According to the world university rankings published by Times Higher Education, more than 50% of the world’s top 200 universities are located in either the US or the UK. When it comes to planning for Higher Education, US and UK will definitely be the two most preferred choices for many people. Both countries are famous for their rich tradition of quality higher education, excellent research facilities, and a culture that fosters intellectualism as well as academic freedom. It is well known that both US and UK certainly provide an excellent environment for learning hence it is a tough decision to make between these two. In this article, we will discuss the primary differences between the American and British systems of higher education.
根據Times Higher Education，在全球排名前200的大學中有50％以上位於美國或英國。當我們說到高等教育時，美國以及英國大學往往都是我們的首選。兩國以高質量的高等教育，優良的研究設施以及能夠培養知識分子和學術自由的文化而著稱。眾所周知，美國和英國無疑為學習提供了良好的環境。因此，要在這兩者之間做出決定是非常的艱難。在接下來的文中，我們將討論美國和英國高等教育體系之間的主要區別。
1. Study Duration 學習時間
First and most importantly, education system is the key difference between the US and the UK, which largely affects the study duration for both. Courses in the UK are generally shorter than courses offered by universities in the US, which can save your time and money.
In a broad overview, study duration varies based on the programmes for the US and the UK are shown below:
Undergraduate degrees usually take 3 years to complete in the UK compared to 4 years in the US. Postgraduate degrees in the UK take just 1 year to complete. Whereby in the US, students would need to take 2 years to earn their degree. Studying a degree in UK basically means you can save your tuition fees and living costs, plus you’ll be able to start your career earlier. The main reason of the shorter course duration in the UK is attributed by a much more focused programme syllabus than in the US.
首先，最重要的一點是，美國和英國的教育制度是區別兩國學習時間的主要因素。英國的課程通常比美國大學提供的課程要短，這可以節省您的時間和金錢。
總的來說，學習時間因美國和英國的課程而異，如下所示：
在英國，學士學位通常要3年才能完成，而在美國則需要4年才能完成。英國的研究生學位僅需一年即可完成。在美國，學生則需要花費2年時間才能獲得學位。在英國學習學位基本上意味著您可以節省學費和生活費，並且可以提早開始您的職業生涯。英國課程時間較短的主要原因是他們的課程比美國課程還要專注。
2. Academic Term 學期
Most universities in the US begin their terms in mid to late August, although smaller liberal arts colleges may start later. Most take a rather lengthy break beginning in mid-December and begin the second semester in early to mid-January. However, universities that are on different calendars, such as a trimester or quarter-based system, may begin their winter break at the Thanksgiving holiday, which falls at the end of November.
美國大多數大學都在8月中下旬開學。但有些規模較小的文理學院可能會在遲些開學。多數學生從12月中旬開始休假，並於1月初至1月中旬開始第二學期。但是，採用不同學期制度的大學例如三個月或基於季節的系統可能會在11月底的感恩節假期開始寒假。
The academic term in the UK is a bit more varied. While most also use the semester system, the trimester and quarter systems are used in some universities. Many schools start in September or October and end in May or June, making for a slightly longer academic year. UK Christmas breaks tend to be shorter, but students will get another holiday over Easter soon after. The academic term is less standardized throughout the United Kingdom. It is advisable that you ask your university for their academic calendar and follow accordingly.
英國的學期會比較不一樣。儘管大多數也使用學期制，但某些大學使用了學期制和季度製。許多學校從9月或10月開始，到5月或6月結束，因此學年略長。英國的聖誕節假期通常會更短一些，但學生不久後將在復活節再度假期。英國的大學沒有統一的學期制度。建議您向大學索取他們的學歷表，並據此進行學習。
3. Course specialization 課程專業
UK universities allow students to choose their subject based on different specialization whereas courses in the US offer you a more general education with a variety of subjects out of your specialisation. That means there is a wide range of very specialised courses in the UK and these courses are ideal if you have a clear idea of what you want to study and you are considering a specialist career.
