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A '''University''' is an institution of post-secondary education, usually meaning one that has many [[college]]s under its auspices.  In the [[United States]], there is, however, no rule that this must be the case for a [[school]] to use the word university in its name. Other countries may have legal or academic requirements for a school to do this. A case in point is the [[United Kingdom]], which used to have [[degree]]-issuing institutions known as [[polytechnics]] teaching subjects of a more vocational nature, which were upgraded to university status through the [[Further and Higher Education Act]] in 1992. Hong Kong did the same to its polytechnics in 1994 and 1995 and to the then Shue Yan College, now [[Hong Kong Shue Yan University]], in 2006. In these cases, the change in status allowed them to validate their own degrees rather than have them validated by an outside body such as the [[Council for National Academic Awards]] in the UK.  

A '''University''' is an institution of post-secondary education, usually meaning one that has many [[college]]s under its auspices.  In the [[United States]], there is, however, no rule that this must be the case for a [[school]] to use the word university in its name (e.g. the three main service academies).

 

Other countries may have legal or academic requirements for a school to do this. A case in point is the [[United Kingdom]], which used to have [[degree]]-issuing institutions known as [[polytechnics]] teaching subjects of a more vocational nature, which were upgraded to university status through the [[Further and Higher Education Act]] in 1992. Hong Kong did the same to its polytechnics in 1994 and 1995 and to the then Shue Yan College, now [[Hong Kong Shue Yan University]], in 2006. In these cases, the change in status allowed them to validate their own degrees rather than have them validated by an outside body such as the [[Council for National Academic Awards]] in the UK.  

True universities will often not only have many distinct [[undergraduate]] colleges, but usually several prominent professional or [[graduate school]]s as they are known in the United States.  Graduate schools offer advanced degrees in many academic fields, and sometimes also offer professional degrees in fields like [[Medicine]] and [[Law]].

True universities will often not only have many distinct [[undergraduate]] colleges, but usually several prominent professional or [[graduate school]]s as they are known in the United States.  Graduate schools offer advanced degrees in many academic fields, and sometimes also offer professional degrees in fields like [[Medicine]] and [[Law]].

The most prominent universities are the older colleges that have grown over the centuries since their founding, and (in the United States)the land grant State universities which were founded to make higher education affordable for the common man (and, eventually, woman).  Many of the most prominent private colleges and universities were created to train pastors and other religious leaders and even without that mission, they were closely affiliated with a church or denomination.  Land grant institutions, on the other hand, usually were founded with economic development and general education as their primary missions and were founded as government-supported, secular institutions.

The most prominent universities are the older colleges that have grown over the centuries since their founding, and (in the United States) the land grant State universities which were founded to make higher education affordable for the common man (and, eventually, woman).  Many of the most prominent private colleges and universities were created to train pastors and other religious leaders and, even without that mission, they were closely affiliated with a church or denomination; the majority have since either severed their ties with that church/denomination (and thus have become private secular universities) or that church/denomination has become liberal (often as a result of the university's liberal bias).  Land grant institutions, on the other hand, usually were founded with economic development and general education as their primary missions (usually agriculture and mechanical arts, the latter a predecessor to modern engineering) and were founded as government-supported, secular institutions; today they have largely expanded beyond their historic base to include other courses.

 

Another group of universities, largely second-tier behind the prominent ones, were started as "normal schools" which focused on training teachers in educational philosophy.  These universities still perform that mission but have also expanded to include other courses, usually those focused on local or regional needs (e.g. Stephen F. Austin State University, located in the forested area of East Texas' Piney Woods, has a significant forestry program).

== See also ==

== See also ==