The educational process begins early in life. Children as young as three may attend school several days per week. After attendance at a preschool and kindergarten, children enter public or private school. Formal schooling begins with elementary school, then continues through middle school in most school districts. After that, adolescents attend high school. After graduating from high school, many students choose to attend an institution of secondary education. This may include a vocational or technical school. It may also include college.
Community Colleges
Community colleges are generally locally supported institutions. Students attend classes for two years and then graduate with an associate's degree in a subject such as nursing. Community colleges may also be private institutions. In general, sixty credits in various subjects are required to receive this degree. Students who attend community colleges often do so part time while working. A community college degree can be the final education attained, or it may serve as a stepping stone to a four-year college degree.
Bachelor's Degrees
A bachelor's degree generally takes four years to earn. During that time, students earn credits in several different areas. They generally take classes in the liberal arts as well as college level science classes. In addition they earn a certain number of credits in a specific field. This field is called their major. Many college students also earn a certain number of additional credits in another field. This is called a student's minor. A student's major field does not need to be related to her minor field. For example, a student may major in political science and minor in music.
Colleges
Most college degree--granting institutions fall into one of two categories. Colleges are generally free-standing institutions. Many colleges do not offer higher degrees, such as master's degrees and doctorates. Many colleges focus on a specific field, such as the liberal arts or the hard sciences. Students may still take liberal arts classes in a college devoted to the hard sciences and science classes in an institution devoted to the sciences.
Universities
Universities are generally institutions that offer graduate as well as undergraduate degrees. Many universities have graduate institutions of law, business and medicine. Universities are generally larger than colleges. Very often scientific and social research is conducted in a university setting. A college may be part of a larger university. This can offer undergraduates the opportunity to take graduate classes while still an undergraduate. Universities may be private or state-funded institutions.
Grading
Many college classes are graded on a scale of A -- F, with A being the highest grade and F representing failure. Minuses and pluses are often part of this system. This translates into a system called G.P.A., or grade point average, that is scaled from 1 to 4. Credits earned with a final grade of A are assigned a 4.0 while Ds are assigned a 1.0. Students who earn a certain G.P.A. are eligible for graduation with certain distinctions. Cum laude means graduation with honors. Magna cum laude means graduation with high honors. Summa cum laude means the graduate has graduated with highest honors.
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