USA EDUCATION SYSTEM

(from www.euroeducation.net/prof/usa.htm)

INSTITUTION TYPES & CREDENTIALS

Types of higher education institutions:

Doctoral Research Universities
Master's (Comprehensive) Universities and Colleges
Baccalaureate Colleges
Associate of Arts Colleges
Specialized Institutions
Postsecondary Vocational and Technical Schools
 
School leaving and higher education credentials:
High School Diploma
Certificate (Sub-bachelor or vocational)
Diploma (Sub-bachelor or vocational)
Associate Degree
Bachelor's Degree
First Professional Degree
Post-bachelor's Diploma/Certificate
Master's Degree
Certificate of Advanced Study
Education Specialist Degree
Doctorate
 
 
STRUCTURE OF EDUCATION SYSTEM

Pre-higher education:
Duration of compulsory education:
Age of entry: 6
Age of exit: 16

Structure of school system:

Pre-Primary
Type of school providing this education: A) Kindergarten B) Nursery Schools C) Preschool
programmes; D) Child/day Care Centres
Length of program in years: 2
Age level from: 3 to: 6
Certificate/diploma awarded: Practice varies. Certificates may be given, especially if needed,
to prove attendance for entry into Elementary School.

Primary
Type of school providing this education: Elementary School (Grades 1-4 on average, but
state and local practice may vary).
Length of program in years: 4
Age level from: 6 to: 10
Certificate/diploma awarded: Practice varies. Awards may be given in States/Districts when
necessary for transition to Middle School.
 Primary
Type of school providing this education: Elementary Schools (Grades 1-6 or 7)
Age level from: 6 to: 14
Certificate/diploma awarded: Practice varies. Awards may be given in States/Districts when
necessary for transition to Secondary School.

Middle
Type of school providing this education: Middle Schools (Grades 4-6, 5-7 or 6-8)
Length of program in years: 3
Age level from: 10 to: 14
Certificate/diploma awarded: Practice varies. Awards may be given in States/Districts where
middle school is a recognized level.

Secondary
Type of school providing this education: High Schools (Grades 7-12 or 8-12)
Length of program in years: 6
Age level from: 13 to: 18
Certificate/diploma awarded: High School Diploma (Regular/Standard, Vocational,
Honor/Regents, College/Academic Preparatory)

Junior Secondary
Type of school providing this education: Junior High Schools (Grades 7-8, 7-9 or 8-9)
Length of program in years: 3
Age level from: 13 to: 15
Certificate/diploma awarded: Practice varies. Awards may be given in States/Districts where
secondary education is divided into lower and upper divisions.

Upper Secondary
Type of school providing this education: High Schools, Senior High Schools (Grades 9-12 or
10-12)
Length of program in years: 4
Age level from: 15 to: 18
Certificate/diploma awarded: High School Diploma (Regular/Standard, Vocational,
Honor/Regents, College/Academic Preparatory)

