Higher education is
education provided by
universities,
vocational universities (
community colleges,
liberal arts colleges, and
technical colleges, etc.) and other collegial institutions that award
academic degrees, such as
career colleges.
Overview
Post-secondary or
tertiary education, also referred to as
third-stage,
third level education, or
higher education, is the non-compulsory educational level following the completion of a school providing a
secondary education, such as a
high school,
secondary school, or
gymnasium. Tertiary education is normally taken to include
undergraduate and
postgraduate education, as well as
vocational education and training.
Colleges and
universities are the main institutions that provide tertiary education (sometimes known collectively as tertiary institutions). Examples of institutions that provide post-secondary education are vocational schools,
community colleges and
universities in the
United States, the
TAFEs in
Australia,
CEGEPs in
Quebec,and the
IEKs in
Greece. They are sometimes known collectively as tertiary institutions. Tertiary education generally results in the receipt of
certificates,
diplomas, or
academic degrees.
Higher education includes teaching, research and social services activities of universities, and within the realm of teaching, it includes both the
undergraduate level (sometimes referred to as
tertiary education) and the
graduate (or
postgraduate) level (sometimes referred to as
graduate school). In the
United Kingdom post-secondary education below the level of higher education is referred to as
further education. Higher education in that country generally involves work towards a degree-level or
foundation degree qualification.
In most developed countries a high proportion of the population (up to 50%) now enter higher education at some time in their lives. Higher education is therefore very important to national
economies, both as a significant industry in its own right, and as a source of trained and educated personnel for the rest of the economy.
There can be disagreement about what precisely constitutes post-secondary or tertiary education: "It is not always clear, though, what tertiary education includes. Is it only that which results in a formal qualification or might it include leisure classes? In the UK, are A-levels tertiary education as they are post-compulsory but taught in school settings as well as colleges? Is professional updating or on-the-job training part of tertiary education, even if it does not follow successful completion of secondary education?"
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There are two types of higher education in the UK: higher general education and higher
vocational education.
Higher education in the United States specifically refers to post-secondary institutions that offer associate degrees,
baccalaureate degrees, master's degrees or Ph.D. degrees or equivalents.
Such institutions may offer non-degree certificates which indicate completion of a set of courses comprising some body of knowledge, but the granting of such certificates is not the primary purpose of the institution.
Tertiary education is not a term used in reference to post-secondary institutions in the United States.
Types
General
Higher general education and training generally takes place in a
university and/or
college. Such education is based on theoretical expertise. Higher general education might be contrasted with higher vocational education, which concentrate on both
practice and
theory. A
university is an institution of higher education and
research, which grants
academic degrees; including
Bachelor's degrees,
Master's degrees and
doctorates in a variety of subjects. However, most
professional education is included within higher education, and many
postgraduate qualifications are strongly vocationally or professionally oriented, for example in
disciplines such as
social work,
law and
medicine.
In arts and social sciences
Main article: Higher education in arts
Academic areas that may be included in the Arts/Humanities/Social Sciences category include:
In performing arts
The
performing arts differ from the
plastic arts or
visual arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some
art object.
Performing arts include:
In plastic or visual arts
Main article: Higher education in visual arts
The
plastic arts or
visual arts are a class of art forms, that involve the use of materials that can be moulded or modulated in some way, often in three dimensions. Examples are clay, paint and plaster. Arts that can be said to be Plastic Arts are therefore Painting, Sculpture, Drawing, etc.
The plastic arts may refer to:
Vocational
Higher vocational education and training takes place at the non-university tertiary level. Such education combines teaching of both practical skills and theoretical expertise. Higher education differs from other forms of post-secondary education such as that offered by institutions of
vocational education, which are more colloquially known as
trade schools. Higher vocational education might be contrasted with education in a usually broader
scientific field, which might concentrate on
theory and abstract
conceptual knowledge. A
Vocational university is an institution of higher education and sometime
research, which grants
Professional degrees like Professional Bachelor's degree, Professional Master's degree and Professional doctorates) in a variety of subjects.
There are vocational universities in
Applied sciences and
Applied arts
As employers
Universities are fairly large employers. Depending on the funding, a university typically has a teacher per 3-20 students. According to the ideal of research-university, the university teaching staff is actively involved in the research of the institution. In addition, the university usually also has dedicated research staff and a considerable support staff. Typically to work in higher education as a member of the academic
faculty, one must first obtain a doctorate in an academic field, although some lower teaching positions require only master's degree. Member of the staff or
administration usually have education that is necessary for the fulfilment of their duties. Depending on the university, the main administration is more or less centralized. Typically most of the administrative staff works in different administrative sections, such as
Student Affairs. In addition, there may be central support units, such as a university
library which have a dedicated staff.
The professional field involving the collection, analysis, and reporting of higher education data is called
institutional research. Professionals in this field can be found, in addition to universities, in e.g. state educational departments.
By region
Africa
Asia
Europe
North America
Oceania
South America
See also
Notes
References
- Higher education in the United States
- Davies, Antony and Thomas W. Cline (2005). The ROI on the MBA, BizEd.
