Higher education

From Free net encyclopedia

This article is about education in universities. For the examination in Scotland, see Higher (Scottish).

Higher education is education provided by universities and other collegial institutions that award academic degrees, such as community colleges, liberal arts colleges, career colleges, and technical colleges.

Higher education includes both the teaching and the research activities of universities, and within the realm of teaching, it includes both the undergraduate level (sometimes referred to as tertiary education) and the graduate (or postgraduate) level (sometimes referred to as graduate school). Higher education differs from other forms of post-secondary education such as that offered by institutions of vocational education, which are more colloquially known as trade schools.

However, most professional education is included within higher education, and many postgraduate qualifications are strongly vocationally or professionally oriented, for example in disciplines such as law and medicine.In most developed countries a high proportion of the population (up to 50%) now enter higher education at some time in their lives. Higher education is therefore very important to national economies, both as a significant industry in its own right, and as a source of trained and educated personnel for the rest of the economy.

1 Working in higher education
2 See also
3 Further reading
4 External links

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Working in higher education

Universities are fairly large employers. Depending on the funding, a university typically has a teacher per 3-20 students. According to the ideal of research-university, the university teaching staff is actively involved in the research of the institution. In addition, the university usually also has dedicated research staff and a considerable support staff. Typically to work in higher education as a member of the academic faculty, one must first obtain a doctorate in an academic field, although some lower teaching positions require only master's degree. Member of the staff or administration usually have education that is necessary for the fulfilment of their duties. Depending on the university, the main administration is more or less centralized. Typically most of the administrative staff works in different administrative sections, such as Student Affairs. In addition, there may be central support units, such as a university library which have a dedicated staff.

The professional field involving the collection, analysis, and reporting of higher education data is called institutional research. Professionals in this field can be found, in addition to universities, in e.g. state educational departments.

On September 15, 2005 the Federal Bureau of Investigation created the National Security Higher Education Advisory Board. The board will "provide advice on the culture of higher education." The details of how involved the FBI will be involved on campus is left ambiguous. The board will help develop research, degree programs, course work, internships, opportunities for graduates, and consulting opportunities for faculty relating to national security. Graham Spanier, President of Pennsylvania State University, will chair the Board. Universities involved: Johns Hopkins University, University of California Los Angeles, Carnegie Mellon University, University of California, San Diego, Texas A&M University, Iowa State University, University of Pennsylvania, West Virginia University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Purdue University, University of Florida, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, University of Maryland, University of Wisconsin, and University of Washington. Source: http://www.researchfor.com

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