Key Concepts 2: Reading and Writing Across the Disciplines
Additional Reading Quiz – Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Name: _______________________________________________________________________
Some Basic Facts about American Higher Education

In the United States, the word “college” has several meanings. In one sense, “college”
and “university” mean the same, i.e., post–high school education. A college can also be a
small, independent institution that offers a bachelor’s degree, or it can be a unit within a
university (e.g., College of Letters and Sciences) that provides undergraduate training
leading to a B.A. or a B.S. A university, on the other hand, usually offers graduate and
professional programs in addition to an undergraduate program.

The first institutions of higher education in the United States were private rather than
public. Harvard College (1636) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the College of William
and Mary (1693) in Williamsburg, Virginia, were the first American colleges, later
expanded to universities.

The Morrill Act of 1862 was a milestone in the development of public higher education
in the United States. The Act gave public lands to the states for the development of
institutions that taught farming, mechanics (engineering), and other practical professions.
The huge state-run college and university systems that developed as a result of this act
soon attracted more students than the collection of private colleges that had sprung up
across the country.

A typical college or university undergraduate program lasts four years. To obtain a
bachelor’s degree, students must complete a minimum number of courses in their chosen
field (major) as well as courses in other fields (electives). The most popular
undergraduate majors are business, computer science, education, and social sciences.

Graduate programs vary in length depending on the specialty. A typical master’s program
will take one or two years to complete, a doctoral program four to six years. The two
most popular professional programs are law and medicine.
A. Read the following statements about the reading. If the statement is true, write a T in the blank. If
it is false, write an F in the blank.
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Key Concepts 2: Reading and Writing Across the Disciplines
Additional Reading Quiz – Chapter 1
_____ 1. A college can be an independent school or a unit of a university.
_____ 2. The Morrill Act of 1862 established colleges for farming and mechanics.
_____ 3. A college offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees.
_____ 4. Students take courses in their major and in other fields as well in order to graduate with a
bachelor’s degree.
_____ 5. It takes four years to get a bachelor’s degree, up to two years for a master’s, and
approximately six years to complete a doctoral program.
B. Read the following statements and choose the best answer.
1. A College of Letters and Sciences is a(n)
a. independent institution.
b. private university.
c. unit within a university.
2. Many students studying to get a bachelor’s degree major in
a. engineering.
b. law.
c. business.
3. The first state-run colleges and universities
a. were built on public lands.
b. were as popular as the private-run colleges.
c. included Harvard and the College of William and Mary.
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Key Concepts 2: Reading and Writing Across the Disciplines
Additional Reading Quiz – Chapter 1
4. Colleges typically do not offer
a. undergraduate degrees.
b. graduate degrees.
c. bachelor’s degrees.
5. The Morrill Act of 1862
a. set up private colleges and universities.
b. developed farming programs and practical professions.
c. offered land for developing educational institutions.
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