How (and why) to Ramble on your goat sideways
Boost Pope
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I wouldn't say that they are at all interchangeable.
Here in the states, a University is the academic equivalent of a Federation, much like the US itself. It consists of a collection of many different colleges (college of engineering, college of medicine, college of liberal arts, college of architecture, etc.)
As with a federation, the individual colleges (states) exercise some degree of atonomous self-governance; they have their own deans (governors), their own counseling programs, etc. However, they are subordinate to the university (the federal government) in some matters (admissions policies, graduation policies, the President's office, etc) and they also receive some shared services from the university, such as the finance office, the physical plant department, etc.
When we speak of a College as a standalone entity (eg: a community college), we are referring to an entity (typically a liberal arts college) which exists independantly from a University. It may have several different departments which resemble the different colleges in a university system (eg, the Nursing Department, the Trade and Industry Department, the Behavioral Sciences Department) however these departments are not autonomous- they all function as a single college.
Independant colleges may be accredited to confer both 2 year and 4 year degrees, however they do not typically have a graduate division, nor do they usually confer professional degrees (MD, JD, PhD, etc.) There are some exceptions here, in that a few independant colleges exist which are exclusively professional colleges dedicated to a single program (eg: Thomas Jefferson School of Law) however these are relatively rare, and the vast majority of professional collages are affiliated with a larger University system.
Here in the states, a University is the academic equivalent of a Federation, much like the US itself. It consists of a collection of many different colleges (college of engineering, college of medicine, college of liberal arts, college of architecture, etc.)
As with a federation, the individual colleges (states) exercise some degree of atonomous self-governance; they have their own deans (governors), their own counseling programs, etc. However, they are subordinate to the university (the federal government) in some matters (admissions policies, graduation policies, the President's office, etc) and they also receive some shared services from the university, such as the finance office, the physical plant department, etc.
When we speak of a College as a standalone entity (eg: a community college), we are referring to an entity (typically a liberal arts college) which exists independantly from a University. It may have several different departments which resemble the different colleges in a university system (eg, the Nursing Department, the Trade and Industry Department, the Behavioral Sciences Department) however these departments are not autonomous- they all function as a single college.
Independant colleges may be accredited to confer both 2 year and 4 year degrees, however they do not typically have a graduate division, nor do they usually confer professional degrees (MD, JD, PhD, etc.) There are some exceptions here, in that a few independant colleges exist which are exclusively professional colleges dedicated to a single program (eg: Thomas Jefferson School of Law) however these are relatively rare, and the vast majority of professional collages are affiliated with a larger University system.
Last edited by Joe Perez; 09-26-2012 at 03:34 PM. Reason: I no can schpell colludge
Boost Pope
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There are many universities in the US which still go by their traditional "College" names, generally dating back to their foundations in the 17th - 19th centuries before they expanded into full-fledged universities. Remember that, in the 1600s / 1700s in particular, there were very few "Universities" in general, much less in the then-colonial Americas.
From Boston College's own "About" page:
Other examples include the College of William & Mary (founded in 1693 by by letters patent issued by King William III and Queen Mary II of England, now a public research university), and Dartmouth College (est 1769 by Calvanist minister Eleazar Wheelock, it is now home to a medical school, a college of engineering, a business school, and several other graduate programs.)
By contrast, some "colleges" of high repute do, in fact, still meet the traditional definition of such, and do not refer to themselves as Universities.
Reed College is Portland is one such example. This school was founded in 1908 and is by no means a "community college" (total attendance cost for the 2012-2013 academic year is estimated at $55,920, and that's for ONE YEAR), however its various academic programs are organized as divisions of a single college, and not as multiple collages within a larger university.
Another example is St. John's College, which was founded as a preperatory school in 1696 and granted a collegiate charter in 1784. Today, it has two campuses (one in Annapolis, Maryland and the other in Santa Fe, New Mexico), and it grants only a single bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts, plus two master's degrees- one in Liberal Arts and the other in Eastern Classics.
(What the hell is Liberal Arts, anyway?)
From Boston College's own "About" page:
Boston College is one of the nation's best and most selective universities, with U.S. News & World Report ranking Boston College 31st among national universities, and Forbes ranking it 26th in its 2012 America's Best Colleges listing.
Boston College confers more than 4,000 degrees annually in more than 50 fields of study through eight schools and colleges. Faculty members are committed to both teaching and research having earned nearly $60 million in research grants in the last year alone.
The University has made a major commitment to academic excellence. As part of its Strategic Plan, Boston College is in the process of adding 100 new faculty positions, expanding faculty and graduate research, increasing student financial aid to more than $128 million annually, and widening opportunities in key undergraduate programs, such as international study, internships and student formation.
Boston College has experienced tremendous growth in recent years, including a 75 percent increase in undergraduate applications over the past decade, to more than 34,000 for the 2,250 seats in its freshman class. During the same period, an increase in voluntary giving from alumni has helped to move the University's endowment to approximately $1.9 billion. Boston College students have also earned more than 200 prestigious academic scholarships over the past decade, including 2 Rhodes Scholarships, 4 Marshalls, 9 Goldwaters and 162 Fulbright grants.
Boston College confers more than 4,000 degrees annually in more than 50 fields of study through eight schools and colleges. Faculty members are committed to both teaching and research having earned nearly $60 million in research grants in the last year alone.
The University has made a major commitment to academic excellence. As part of its Strategic Plan, Boston College is in the process of adding 100 new faculty positions, expanding faculty and graduate research, increasing student financial aid to more than $128 million annually, and widening opportunities in key undergraduate programs, such as international study, internships and student formation.
Boston College has experienced tremendous growth in recent years, including a 75 percent increase in undergraduate applications over the past decade, to more than 34,000 for the 2,250 seats in its freshman class. During the same period, an increase in voluntary giving from alumni has helped to move the University's endowment to approximately $1.9 billion. Boston College students have also earned more than 200 prestigious academic scholarships over the past decade, including 2 Rhodes Scholarships, 4 Marshalls, 9 Goldwaters and 162 Fulbright grants.
Other examples include the College of William & Mary (founded in 1693 by by letters patent issued by King William III and Queen Mary II of England, now a public research university), and Dartmouth College (est 1769 by Calvanist minister Eleazar Wheelock, it is now home to a medical school, a college of engineering, a business school, and several other graduate programs.)
By contrast, some "colleges" of high repute do, in fact, still meet the traditional definition of such, and do not refer to themselves as Universities.
Reed College is Portland is one such example. This school was founded in 1908 and is by no means a "community college" (total attendance cost for the 2012-2013 academic year is estimated at $55,920, and that's for ONE YEAR), however its various academic programs are organized as divisions of a single college, and not as multiple collages within a larger university.
Another example is St. John's College, which was founded as a preperatory school in 1696 and granted a collegiate charter in 1784. Today, it has two campuses (one in Annapolis, Maryland and the other in Santa Fe, New Mexico), and it grants only a single bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts, plus two master's degrees- one in Liberal Arts and the other in Eastern Classics.
(What the hell is Liberal Arts, anyway?)
Originally Posted by Joe
Stuff