Studying at a university can be the culmination of a lifelong academic dream for aspiring students. In the western world, the terms "university", "college", and "school" are used as interchangeable entities, when in fact, they have meanings that are significantly different. So what are the defining characteristics of a university?
Universities are generally divided into multiple departments, colleges, and schools based on academic theme. For instance: The University of Southern California contains the Keck School of Medicine, the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, and the Student Affairs Department; to name just a few of the entities that comprise the university as a whole.
University
Although the exact organizational structure varies from institution to institution, nearly every university has a board of trustees, a chancellor or president, at least one vice chancellor or vice president, and multiple deans.
One of the primary defining characteristic of universities is that they offer both undergraduate and postgraduate degree programs in multiple areas of academic endeavor. During your academic career, it is possible to attend multiple schools or colleges within the same university.
Generally speaking, the acceptance requirements for a university are far more stringent than those of a community college or trade school. In fact there are some colleges that accept anyone who has a High School Diploma and can afford to pay the tuition. In almost all universities there are additional prerequisites and standards for student acceptance.
There are private and public universities. Private universities are corporations operated in similar fashion to any other corporation; the primary idea being to make a profit for its shareholders. Private universities are primarily funded by student tuition payments.
On the other hand, there are government funded universities throughout the United States. These universities are funded by the state and/or federal government in combination with student tuition payments. As a result, they do not enjoy the autonomy of private run universities. However, due to the government contributions, the tuition rates at public universities are significantly lower than at private universities.
University - Defining Characteristics University
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