this post was submitted on 01 Aug 2023
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Asklemmy
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In the US, they're the same. In most countries, a university is a collection of colleges (although most people don't know that).
In countries where universities and colleges are considered separate entities (i.e. most countries), universities are still considered more prestigious, although it's much easier to get a BS/no job degree from an university than a college
Sort of. There are colleges within university in the US too, we just don't usually talk about it
Yep. I was apart of my uni's stem college. I want to say there were probably 5 or 6 colleges in my uni
my major is part of my college's college of the environment. we also have a business college, college of sciences, college of linguistics, etc.
In the US, a University is usually a collection of colleges. Each college has a somewhat independent structure from other colleges within the University, and each is led by its own Dean. Each college has different requirements of entry and provide rules for what it takes to get a degree from that college. But ultimately, you get a degree from something like "The University of Whatever, College of Engineering". All the colleges have some certain amount of oversight and guidelines set up by the overall institution.
It can get confusing though because a lot of places that are universities still call themselves "____ College" due to tradition
at least at my university, the colleges consist of departments that are generally similar and are part of similar disciplines, then the department will have a list of degrees to choose from.
So for example at my university we have the College of Business & Economics, which consists of these departments: Accounting, Decision Sciences, Economics, Finance and Marketing, Management, Master of Business Administration, and Executive Education. And then if you for example check out the Accounting Department, they offer the Bachelor of Arts in Accounting, the Bachelor of Arts in Accounting/Economics, and then a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.
For your example, the math department here offers a bunch of degrees I won't list, and then they're part of the College of Science & Engineering.
In Australia "college" can mean two different things.
It can be another word for high school, especially for exclusive, elite private schools. (For example: Brisbane Boys' College.)
It can be a term for a particular type of residence within a university, especially one that provides more than just a room, but also meals and social activities. (For example, Emmanuel College UQ.)
Historically, it also had at least one other meaning. Among boomer teachers I know, I've heard talk of having gone to "teacher's college". So I think it used to be a sort of more specialised educational institution with a narrower focus than a university. But these don't exist anymore, to my knowledge.
Heh. I went to BBC.
Are you sure?
I've always thought of universities as educational institutions funded (in part) by the state. So, tuition for "The University of Colorado" is partially subsided by the taxes people pay to the state of Colorado.
Colleges are not funded by the state, therefore have a higher tuition than universities.
At least that's the theory. However, both universities and colleges have become so profit focused, I don't know how much cheaper universities are now-a-days.
I'd also argue that a university in the U.S. is more prestigious than many colleges (the exception being Ivy league schools), because universities being cheaper means a high demand for being accepted, which means applicant need "be better" to gain admittance.
In the job market, however, you are absolutely right: college VS university - it doesn't matter.
Universities can be public or private. They are simply a collection of colleges. An example of a single college that is not part of a university would be a community college.
As for which is more prestigious, most colleges not part of a university generally only offer Associate's degrees with some offering Bachelor's degrees. Universities offer those along with graduate level degrees. You are correct that universities tend to be tougher to get into.
Past your first job, nobody really gives a shit where you went.