Uni FAQ

You can find here the most important terms and information related to higher education.

• Association of American Universities
• BSc – Bachelor of Science
• Land-grant university
• MA – Master’s degree
• Nonsectarian
• The Ivy League
• PhD
• Private university
• Public university
• State university system (US)

Association of American Universities

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The Association of American Universities (AAU) is an organization of leading research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education. It consists of 61 universities in the United States (both public and private) and two universities in Canada.

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BSc – Bachelor of Science

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A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years. This type of degree concentrates on sciences or scientific applications.

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Land-grant university

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Land-grant universities are public universities in the United States that were originally established as land grant colleges of agriculture and received the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890.

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MA – Master’s degree

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A master’s degree is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. An MA degree is higher than a bachelor’s degree but lower than a doctor’s degree.

The two most common titles of master’s degrees are the Master of Arts (M.A.) and Master of Science (M.S. or M.Sc.); these may be course-based, research-based, or a mixture of the two.

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Nonsectarian

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The term Nonsectarian is used to describe secular private educational institutions or other organizations not affiliated with or restricted to a particular religious denomination.

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The Ivy League

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The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group. The eight institutions are Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University. The term Ivy League also has connotations of academic excellence, selectivity in admissions, and social elitism.

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PhD

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Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated to PhD, Ph.D., or sometimes D.Phil. in English-speaking countries. A PhD is an advanced academic degree awarded by universities. In most English-speaking countries, the PhD is the highest degree one can earn. The PhD or equivalent has become a requirement for a career as a university professor or researcher in most fields.

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Private university

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Private universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation.

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Public university

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A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities.

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State university system (US)

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A state university system in the United States is a group of public universities supported by an individual U.S. state or a similar entity such as the District of Columbia. These systems constitute the majority of public-funded universities in the country. Each state supports at least one such system. State universities get subsidies from their states. The amount of the subsidy varies from university to university and state to state, but the effect is to lower tuition costs below that of private universities.

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