Harvard University is the pride of the USA. Like Oxford and Cambridge it is known all over the world. Are there any simi-larities in the academic courses these universities offer?

Harvard University

Harvard University, which celebrated its 350^th anniversary in 1986, is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Founded 16 years af-ter the arrival of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, the University has grown from nine students with a single master to an enrollment of 18,000 degree candidates. Additional 13,000 students are enrolled in one or more courses in the Harvard Extension School. Over 14,000 people work at Harvard, including more than 2,000 faculties. There are also 7,000 faculty appointments in affiliated teach-ing hospitals.

Seven presidents of the United States - John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Theodore and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Rutherford B. Hayes, John Fitzger-ald Kennedy and George W. Bush - were graduates of Harvard. Its faculty have produced nearly 40 Nobel laureates.

During its early years, the College offered a classic academic course based on the English university model but consistent with the prevailing Puritan phi-losophy of the first colonists.

SECTION II

ACADEMIC DEGREES AND

POSTGRADUATE STUDIES

FOCUS VOCABULARY

science –наука

natural ~ (or the natural sciences) – естественные науки the exact ~es – точные науки

the mathematical ~ (or the mathematical sciences) – математические науки social ~ (or the social sciences) – общественные науки

~ and technology – наука и техника scientific –научный

~ method/approach/principle – научный метод/подход/принцип

~ work/research – научная работа/исследование

scientist–ученый(естественные науки)scholar–ученый(гуманитарные науки)learned–научный

~ society – научное общество

~ work/ article/language – научный труд/журнал/статья

~ paper – научный доклад

~ journal – научный журнал

arts –гуманитарные науки(humanities)faculty of ~ – факультет гуманитарных наук

liberal ~ – гуманитарные науки (язык, философия, история и т.д.) Candidate/Doctorof Philology –кандидат/доктор филологических наук

~ of psychology – кандидат/доктор психологических наук

~ of education – кандидат/доктор педагогических наук

~ of economics – кандидат/доктор экономических наук

~ of laws – кандидат/доктор юридических наук research–исследование,научно-исследовательская работа

to do/carry out /conduct ~ (on/in/into) – проводить исследования (по) to be engaged (in) ~ – проводить исследования

~ degree – ученая степень

~ institute – научно-исследовательский институт

~ center – исследовательский центр

~ student – аспирант (postgraduate student)

~ subject / topic – тема исследования

~ worker/researcher – научный работник degree–степень(ученая)

to award/confer a ~ – присвоить степень to get/take/receive a ~ – получить степень to hold/have a ~ – иметь степень

first ~ – диплом бакалавра наук Bachelor’s ~ – степень бакалавра higher ~ – ученая степень Master’s ~ – степень магистра

Doctorate ~ (PhD) – степень кандидата наук

~ of Candidate of sciences (Candidate’s degree) – степень кандидата наук

~ of Doctor (Doctor of sciences) – степень доктора наук

dissertation/ thesis–научная работа,диссертацияto defend one’s ~ – защитить диссертацию

to submit a ~ for hearing at the session of the Academic Council – предста-

вить диссертацию для обсуждения на заседании Ученого совета. field of study –область исследований

Modern academic education in our country comprises four stages: Bachelor’s degree, Specialist’s degree, Master’s degree, Postgraduate degree. Academic degrees abroad differ in many ways which is the point of our further discussion.

Academic Degrees Abroad

A degree is an academic qualification awarded on completion of a higher education course (a first degree, usually known as Bachelor’s degree) or a piece of research (a higher/further degree, doctorate and so on). There exists considerable diversity of degrees in various countries. But in spite of the lack of equivalence of degrees some similarities can be found among certain groups of countries, particularly those of the British Commonwealth, conti-nental Europe, America and the Far East.

One can distinguish the principal types of academic degrees – bachelor, master, and doctor which represent different levels of academic achievements. The naming of degrees eventually became linked with the subject studied, arts is used for the humanities, science – for natural and exact sciences.

The Bachelor’s Degree is the oldest and best known academic degree.Some varieties of bachelor’s, or baccalaureate, degrees are Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree and Bachelor of Science (BSc). Abbreviations vary between in-stitutions. Other baccalaureate degrees offered by most universities are Bache-lor of Education, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Business Administration,

Bachelor of Divinity, Bachelor of Home Economics.

The Bachelor’s degree can be attained by students who pass their univer-sity examinations, or in some cases other examinations of equivalent level. This normally involves at least three years of full-time study after passing the advanced level certificate of education at the age of about eighteen, so most people who become BA, BSc, etc. do so at the age of at least twenty-one. First degrees in medicine require six years of study, some others four.

It is now quite usual for students in subject such as engineering to spend periods during their degree courses away from their academic studies, in in-dustrial location so that they may get practical experience. A student of a for-eign language normally spends a year in a country where that language is spo-ken. Bachelors' degrees are usually awarded on the basis of answers to several three-hour examinations together with practical work or long essays or disser-tations written in conjunction with class work. Degrees are classified. About a tenth (or less) of candidates win first-class, honours degrees, three quarters - second-class, and the rest - third class, or pass without fail. A person studying for a degree at a British university is called an undergraduate.