This is Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Education Report.

We have part three of our series for students who want to attenda college or university in the United States. Today we talk aboutthe difference between a college and a university. Internet userscan find this report at WWW.51VOA.COM.

Colleges and universities have a lot in common. They prepareyoung adults for work. They provide a greater understanding of theworld and its past. And they help students learn to value the artsand sciences.

Students who attend either a college or a universitytraditionally take four years to complete a program of study. Thosewho are successful receive a bachelor's degree. But one differenceis that many colleges do not offer additional study programs orsupport research projects.

Universities often are much larger than colleges. Universitiescarry out a lot of research. They offer more programs in differentareas of study, for undergraduate and graduate students.

Modern universities developed from those of the Middle Ages inEurope. The word "university" came from the Latin "universitas."This described a group of people organized for a common purpose.

"College" came from a Latin word with a similar meaning,"collegium." In England, colleges were formed to provide studentswith places to live. Usually each group was studying the same thing.So the word "college" came to mean one area of study.

Today, most American colleges offer an area of study calledliberal arts. The liberal arts are subjects first developed andtaught in ancient Greece. They trained a person's mind. They wereseen as different from subjects that were considered more useful ineveryday life.

Another meaning of "college" is a part of a university. The firstAmerican universities divided their studies into many areas andcalled each one a college. This is still true.

Programs in higher learning may also be called "schools." Forexample, the University of Texas at Austin has fourteen colleges andschools. These include the colleges of pharmacy, education,engineering, and fine arts. They also include the schools ofarchitecture, business, law and information.

Again, you can find our Foreign Student Series online atWWW.51VOA.COM. International students can also getinformation at educationusa.state.gov.

This VOA Special English Education Report was written by NancySteinbach. This is Gwen Outen.