School education:
The age of entry to compulsory education in the U.S. varies, according to the state, between 5
and 7 years of age, 6 being the most common. The age at which compulsory schooling ends
varies between 16 and 18 years of age, the most common being 16. School education does not
end until age 18, or completion of the 12th year of school and those who leave school at the
end of compulsory education without earning a secondary (high school) diploma do not receive
any certificate or recognition - they are considered to be secondary school drop-outs. Students
may graduate a year earlier or late depending on when they entered school. Gifted students
may graduate earlier because they skipped grades, and students may graduate later because
they repeat grades. School years are referred to as "grades" in the United States. The length
of primary education varies from four to seven years, i.e. grades 1-4, 1-7, etc. Each state
determines what grade range constitutes primary education, called "elementary education".
According to its length, elementary education may be followed (or not) by a number of years
of middle school education (generally three years). Secondary education takes place in grades
7-12, depending upon the laws and policies of states and local school districts. There is no
national structure, curriculum or governing law; all laws and policies are set and enforced by
the 50 state governments and the over 14,000 local school districts. All states and school
districts have set the secondary school graduation level as the completion of 12th grade, and
the common name for the secondary graduation qualification is the High School Diploma. This
diploma name covers a variety of awards for different curricula and standards. There are
Honors/Regents, academic/college preparatory, vocational, and general/basic high school
diploma tracks. There are a statewide minimum course requirement and other graduation
requirements in each State which usually correspond to the general/basic track. Vocational and
academic/college preparatory or honors/Regents diplomas usually have additional set
curricular requirements and/or standards which aspiring graduates must meet or exceed. In
addition, many US secondary school districts and private schools allow students to participate
in the Advanced Placement (AP) programme of the College Board. This programme allows
qualified students to take college level introductory courses in selected subjects taught by
certified faculty. Examinations are offered in each AP subject at the end of an academic year; a
score of 3 or higher generally results in universities awarding advanced standing in that
subject - exempting the student from distribution requirements.There are currently over 35 AP
subjects with more being planned. A growing number of public and private secondary schools
also offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) as an optional track; completion of IB
requirements usually requires an additional summer or semester of study beyond the 12th
year. The contents of an individual student's programme at any grade level or upon obtaining
a diploma or degree are contained in the record of studies leading to it and grades (marks)
obtained, called a Transcript. Transcripts are official documents authenticated with the seal of
the school or institution and signed by the registrar.

Higher education:
Higher education in the U.S. is also called postsecondary education, but the latter term also
refers to all formal education beyond secondary school, whether higher education (defined as
degree-granting education) or not. Postsecondary education is broadly divided into two
different sectors: postsecondary vocational education and training, which is non-degree but
can produce some transferable credits under certain circumstances; and higher education,
which includes studies undertaken in degree-granting institutions for academic credit.
However, the U.S. higher education system is not legally organized into separate university
and non-university sub-systems as are some other national systems, but is comprehensive. It
is a diverse and autonomous community of publicly and privalely supported institutions.
Current data indicate that there are 6,479 postsecondary institutions, including 4,182 non-
degree institutions. Of the degree-granting higher education institutions, some 1,732 award
only the associate degree plus sub-bachelor's certificates and diplomas; 702 award only the
bachelor's degree; 1,094 award degrees and certificates beyond the bachelor's degree but not
the research doctorate; and 654 institutions award the research doctorate. The United States
does not use an official classification or typology for its higher education institutions. While
different institutions offer varying levels of degrees, U.S. accreditation policies result in
degrees at any given level adhering to certain minimum standards regardless of the institution
that grants them. The privately derived but popular Carnegie Classification organizes U.S.
institutions according to different schemes. For more information, see:
http://www.carnegiefoundation.org/Classification/ The U.S. higher education system is
characterized by accessibility, diversity, and autonomy and is known for both its size and
quality. The federal government has no jurisdiction or authority over the recognition of
educational institutions, members of the academic professions, programmes or curricula, or
degrees or other qualifications. Nearly all U.S. postsecondary institutions are licensed, or
chartered, by a state or municipal government to operate under the ownership of either a
government (if public) or a private corporation (if independent), and may be for-profit or not-
for-profit enterprises. Religious institutions are considered independent, or private. Quality
assurance is achieved via the system of voluntary accreditation by specific accrediting
agencies that are recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and meet the standards for
membership in the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Accreditation is a self-
regulating process of quality control engaged in by the U.S. postsecondary education
community to ensure minimum standards of academic capability, administrative competence,
and to promote mutual recognition of qualifications within the system. Six (6) regional
accreditation associations set minimum standards for institutions chartered in the states of
their respective jurisdictions. In addition, there are recognized accrediting agencies for
specialized institutions and programmes. While all recognized and accredited institutions are
licensed or chartered by state governments, states vary greatly in the degree of supervision
and quality control that they exercise, and there is relatively limited reciprocity of recognition
across state borders. Accreditation by recognized agencies, therefore, remains the primary
means of ensuring academic and institutional quality and the mutual acceptance of credits and
qualifications across and outside the United States.