Higher Educational Institutions

It has become common for the college program to be divided into broad fields, such as languages and literature, the social sciences, the sciences and mathematics, and the fine arts. Many colleges require all freshmen and sophomores to take one or two full-year courses in each of three fields. Certain courses, such as English or history, may be required for all, with some election permitted in the other fields.

Higher educational institutions usually are governed by a board of regents or a board of trustees.

The executive head of a college or a university is usu­ally called the president. The various colleges or schools which take up a university are headed by deans. Within a school or college there may be departments according to subject matter fields, each of which may be headed by a professor who is designated as department head or chairman. Other members of the faculty hold academic ranks, such as instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, and professor. Graduate students who give some part-time service may be designated as graduate assistants or fellows.

Professional education in fields such as agriculture, dentistry, law, engineering, medicine, pharmacy, teaching, etc. is pursued in professional schools which may be part of a university or may be separate institutions which confine their instruction to a single profession. Often two, three, or four years of pre-professional liberal arts edu­cation are required before admission to a professional school. Three to five years of specialized training lead to professional degrees such as Doctor of Medicine, Bachelor of Law, etc.

1. Skim through the text and say which of its paragraphs gives the information about:

a) professional education;

b) the broad fields into which the college educations may be divided into;

c) the administration of a college.

2. Find sentences with the following words and phrases in the text and translate them into Russian:

social sciences, the sciences and mathematics, the fine arts, a freshman, a sophomore, a board of regents, the ex­ecutive head of, a president of a college, a dean, a depart­ment, chairman, department head, an instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, a graduate student, dentistry, pharmacy, liberal arts education

3. Find answers to the following questions in the text:

1) Which are the fields the college program is commonly divided into?

2) Which courses do many colleges require all freshmen and sophomores to take?

3) Who usually governs higher educational institutions?

4) Who is the executive head of a college or a university?

5) Who governs the departments of a college or school?

6) Who are other members of the faculty?

7) How are graduate students who give some part-time service called?

8) What professional education fields can you name?

9) How many years of pre-professional liberal arts education are required?

10) How many years of specialized training are required for getting a degree?

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