USA Undergraduate Degrees 2024: Course Structure, Curriculum

USA Undergraduate Degrees: The USA, an undisputed favourite amongst the international-bound student community, has recently seen a spurt in undergraduate international students. The reasons can be many. The improved infrastructural facilities, the wider knowledge base and the advent of American Television to the Indian Homes. With schools to turning towards creating an international experience, young India is rising to the possibilities of pursuing their graduation from America. And why not?

America, tipped as a land of opportunities boasts of a robust education system. Funded on the principles of practical learning and research, the courses provide the students with flexibility which the Indian System sadly lacks. So you could be pursuing a major in history while learning about economic policies or perhaps taking up music lessons. They leave you to decide and choose a subject that interests you and helps you. Of course there are some mandated courses for a certain degree. For example, if you are thinking about pursuing a bachelors in science or applied sciences, the relevant subjects of mathematics, biology, etc. would be a part of your course structure. But then again…it would be a matter of choice.

No matter what your reason, however, the fact remains that while it offers a world of opportunities and possibilities to you, it is essentially different from what we are used to in India. Here’s a look at the course structure of American Education System at the Undergraduate Level vis a vis the bachelor’s degrees available in India.

Course Length

The first point of difference is the course length. Barring the professional degree courses like medicine, architecture, dentistry, engineering, biotechnology, etc., all bachelor courses in India are traditionally of 3 year duration. In USA, however, a bachelor’s degree is divided into 4 years. Be it arts & humanities or engineering or applied sciences, it is a four year course.

In effect, the course is divided into credits and require a stipulated number of credits to be completed which usually takes four years. An elaborate Credit System ensures that a student devotes stipulated hours of classroom coaching and practical training. While students might take longer to complete their graduation, the minimum time spent would be 4 years.

The years are divided as freshman (first), sophomore (second), junior (third) and senior (fourth) year.

Course Structure

If you take admission in a commerce course or arts course in India, you usually get right to it. The Indian College system recognizes that you have spent and acquired a basic level of understanding of the subject of choice. That is not the case in America.

The flexibility of the American education system has ensured that students can choose from a wide range of subjects. This has in turn extended to the colleges/ universities in the country as well. Traditionally, they take out one year to re-equip you with the basics of the chosen subjects. They also give you an opportunity to try out a variety of subjects before you narrow down on your chosen majors (read specialization).

Course Curriculum

The degree courses in America are divided into four subject classes.

Core Courses:

These are essentially the subjects that are deemed necessary for setting a standard or learning. Often concentrated in the freshman year, they comprise of subjects like English, mathematics, social sciences, physical sciences, physics, chemistry, etc. depending on the course. In case you are pursuing a degree of bachelors in science/ engineering, the concentration of core courses would be accordingly paced. Some universities might require you to take a large number of core courses while some might require a few.

Major Courses:

This is the subject of choice, your specialization. A student usually takes one major but you can also opt for more than one major if you believe you can manage both. Again for professional courses, the subjects are predefined but in liberal arts/ humanities, the list of subjects are vast.

Minor Courses:

These are the subjects the student wishes to concentrate on apart from the majors chosen. Ideally, the subjects chosen as a minor course would be half the number of subjects chosen for your major concentration and have proportionately less number of credits assigned.

Elective Courses:

These courses need not be related to your chosen field. These are subjects that you find interesting. Usually, these are lighter subjects which are opted for by the student to fill up for the credit hours required for graduation.

Grading System

Unlike in India, you don’t have a one shot at making or breaking your score. USA works on a continuous grading system which grades you for everything that you do. From your attendance to your practical work, assignments, essays…everything is graded and added to make your GPA or a Grade Point Average. At the end of the degree, the GPA’s are further cumulated to give a cumulated grade point average.

Almost all the universities use a GPA scale of 4.0. Also, when they talk about grades, that is what you get and not scores. Generally, the grade scale for different courses would be A for 100 - 90%, B for 89 - 80%, C for 79 - 70%, D for 69 – 65% and F for 64 - 0%. On a GPA scale, A would be given a 4, B a 3 and so on. The GPA is then calculated from the numeric equivalent of the letter grades given for each course.

Academic Year

The Academic Calendar of an American University starts from September and not July. The study period is usually 9 months that means an academic year in America would mean the period from September to May. You get at least two holiday breaks which would be a 4 week break in December – January and a short one week “Spring Break” in early March or April. There is a summer break which is often used by students to improve their grades or gather more credit hours.

To sum up, it would be enough to say that USA is not India. There are differences and perhaps these differences are the reasons why you chose USA in the first place. So be prepared and accept those changes. As far as what is similar is fundamental to both the countries and any country for that matter…there is only one route to success and that is hard work and determination. So keep your balance and focus. All the best!