The educational system in most countries is divided into several stages: infant, primary, secondary and higher education. Higher education is carried out at the university level and has a duration and a particular and variable structure depending on the legislation of each country.
As a general rule to access secondary education, a prior access test is carried out. Students who pass it can take the university academic training of their choice, although the grade obtained in the entrance exams is decisive to qualify for certain studies.
Secondary education is in turn made up of a series of stages, usually a degree (the traditional bachelor's degree), followed by a master's degree and the possibility of a doctorate.
The purpose of higher education
From an individual perspective, higher education provides the student with academic training to access the job market. In this sense, a series of compulsory subjects and other electives are studied with the purpose of exercising a profession related to them. Before starting university training, the student must assess two relevant issues: his professional vocation and personal interests and the situation of the labor market in relation to the studies chosen.
Within the framework of higher education, a research task that has a connection with society is carried out. This basically means that university research goes beyond obtaining a degree or a specific project, since the whole of society benefits from the knowledge obtained in the research task.
Relevant aspects
Higher education lasts at least three years and can be extended for a few more years. This circumstance implies that the student must have precise information on various aspects: the difference between the public and private university, the scholarship policy, the study of languages or the validation of the university degree in other nations.
Traditional academic training has changed substantially in recent years, and now, non-face-to-face programs, student exchanges between universities or further studies in other countries have become widespread.
Higher education must be governed by intellectual rigor, academic freedom of teachers and by moral values that permeate academic knowledge. On the other hand, educational methods based on innovation must be incorporated, as well as approaches that promote critical thinking and creativity.
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