The article tells about what a university is, what types of them exist, how they differ and why they are created at all.
Ancient times
People did not always appreciate knowledge. For a very long time, only practical skills were valued that could help to survive, get food or protect themselves and their relatives. In part, this changed at a time when crafts arose. However, in any era there were those who were interested in the true structure of the world and who did not want to be content with its biblical description. Such people rarely found understanding in society, because, in the opinion of other citizens, they were engaged in utter nonsense, because how can some absolutely abstract knowledge help in life? That is how the first scientists appeared.
Fortunately, everything changed gradually, people realized the importance of knowledge and science in general, so the first universities arose. The oldest of them are now not one hundred years old. However, for a long time they remained the destiny of the elect, and not everyone could study there.
Nowadays, this is somewhat easier, and anyone can enter a university. So what is a university? What are their varieties, and what do they do at all? This we will understand.
Definition
According to the encyclopedia, the abbreviation university comes from the phrase higher education institution. And by the way, according to the official norms of the Russian language, this abbreviation is written in small letters. As the name implies, its purpose is to give people a higher education. So now we know what a university is.
In contrast to schools, technical schools and colleges in a university, students receive professional knowledge of a wide range, but always with a deepening in a specific field. He also has branches that are located in remote cities or small towns in order to enable everyone to get an education. A university is a broad concept applicable to a number of institutions that give people a higher education, for example, institutes, universities , etc. Depending on the type, form of training and specialty, the duration of this training differs, but usually ranges from four to six years.
Also, each university must have a license to study and be accredited, the state commission is engaged in this. The forms of training also differ, the main ones are full-time, distance learning and distance learning. The latter, by the way, is gaining popularity every year. So the university is a multidisciplinary institution in which people of different ages and even those who have little time to attend full-time classes can study if desired.
However, how does the same university differ from an institute?
Differences
The university is a higher educational institution, in which a huge number of specialties and programs in various fields of knowledge are provided.
The Academy, on the other hand, trains specialists of a wide circle mainly in specialties related to human activity. For example, tourism, healthcare, finance, economics and more.
And the institute prepares specialists for work in specific professional fields of science and labor.
So now we know how one higher educational institution differs from another. It is also worth mentioning that all universities are engaged in scientific activities.
The choice
Currently, among young people, one can often find the opinion that higher education has now partially lost its significance, and it is not at all necessary to receive it. This statement is rather controversial, since it is difficult to overestimate the importance of knowledge, but this is a personal choice for everyone, and if a person does not plan to devote his life to science or any one profession, where he will become a good specialist, then higher education may not be useful. So now we know what a university is.