U.S. Higher Education Resources

In the United States, the two terms are used on a roughly interchangeable basis. Unlike Canada, “college” does not refer to strictly a two-year transfer or technical degree-granting institution. Besides two-year institutions, a U.S. college can be part of a larger university system—Harvard College is the undergraduate school at Harvard University, for instance. A college can be an independent institution that grants undergraduate degrees with few, if any, graduate programs.  The word “college” can also refer to secondary degree-granting institutions in general.

The liberal arts philosophy is a unique feature of the U.S. higher education system, providing an emphasis on studying across a broad range of courses in the humanities, social sciences, arts, and natural sciences.

The breadth of learning offered by a Liberal Arts education provides an excellent next step into a career in today’s increasingly diverse job market, as well as a great foundation for post-graduate studies. Critical thinking, synthesis of ideas, analysis of opposing viewpoints, research, and writing skills are amongst the strengths of liberal arts graduates–all of which are highly valuable, no matter what you decide to do after graduation!

Students enter into a four-year Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) degree, beginning their studies by undertaking a selection of courses across the social and natural sciences and finally declaring a major in their third year of study. The major consists of an area of specialization in which twenty-five to fifty percent of courses are taken from a defined discipline area such as history, literature, philosophy, biology, or mathematics. If you’d like to major in physics but like studying philosophy and theology as well, a liberal arts education is the right choice for you!

Unlike the Canadian post-secondary education system, where most applicants to undergraduate university programs apply to qualify for entry into a declared major field of study, the U.S. liberal arts model allows students to explore a variety of courses from different disciplines, programs, and faculties before declaring a major field of study. The Canadian equivalent would be a four year Bachelor of Arts (General) degree, offered by most Canadian universities, with the exception that Canadian universities are usually not based on the liberal arts college model, and instead offer focused programs of study, and larger student populations, class sizes and campuses.

Some great benefits of the liberal arts model are as follows:

• Smaller class sizes with an emphasis on collaborative learning;
• Smaller campuses with more attention given to student life and civic engagement;
• Increased emphasis on the interaction between faculty and students;
• Focused on challenging students through academic discourse and cultural diversity to engage in broad-minded thinking and intellectual curiosity;
• A strong grounding in critical and analytical thinking, effective and persuasive communication, comparative analysis, reasoning, problem-solving, and ethical/moral engagement;
• Emphasis on research and analysis across multiple fields of study, providing a base to continue coursework in a more focused graduate-level program;
• A versatile skillset giving students the means to develop careers across a range of vocations with demonstrated skills in critical thinking, leadership, problem-solving, and multi-tasking;
• Provides a generalist learning meant to equip students with the ability to adapt to the increasing demands of shifting global perspectives, trends, values, and standards.

Public universities are government-subsidized, like most universities in Canada, while private universities rely on tuition fees, endowments, and private donations to cover operating costs. There is not necessarily a difference between the two models academically, although private institutions tend to have smaller student populations and thus smaller class sizes. Public universities have lower tuition fees for in-state residents, and charge more for students who reside out-of-state or internationally. Some public universities that attract many Canadian students include the State University of New York (SUNY) system and the University of California system. Public universities in Florida are a popular choice for Canadian students because of the Florida-Canada Linkage Institute, which provides out-of-state tuition waivers for outstanding Canadian students. Private universities have no residency-based tuition differential and tend to have more financial aid for international applicants. Examples of private universities include the famed Ivy League, as well as Stanford, MIT, and many other excellent schools throughout the country. We encourage you to look beyond the simple “public versus private” distinction, as they can receive top-notch educations at both. They should focus more on the particulars of each university—financial aid, school size, and campus culture.

Ivy Leagues: The Private, The Public, and the Plus(es)

The Ivy League schools are some of the most prestigious private universities in the United States. These two words have taken on a life of their own. Many think that “Ivy League” just means “hard to get into,” but here is a little history lesson.

The term actually refers to a sports conference of eight private institutions in the northeastern area of the United States: Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University. Of course, the term has become synonymous with academic prestige and selectivity (Harvard admits just below 6 percent of its undergraduate applicants each year), but not all highly selective or rigorous schools belong to the Ivy League. For example, MIT and Stanford University currently admit an even smaller percentage of applicants than Harvard does, are both prestigious and selective, but neither belongs to the Ivy League.

Some schools are considered “Public Ivies.” These are not part of the official Ivy League; rather, they are among the most prestigious public universities in the country.

The original eight top-ranking Public Ivies as identified by Moll are College of William & Mary, Miami University, University of California (campuses as of 1985), University of Michigan, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Texas at Austin, University of Vermont, and University of Virginia.

Moll’s original list has been expanded upon to include further prestigious public universities of notable rank listed at U.S. News and on Wikipedia. For a more complete list of Ivy Leagues, Public Ivy Leagues, and Ivy Plus institutions, refer to this Best Colleges explainer.

An associate’s degree typically takes two years of study to complete. Entrance requirements for two-year colleges, or community colleges, that offer associate’s degrees are typically less rigorous than those for four-year colleges. ACT and SAT scores may not even be required.

The Associate of Arts (A.A.) and Associate of Science (A.S.) degrees are two-year transfer degrees offered in a wide range of subjects designed to ensure students develop the skills and knowledge necessary to continue their education through a Bachelor of Arts degree or to competitively enter the workforce after the completion of two years of study towards the Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree.

Associate Degrees can be obtained in a large range of subject areas including Healthcare, Business, Education, Criminal Justice, Technology, and the Arts and Humanities. Transfer credits from an Associate degree to a Bachelor of Arts degree are governed by Articulation Agreements between inter-state institutions, specifying the courses and credits received at a Community College that may be considered for transfer towards the Bachelor’s degree.

