Academic institution

TheUniversity of Pennsylvania,an American research university

Anacademic institutionis aneducational institutiondedicated to education andresearch,which grantsacademic degrees.See alsoacademyanduniversity.

Types

• Primary schools– (from Frenchécole primaire) institutions where children receive the first stage ofcompulsory educationknown asprimary or elementary education.Primary schoolis the preferred term in theUnited Kingdomand manyCommonwealth Nations,and in most publications of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).In some countries, and especially inNorth America,the termelementary schoolis preferred. Children generally attend primary school from around the age of four or five until the age of eleven or twelve.
• Secondary schools– institutions where the final stage of compulsory schooling, known assecondary education,takes place. It follows on fromprimary or elementary education.There are many different types of secondary school and the terminology used varies around the world. Children usually transfer to secondary school between the ages of 11 and 14, and finish between the ages of 16 and 18, though there is considerable variation from country to country. In North America the termhigh schoolis often used as a synonym for secondary school.
• Advanced educational institutions, also known astertiary schoolsor schools ofhigher education– Tertiary education, also referred to as third stage, third level, and post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of a school providing asecondary education,such as ahigh school,secondary school,orgymnasium.Higher education is normally taken to includeundergraduateandpostgraduate education,whilevocational education and trainingbeyond secondary education is known as further education.

These types of institutions can be further broken down by the type of education they offer and the form of funding they use.

Funding types

• Private schools– Private schools, orindependent schools,are schools not administered by local, state, or nationalgovernment,which retain the right to select theirstudentbody and are funded in whole or in part by charging their studentstuitionrather than with public (state) funds. In theUnited Kingdomand some otherCommonwealthcountries the use of the term is generally restricted toprimaryandsecondaryeducational levels: it is almost never used ofuniversitiesor othertertiaryinstitutions.
• Parochial schools– A parochial school (also known as a faith school or a sect school) is a type ofschoolwhich engages inreligious educationin addition to conventionaleducation.Parochial schools are typicallygrammar schoolsorhigh schoolsrun bychurches,dioceseorparishes.Tertiary education that may not require study in a particular religious doctrine may also be in the tradition or directly supported by a religious organization, and may or may not receive primary funding from that or any other religious organization, are not usually referred to as "parochial".
• Public schools– In some countries, a public school is financed and operated by an agency of government which does not chargetuitionfees; instead, financing is obtained through taxes or other government-collected revenues. This is in contrast to aprivate school(also known as anindependent school). Here, the word "public" is used in the same sense as in "public library",that is, provided for the public at public expense. These public schools range in classes from kindergarten to four years of high school or secondary school, normally taking pupils up to the age of seventeen or eighteen.

Education provided

The School of Athens,an ancient Greekacademy,fresco byRaphael(1509–1510)

• College– This term, from (Latincollegium) is most often used today to denote aneducationalinstitution. More broadly, it can be the name of any group ofcolleagues(see, for exampleelectoral college,College of Arms,College of Cardinals). Originally, it meant a group ofpersonsliving together under a common set ofrules(con-= "together" +leg-= "law" orlego= "I choose" ); indeed, some colleges call their members "fellows".The precise usage of the term varies amongEnglish-speaking countries.
• University– A university is an institution ofhigher educationandresearch,which grantsacademic degreesat all levels (bachelor,master,anddoctorate) in a variety of subjects. A university provides bothundergraduate educationandpostgraduate education.The worduniversityis derived from theLatinuniversitas magistrorum et scholarium,roughly meaning "community of teachers andscholars".
• Technical schools– Technical school is a general term used fortwo-year collegewhich provide mostlyemployment-preparation skills for trainedlabor,such aswelding,culinary artsandoffice management.
• Vocational/trade schools– A vocational school, providingvocational educationand also as referred to as a trade school or career college, andschoolis operated for the express purpose of giving its students the skills needed to perform a certain job or jobs. Traditionally, vocational schools have not existed to furthereducationin the sense ofliberal arts,but rather to teach only job-specific skills, and as such have been better considered to be institutions devoted to training, not education.

Professional schools

Yale Law School,an American law school housed in theSterling Law Building(built 1931)

• Medical school– A medical school or faculty of medicine is atertiary educationalinstitution or part of such an institution that teaches medicine. In addition to fulfilling a major requirement to become amedical doctor,some medical schools offer master's degree programs, PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) programs, and other educational programs. Medical schools can also employ medical researchers, and operate hospitals or other programs.
• Law school– Law schools provide a legal education. Legal education is the education of individuals who intend to become legal professionals or those who simply intend to use their law degree to some end, either related to law (such as politics or academic) or business.
• Dental school
• Veterinary school– A veterinary school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, which is involved in the education of future veterinary practitioners (veterinarians). The entry criteria, structure, teaching methodology and nature of veterinary programs offered at veterinary schools vary considerably around the world.
• Pharmacy school– The requirements of pharmacy education, pharmacist licensure and post-graduate continuing education vary from country to country and between regions/localities within countries. In most countries, prospective pharmacists studypharmacyat apharmacy schoolor related institution. Upon graduation, they are licensed either nationally or by region to dispense medication of various types in the settings for which they have been trained.

See also

• Academic administration
• Academic elitism