Faced with the problem of choosing a university, applicants and their parents are confused. The name of the profession that you will receive will be the same in all universities, but the semantic content and skills will be different.
What is a university?
This acronym refers to all higher education institutions: universities, institutes, academies. As a result of training, a document is issued on obtaining a bachelor's degree, specialist or master's degree. For those who wish, universities provide the opportunity to continue their studies and scientific activities. Higher educational institutions differ in the level of accreditation (it should be IV) and the percentage of teachers with scientific degrees. They are also distinguished by the presence of graduate students and a high level of qualification.
What is an institute
To understand the difference between an institute and a university, it is necessary to consider in more detail what these universities are.
An institute is an institution for higher education, advanced training, or research in a specific field.
Most often, institutes conduct training in narrow-profile specialties. There are a great many institutions: legal, medical, etc. All specialties relate to the main field and serve one specific activity. An institute may be a separate and separate institution, or it may be part of one university. The legislative framework clearly spells out the difference between the institute and the university:
- More than half of teachers must have a degree.
- Two or more graduate students per hundred students.
- Introducing innovations in teaching methods.
What is a university?
This type of educational institution is more voluminous and represents many different specialties, sometimes not even related to one specific activity.
Differences between university and institute in the services provided. The university has postgraduate studies, doctoral studies and more opportunities for self-realization in the scientific field. The university is chosen by people who want to continue to research a question of interest for a long time, create scientific discoveries and earn degrees. Most universities provide such opportunities, which is the difference between the institute and the university. Another distinguishing feature is the high quality of teaching and a large list of well-known former students who have achieved success in the field in which they received education.
To obtain this status, the university must meet the requirements prescribed by law, they determine what the difference between the institute and the university is:
- Four or more graduate students per hundred students.
- Five or more areas for research.
- Increased requirements for the qualifications of teaching staff: more than 60% should be published in special publications, have a scientific degree and title.
- Large library, access to the information environment.
- The presence of a quality technical base.
- Universities have a higher status, and they have higher academic opportunities.
Institute or university? Key similarities
In addition to differences, there are also similar points, because of which these educational institutions are often confused:
- Both the university and the institute provide education at IV level of accreditation, which is a higher education - they prepare bachelors and masters.
- They have graduate and doctoral studies, as well as the possibility of advanced training.
- There are opportunities for research and scientific work.
Main differences
Universities need more students, educational opportunities, faculties and specialties. To obtain the status of an institute, it is only necessary to conduct training for specialists of one orientation, one specialization. This is the main difference between the institute and the university, because the university provides training in more than seven specializations. You can get any profession at the university, they are often not connected in any way, be it design, law or information technology.
The institute gives a narrow profile of knowledge, and the university with its activity gives a wider coverage of the skills of the future profession and the spheres of life in general. But at the same time, training at the institute helps to learn one profession from all sides, which is useful for such a specialty as medicine. Knowing the difference between an institute and a university, you can safely choose a university depending on your goals in life.
It is typical for universities to have every opportunity for students to obtain the necessary scientific information: large libraries along with electronic ones, courses for student choice and electives. In institutes, the material and technical base is weaker.
From all of the above it follows that the institute is weaker in its capabilities and professional significance, but all this can be changed if you apply for accreditation, fulfill all the requirements and become a university.
University Status Requirements
University status is not given once and for all life. To maintain it, the university needs to undergo accreditation, improve the qualifications of teachers and follow the rules. An institute can become a university and vice versa.
According to the law, there are general requirements for university status:
- The ratio of undergraduate and graduate students.
- Qualifications of teachers.
- The level of scientific activity and technical capabilities.
- Number of specialties.
Which is better to choose?
Many applicants think that any higher education is equally valued, and employers pay attention only to work experience. But this is not so. You need to understand well what is the difference between an institute and a university. In many areas, education received at specific universities is valued. This applies primarily to medical institutions, transport and cultural organizations. These areas require high-quality, highly specialized training, which can only be provided by specialized institutes.
If the profession requires a breadth of views, the development of a large number of skills, then it is worth choosing a university. Many specialties allow you to find the ideal profession for yourself, so that in the future work will bring joy. A large selection of electives will make learning more interesting and help you learn something new.
Most of the applicants are not interested in advance, what is the difference between the institute and the university, and at the end of training they regret the time and money spent. To begin with, it is worth choosing the desired profession, and only then choose a higher educational institution for the goals and objectives.