college and university?

Question

ok, so basicly I'm confused between college and university! So when I asked someone what it was she said that:"If you want to do something in astronomy you will need a college degree before you can go to graduate school." So there are schools like harvard that says undergraruate in their website, does that mean that I don't have to go to college and just go to universiy directly and take the undergratuate course then the gratuate one?

Answer 1

Whoah. Ok, let's start with the basics and then get into the example of Astronomy and Harvard.

You can use the term "college" and "university" interchangeably. They mean the same thing when most people say it. Yes, you can make distinctions between them, but just consider them the same thing to keep you from getting confused.

Since you're aiming for Harvard, I'm just gonna skip associates degrees.

Undergrad = getting your bachelors. People talking about "majors" are talking about undergrad and getting a bachelors degree in their "major."

Graduate school = getting a masters or doctorate. A PhD is a doctorate. Some PhD programs want you to get a Masters degree first. Others will let you go straight after getting your bachelors. PhD isn't the only doctorate out there. MD (medical doctor), JD (lawyer), DDS (dentist), Pharm.D. (pharmacist) are just other examples of doctorates.

Ok. On to Astronomy and Harvard.

Harvard has both undergrad and graduate degrees (ignore the colleges talk, it'll just confuse you). If you want to be an astronomer, first you need your bachelors. Then you should get a PhD. If the Astronomy PhD program doesn't require a Masters degree in between, great.

So, to be an astronomer, you can go to Harvard for undergrad and get a bachelors in Astronomy. Then, you can also continue on to Harvard to get a PhD in Astronomy. You can substitute another school for each of these steps. Maybe you go to Stanford for your bachelors, and then Harvard for your PhD. Or Harvard for bachelors, and then Cal Tech for your PhD. Whatever. All the big name schools you've heard about offer bachelors, masters, and doctorate degrees (cept for Princeton).

Answer 2

Colleges are divisions within a university. I attend the University of Alabama, but I'm enrolled in the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration. Someone who was majoring in something like chemistry would be enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences. We're all under one university, we're just under separate divisions. We have separate deans and academic advisors who specialize in certain areas of study. But we're all under the same university president. Hope this helps!

Answer 3

University and college have the same meaning.
College is a little lower than university.
For example, people say "community college" not "Community university".

Undergraduate means in university before graduating from university.
Graduate school is for students after graduating from university.