Universities are institutions of higher education that confer degrees and perform academic research. Degrees are classified as either undergraduate, or postgraduate. An institution doesn’t have to be called a “university” to have degree-awarding powers – for example, many institutions use the word “college” in their names.
The first degree a student takes after school is their undergraduate degree. In America, one may pursue either an associate degree or an undergraduate degree. Associate degrees, which take two years to complete, are not as rigorous as undergraduate degrees, which normally take three or four years to finish. Associate degrees are often focused on vocational disciplines.
In America, undergraduate degrees are multidisciplinary. Undergraduate students, at the very least, will specify a “major” subject. One’s “major” subject is their primary focus of study, and the subject they must take the most courses for. Students may also specify an optional “minor” subject, which they need to take fewer courses for. Most universities also require students to take elective courses (that is, courses for a subject different to their major).
Postgraduate degrees are pursued after completion of an undergraduate degree. They are much more specialized than undergraduate degrees, and can be taken at either the masters or doctorate level. Doctorate degrees are the highest in the hierarchy of postgraduate degrees and often prepare students for work in academia. If a student wishes to study law or medicine, they must do so as part of a postgraduate degree (for example, via a JD, or Juris Doctor, degree). Students cannot study these subjects at the undergraduate level, unlike in some other countries like the UK.
American universities are often classed as “public” or “private.” Public universities receive subsidies from their state’s government, and tend to have much cheaper tuition fees than private institutions. One of the most well-known public universities is the University of California, Berkeley. Private universities, such as Princeton University, are generally much more expensive to attend than public institutions because they rely completely on funding from students and alumni.
The benefits of attending public and private universities are clear. Public institutions are cheaper but, generally, less prestigious – private universities such as Harvard, Yale, and Princeton usually dominate American university rankings.