英國的大學允許學生根據不同的專業選擇他們的學科，而美國的課程則為您提供更多的通識教育，其中包括您的專業以外的各種學科。這意味著英國有各種各樣的非常專業與專注的課程，如果您對所要學習的課程有清晰的認識並且正在考慮從事專業職業，那麼這些課程是理想的選擇。
By contrast, in the US, you apply to the larger university and for the first year or more, you get to take courses from a variety of fields and have a big picture of what kind of career path the courses may lead you to. You are then required to declare a major at the end of the first year or perhaps even during the second year. However, even after you declare a major at an American university, you are still expected to take classes outside of that field, known as “electives.”
相比之下，在美國，您申請的是較大的大學，並且在第一年或一年以上的時間裡，您可以學習各個領域的課程，並對課程可能帶給您的職業道路有全面的了解。然後，您需要在第一年末甚至第二年選擇一個你想要的專業。但是，即使您在美國大學攻讀專業後，仍然需要學習該領域以外的課程，稱為“選修課”。
Therefore, we can say that the general emphasis of higher education in the US is breadth, students are encouraged to learn a range of knowledge from a variety of different subjects. In the UK, the emphasis is more on depth, focusing on the major you declared and getting a very thorough understanding of your chosen subject.
因此，美國高等教育的總體重點是廣度，鼓勵學生從各種不同的學科中學習各種知識。在英國，重點更多地放在深度上，側重於您所宣布的專業，並對所選科目有非常透徹的了解。
4. Homework and Grades 作業和成績
US system emphasizes breadth, hence there are lots more assessments throughout the semester. Courses may require weekly or even biweekly readings as well as other assignments such as small writing projects, major research papers, quizzes and oral presentations.
In the UK, most of the universities’ modules will have two or three major assessments throughout the semester. Some may have only one or two coursework and a big exam at the end.
美國系統強調廣度，因此整個學期都有很多評估。課程可能需要每週甚至每兩週閱讀一次，以及其他作業，例如小型寫作項目，大型研究論文，測驗和口頭報告。
在英國，整個學期大部分大學的學科都會進行兩到三個主要評估。有些人可能只有一兩份功課和最後的一次大考試。
5. Cost 價格
UK tuition fees are hardly cheap, but American universities are seriously costly.
英國的學費幾乎不便宜，但美國的大學卻很昂貴。
According to a law passed in 2012, universities in UK may charge up to £9000 (approximately HKD91,000) per year. Of course, this applies only to the citizens of the UK and the EU, not international students. Fees for international students can be significantly higher.
根據2012年通過的法律，英國大學學費每年收取約9000英鎊（約合HKD91,000）的費用。當然，這僅適用於英國和歐盟的公民，不適用於國際學生。國際學生的學費可能會高得多。
By contrast, the government has very little control over what universities charge in the United States. Most of the top US universities are private and average fees for a four-year course are £27,808 (approximately HKD281,000) a year. In many cases, fees will exceed this amount. The US differentiates between in-state tuition fees and out-of-state tuition fees, as well as between private and public universities. These distinctions determine the tuition fee.
相比之下，政府對美國大學的收費幾乎沒有控制權。美國大多數頂尖大學都是私立大學，四年制課程的平均學費為每年27,808英鎊（約合HKD281,000）。在許多情況下，費用將超過此金額。美國在州內學費和州外學費之間以及私立和公立大學之間進行區分。這些區別也決定了學費的價格。
Conclusion 結論
While both countries carry the same weight in delivering outstanding education, you should take into consideration the various differences mentioned in this article, especially the amount of time it takes to complete the online degree, the fees and whether you prefer more depth or more breadth in your degree programme for a seamless study experience.
儘管兩國在提供優質教育方面的權重相同，但您應考慮到本文中提到的各種差異，尤其是完成學位所需的時間，學費以及您是否更喜歡深度或廣度學位課程提供無縫的學習體驗。