaries, territories, theories, communities.
Exercise 3. Give missing forms of verbs, remember them.
grown, stand, dealing, brought, knew, making, send, found, thought, spending.
Read and smile.
One evening Rutherford entered the laboratory. It was late, but he found one of his students working with some apparatus. «What are you doing here so late? » Rutherford asked. «I'm working, sir, » was the answer. «And what do you do in the day time? » «Oh, I work, of course, sir, » answered the student. «Do you work early in the morning, too? »
«Yes, professor, I work early in the morning, too, » said the student, quite sure that the famous scientist would praise (хвалить) him. Rutherford looked at him gloomily (мрачно). «Tell me, » he asked with irritation (раздражение), «when do you think? »
Prepare a report on one of the suggested topics:
A). Aims of university education
B). The higher education system in the USA
Before start.What do you know about Harvard University?
Look at the picture (below).Whose monument is in the front of Harvard University?
