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Question: 

What is the difference between a school, college and university in the USA?

Answer:

In the United States, the word "school" describes any place where people learn. You can call a college a "school." You can even call a university a "school." You can use the word "school" for any English language institute, undergraduate or graduate program, or secondary ("high") school.

翻譯: 在美國呢，只要是可供人們學習的地方都可以叫作是school。你可以說college是個school。你也可以說university是個school。你可以用school去表示任何英語學習機構、大學或研究所課程，或是中學。

***美國教育結構 :在接受高等教育之前，美國學生要完成合計 12 年的中小學教育，即所謂的一年級至十二年級。美國的孩童在六歲左右進入初級學校（primary school），也就是俗稱的「小學」（elementary school）。他們經過五年或六年的學習，再升入中學（secondary school）。 中學由兩個階段的課程組成：第一階段是「初中」（middle school 或 junior high school），第二階段課程則是「高中」（high school）。高中畢業時，學生可以取得文憑或證書。從高中（12 年級）畢業後，美國學生可繼續進入學院或大學深造。學院或大學學習亦稱為「高等教育」（higher education）。

U.S. university or college follows after high school, or secondary school. A college in the U.S.A. is not a high school or secondary school. College and university programs begin in the thirteenth year of school, when a student is 17 or 18 years old or older. A two-year college offers an associate's degree, as well as certificates. A four-year college or university offers a bachelor's degree. Programs that offer these degrees are called "undergraduate" schools.

翻譯: 在美國，延續在初中或高中之後的教育機構就屬university或college了。美國的college不是初中或高中。College和university課程始於學校的十三年級，此時學生年齡為17或18歲或更大。 兩年制College提供副學士學位和證書。 四年制College和university可提供學士學位。 提供這些學位的課程稱為“大學”課程。

A "university" is a group of schools for studies after secondary school. At least one of these schools is a college where students receive a bachelor's degree. The other schools in a university are"graduate" (also known as "postgraduate") schools where students receive advanced degrees. Therefore, a university offers both the bachelor's degree and graduate degrees such as the master's (M.A.) and doctorate (Ph.D.).

翻譯: “University”是一群中學畢業後就讀的學校。 University裡面至少會有一所學校是學生可獲學士學位的College，以及其它可獲得更高等學位的研究生學校。 因此，一間university能提供學士學位和研究生學位，例如碩士（M.A.）和博士學位（Ph.D.）。

You can earn a bachelor's degree at either a college or a university. However, students in the U.S.A. prefer to use the word "college" rather than the word "university" when they talk about four-year undergraduate programs and the bachelor's degree. They use phrases like,"going to college" and "a college degree," when they talk about undergraduate programs at either a college or a university.

翻譯: 你可以在college或是university獲得學士學位。然而，美國學生比較傾向用college而非university這個詞彙來討論大學課程以及學士學位。當討論college或university的大學課程時，他們經常會用"going to college" 以及"a college degree"

Most "colleges" are separate schools. They are not located in a university. Some colleges are part of a university and are located on the university campus. (The "campus" is the school buildings and surrounding area). A few colleges offer graduate programs in selected subjects. However, it is usually universities that offer graduate programs. So, Americans use the word" university" and not "college" when they talk about graduate study.

翻譯: 大多數“college”是獨立的學校。 他們不在university裡面。 不過還是有一些college是university的一部分，位於university校園內 （“campus”:校園，是指教學樓和周邊地區）。少數的college提供某些學科的研究生課程。 但是，通常是university提供研究生課程。 因此，美國人在談論研究生學習時是使用“university”一詞，而不是“college”一詞。