Higher education

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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, (Canada) 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?"^[1]

There are two types of higher education in the UK: the higher general education and the 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

Main article: University

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 degrees like Bachelor's degree, Master's degree 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 law and medicine.

In sciences

Main article: Higher education in sciences

Academic disciplines that may be considered to be sciences include:

• Mathematics
• Physical Science
• Biological Science
• Music (Theory)
• Economics
• Computer Science

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:

• Religious studies
• The Humanities
• The Social Sciences
• Law
• Languages

In applied sciences

Main article: Higher education in applied sciences

Applied science is the exact science of applying knowledge from one or more natural scientific fields to practical problems. Many applied sciences can be considered forms of engineering.

Academic disciplines that may be considered to be applied sciences include:

• Agriculture
• Architecture
• Education
• Engineering
• Family and consumer science
• Forestry
• Forensics
• Health sciences
• Library and information science
• Materials Science
• Medicine
• Military science
• Pharmacology
• Pharmacy

There are also applied branches of most other sciences.

In performing arts

Main article: Higher education 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:

• Music (Performance) See Higher education in music.
• Opera
• Theatre See Higher education in theatre.
• Film
• Dance
• Circus arts

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:

• Fine arts (painting, sculpture, photography)
• Architecture
• Ceramics
• Land art
• Metalworking
• Paper art
• Textile art
• Woodworking
• Film

Vocational

Main article: Vocational university

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

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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

Asia

• Higher Education in Bangladesh
• Universities and colleges in India

Europe

Main article: European Higher Education Area

• British universities
• Dutch universities
• French universities
• Italian universities
• Spanish universities

North America

Main article: Universities in the United States

On September 15, 2005 the Federal Bureau of Investigation created the National Security Higher Education Advisory Board. The board will "provide advice on the culture of higher education." The details of how involved the FBI will be involved on campus is left ambiguous. The board will help develop research, degree programs, course work, internships, opportunities for graduates, and consulting opportunities for faculty relating to national security. Graham Spanier, President of Pennsylvania State University, will chair the Board. The other universities who have board members are:

^[2]

See also

• Adult education
• Community college
• Further education
• Foundation degree
• Lifelong learning

• Education by country
• List of academic disciplines
• List of education topics
• Glossary of education-related terms

References

1. ^ Analytic Quality Glossary
2. ^ FBI Appoints National Security Higher Education Advisory Board. FBI (September 15, 2005). Retrieved on 2007-02-14.

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. "The 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. [1]
• 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

• Philosophy of Liberal Education
• Spirituality in Higher Education
• VidyaSoochika - Higher Education Opportunities
• Higher Education Resource Hub
• Encyclopedia of Higher Education in the United States
• How Minority Students Finance Their Higher Education
• Top Ten Universities of US and UK
• Ensuring Quality and Productivity in Higher Education
• Writings on Higher Education Practice from the National University of Singapore
• Reform Initiatives in Higher Education
• Budgeting for Higher Education at the State Level: Enigma, Paradox, and Ritual
• Blue Ribbon Commissions and Higher Education
• Part Time MBA - Balancing Life, Work and School - Article
• American Association of State Colleges and Universities
• American Council on Education
• Higher Education Research Institute
• Association for the Study of Higher Education
• Information about Erasmus/Internship in Europe
• European universities fear "Americanization"
• Higher education finances