- El-Khawas, E. (1996). Campus trends. Washington, DC.: American Council on Education.
- Ewell, P.T. (1999). Assessment of higher education and quality: Promise and politics. In S.J. Messick (Ed.), Assessment in higher education: Issues of access, quality, student development, and public policy. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
- Finn, C. E. (1988, Jul.-Aug.). Judgment time for higher education: In the court of public opinion. Change, 20(4), 34-39.
- Green, Madeleine, F., ed. 1988. Leaders for a New Era: Strategies for Higher Education. New York: Macmillan.
- Snyder, Benson R. (1970). The Hidden Curriculum. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
- Veblen, Thorstein (1918). The Higher Learning in America: A Memorandum on the Conduct of Universities by Businessmen. New York: Huebsch
- Forest, James and Kevin Kinser (2002). Higher Education in the United States: An Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO.
- Douglass, John A. and Todd Greenspan, eds. History of the California Master Plan for Higher Education."
- Commission Reports: A National Dialogue: The Secretary of Education's Commission on the Future of Higher Education, United States Department of Education, 2006. http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/hiedfuture/reports.html
- Spellings, Margaret, "A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education", A Report of the Commission Appointed by Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, September 2006. (highlights of report)
- Bakvis, Herman and David M. Cameron (2000), "Post-secondary education and the SUFA". IRPP.
External links
Education encompasses teaching and learning specific skills, and also something less tangible but more profound: the imparting of knowledge, positive judgment and well-developed wisdom.
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university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees at all levels (bachelor, master, and doctorate) in a variety of subjects. A university provides both tertiary and quaternary education.
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A vocational university (professional university, or college of higher vocational studies) is an institution of higher education and sometimes research, which provides both tertiary and sometimes quaternary education and grants academic degrees at all levels (bachelor, master, and
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A community college is a type of educational institution. The term has different meanings in different countries.
In Canada and the United States, a community college, sometimes called a county college, junior college, technical college, or a
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Liberal arts colleges are primarily colleges with an emphasis upon undergraduate study in the liberal arts. The Encyclopædia Britannica Concise offers the following definition of the liberal arts as a, "college or university curriculum aimed at imparting general knowledge
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Institute of technology, and polytechnic, are designations employed in a wide range of learning institutions awarding different types of degrees and operating often at variable levels of the educational system.
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A degree is any of a wide range of status levels conferred by institutions of higher education, such as universities, normally as the result of successfully completing a program of study.
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A vocational school, providing vocational education and also as referred to as a trade school or career college, and school is operated for the express purpose of giving its students the skills needed to perform a certain job or jobs.
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Secondary education is the final stage of compulsory education, preceded by primary education and followed by higher education. It is characterised by transition from the typically compulsory, comprehensive primary education for minors to the optional, selective tertiary,
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High school is a name used in some parts of the world, and particularly in North America, to describe the last segment of secondary education. High school is also the name used to describe the institution in which the final stage of secondary education takes place.
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Secondary school is a term used to describe an institution where the final stage of compulsory schooling, known as secondary education, takes place. It follows on from primary or elementary education.
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For the type of building, see .
A
gymnasium (pronounced with
/g-/ in several languages) is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English Grammar Schools
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Postgraduate education (often known in North America as graduate education, and sometimes described as quaternary education) involves studying for degrees or other qualifications for which a first or Bachelor's degree is required, and is normally considered to be part
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Vocational education (or Vocational Education and Training (VET), also called Career and Technical Education (CTE)) prepares learners for careers that are based in manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic and totally related to a specific trade,
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university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees at all levels (bachelor, master, and doctorate) in a variety of subjects. A university provides both tertiary and quaternary education.
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A community college is a type of educational institution. The term has different meanings in different countries.
In Canada and the United States, a community college, sometimes called a county college, junior college, technical college, or a
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university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees at all levels (bachelor, master, and doctorate) in a variety of subjects. A university provides both tertiary and quaternary education.
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Motto
"In God We Trust" (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum" ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
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Technical and Further Education or TAFE (pronounced [tæɪf]) institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational tertiary education courses in Australia.
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AnthemAdvance Australia Fair [1]Capital Canberra
Largest city Sydney
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Québec
Quebec [1]
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Je me souviens (French: I remember)
Capital Quebec City
Largest city Montreal
Official languages French
Government
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IEK (Greek: Institouto Epagelmatikis Katartisis; Vocational Educational Institute) is a type of vocational education school in Greece. Other European Union countries have similar schools, though they are not called by the Greek name IEK.
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Motto
Ελευθερία ή θάνατος
Eleftheria i thanatos
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certificate is an official document affirming some fact. For example, a birth certificate or death certificate testifies to basic facts regarding a person's birth or death.
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diploma (from Greek δίπλωµα diploma) is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study, or confers an academic degree.
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A degree is any of a wide range of status levels conferred by institutions of higher education, such as universities, normally as the result of successfully completing a program of study.
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In some educational systems, undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to the level of a bachelor's degree. In the United States, students of higher degrees are known as graduates.
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