Differences between British & American universities

Exercise 1. Read the text.

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Harvard University, America's most famous institution of higher learning, was modelled on the British system.

British and American universities have some similarities - hardly surprising, considering that many of the founders of the US's earliest colleges were graduates of the British system. Over the centuries, however, the two systems have diverged considerably. Modern British and American universities have many differences, not only in their organisation and funding but in the typical student experience.

Public and private

One of the most important differences between the British and American higher education systems is the role of the state. In the UK, as in most of the world, universities are founded, funded and run by the state, with private education making up only a small percentage of the total number of students. In the US, the system is much more evenly divided between private and public universities. Many leading American universities, such as Harvard, Stanford and Yale, are private.

Duration

The undergraduate experience in Britain and America is fundamentally similar, but there are some important differences. One major difference is the length of education. Most undergraduate degrees in the UK take three years, although there are exceptions in some subjects. By contrast, a typical American undergraduate will take four years to finish his/her degree. The difference in course length may be connected to the differing degree of specialisation in the two systems.

Specialisation

The British undergraduate system is much more highly specialised than its American counterpart. British undergraduates typically apply to study a particular subject and spend their three-year courses working on that one topic. American undergraduates, on the other hand, do not have to choose a subject until well into their university careers. They usually spend the early part of their four-year courses taking a wide variety of classes. This both helps them choose a specialisation - or "major" in American terminology - and gives them a well-rounded basic education.

Culture

Cultural differences between British and American universities are highly subjective, and the high variation between universities in both countries means that one American university may be as different from another American university as it is from any overseas institution. Still, many who have experienced both nations' universities say that American universities are more structured institutions, while British universities tend to give students the tools they need to do their research but expect them to show a great deal of initiative.

Exercise 2. What differences between British and American universities have you learned from the text?

TEXT 10

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