Higher Education

Higher Education, period of advanced study following the completion of secondary education. The duration of the study may be from four to seven years or more, depending upon the nature and complexity of the programs pursued. The institution providing higher education may be either a college or university or a type of professional school. A junior or community college, such as those maintained by some state systems of higher education, offers a 2-year program of general education and/or technical training that serves either as terminal schooling or as preparation for more specialized study in a 4-year college or university. When the basic course of study is successfully completed, usually at the end of four years, the graduate receives a bachelor's degree. He or she may continue for a master's degree, generally requiring an additional year or two, and then for a doctorate, which normally requires the candidate to submit a dissertation and to complete a minimum of two or three years of further studies. Higher education, which usually includes some general education, is a time for specialized study to qualify the individual for professional activity or for employment in higher positions in business, industry, and government. In recent years, especially in the U.S., the trend has been toward requiring a greater number of courses common to all students in order to counteract a growing tendency toward overspecialization. See also Colleges and Universities; Education, Postgraduate.