Associate of Applied Sciences (A.A.S.) degrees are occupation-focused degrees that prepare students for specific professions after graduation. Students take general education classes as well as hands-on industry-focused courses with practical projects.

You can search for community colleges by using the College Board Big Future search engine. Select “type” and choose “Two year” under the college level. There are almost 1,000 options available!

Advantages of the associate’s degree are as follows:

• Lower costs – The Associate Degree allows for transfer to a college or university Bachelor of Arts program in the third year of study, enabling students to attend a Community College for the first two years at a much lower tuition rate.
• Catching up – Because of the less competitive entry requirements of Community Colleges, students with lower high school grades or low standardized test scores still have an opportunity to pursue post-secondary education by transferring to a Bachelor of Arts degree program by beginning their studies at a Community College and transferring to a State university.
• In class advantage – Class sizes are smaller at Community Colleges, allowing for more personalized attention, and faculty spend a greater proportion of their time teaching.
• Career focus – The Associate Degree also provides a unique perspective to students by focusing on occupation oriented training and career courses that teach you to identify the job skills, experience and requirements needed to enter the labour force. This knowledge can help you to determine your major when transferring to the Bachelor of Arts degree, and will give you a competitive advantage in applying your learning to your career objectives.

Bachelor’s degrees include the B.A. (Bachelor of Arts), B.Sc (Bachelor of Sciences), and BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts).

Typically four years of study leads to a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in the United States. The Bachelor of Arts is the most common post-secondary degree sought in the U.S. and is a requirement for graduate and postgraduate studies. Freshman is the term used to identify students in their first year of undergraduate study, Sophomore in the second year, Junior in the third, and Senior in the fourth year.

The majority of universities offer both the Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degrees. The BA provides a broader range of courses with more elective hours, while the B.Sc. provides a stronger technical background with more focus on math and science, and fewer elective hours. The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), offered by many colleges and universities, is defined by the focus on applied arts training within one of the disciplines of Visual Art, Studio Art, Theatre, Dance, Music (Vocal/Instrumental), Fashion, and Design. Two-thirds of courses towards the BFA are taken in your applied art, with the remaining one-third of courses taken from disciplines within the liberal arts.

Bachelor’s degrees typically require 120 credits for graduation or 15 credits per semester.

The Master of Arts degree is the first graduate-level qualification offered following the successful completion of the Bachelor of Arts degree in the United States and typically takes two years to complete. Individuals who earn a Master’s degree are known to make higher incomes, and hold higher-level positions in business, government, and the not-for-profit sector.

Further coursework, oral presentations, independent research, examinations, and a graduate thesis are typical requirements of the Master’s of Arts (MA) and Master’s of Science (M. Sc.) degrees.

Increasingly, graduate programs have been skipping the master’s degree and having students take tracks that lead them directly from the Bachelor’s degree to the Ph.D., or doctoral degree. Some professional master’s degree programs do not follow this trend, as they are designed to train students in particular professional areas such as business (MBA), public administration, urban planning or architecture (MPA), social work (MSW), education (M.Ed.), library sciences (MLA), theology (Th.M), public health (MPH), nursing (MNP), visual, performing or applied arts (MFA) or public policy (MPP). Professional Master’s degrees are most often terminal, meaning they lead to an occupational vocation, rather than towards further study at the doctoral level. Graduates from professional Master’s programs go on to work in a variety of professions in government, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations.

Professional degree programs typically require between thirty-six (36) and forty-eight (48) credits, meaning either one or two years of full-time study. A more traditional thesis option is available through some programs, but more likely professional Master’s programs will offer work-placement opportunities through paid or un-paid co-op placements or internships.

The Doctoral degree is the highest level research degree available through the U.S. education system. The doctorate is designed to train research professionals and demonstrates a high level of specialized original research and analysis. Studies at the doctoral level typically include examinations (oral and written), coursework or seminars, teaching duties, conference presentations, the publication of research or reviews, and the research and writing of an original thesis that must be submitted and defended before a panel of academics specializing in the field. The doctoral degree demands a high level and quality of research that often involves the study of specialized collections, original editions of publications or documents, subject interviews, fieldwork, site-specific analysis, or the use of specialized equipment, technologies, and resources.

Professional doctoral degrees can be obtained in fields such as Education, Science, and Law, and are sometimes alternatively labeled as Ed.D., Sc.D., Jur.D.

Direct entry Ph.D. programs, which skip the master’s degree and proceed directly from the bachelor’s degree to the doctoral degree, require the successful completion of the Bachelor of Arts degree and can last from four to six years of further study. Students who have obtained a previous Master’s degree may be eligible for Advanced Standing to a direct entry doctoral program, bypassing certain core courses or elective requirements and allowing continued studies at the Ph.D. level to take between four to five years.

By the time you have reached the level of post-graduate study, you should be well acquainted with the research methodology, practices, academics, publications, research resources, facilities, and professional placement opportunities required for success in the field. While study at the doctoral level does prepare students to become future academic researchers within the field, over half of Ph.D. graduates go on to work in the public and private sectors. It is important to consider which track you intend to pursue, academic or professional, for each will determine a set of criteria required to successfully enter the workforce.

Those seeking to work in academia will want to place more emphasis on teaching experience, publications, languages, post-doctoral grants, conference participation, their breadth and depth of specialized research experience, and institutional affiliations. Those seeking to work in the public or private sector might place more emphasis on internship or work placement opportunities, professional networks, collaborative research, and training courses in business, law, policy, or international relations to broaden the applicability of their research to the professional sector. Those pursuing academic doctoral degrees should also consider how they might diversify their experience beyond academia to include an emphasis on the applied implications of their research in defined areas of the private or public sectors.