在美国，“School”的意思很宽泛，只要是供人学习的地方即可称为学校。

　　In the United States, the word “school” describes any place where people learn.

　　在美国，“school”的意思很宽泛，只要是供人学习的地方即可。你可以把学院叫成“school”。你甚至可以把大学叫成“school”。任何英语语言机构，研究生课程，或者是初高中都可以被称作“school”。中学毕业之后，学生们接着就读的机构称为“college(学院)”或者 “university(大学)”。在美国，学院不是指高中或者中学。学院和大学课程开始于学龄满13年的时候，也就是当学生至少年满17-18岁时。两年制的学院毕业时会颁发副学士学位证书;四年制学院或大学则颁发学士学位证书。这些提供学位证书的机构，可笼统称为“undergraduate(本科)”院校。“university”指的是学生高中毕业后，继续学业的地方。这类“university”会包含至少一个学院，用于提供本科课程;其余的部分则为研究生学院。

　　In the United States, the word “school” describes any place where people learn. You can call a college a “school.” You can even call a university a “school.” You can use the word “school” for any English language institute, graduate program, or secondary (“high”) school. College or university follows after high school, or secondary school. A college in the U.S.A. is not a high school or secondary school. College and university programs begin in the thirteenth year of school, when a student is 17 or 18 years old or older. A two-year college offers an Associate’s Degree. A four-year college or university offers a Bachelor’s Degree. Programs that offer these degrees are called “undergraduate” schools. A “university” is a group of schools for studies after secondary school. At least one of these schools is a college where students receive a Bachelor’s Degree. The other schools in a university are “graduate” (also known as “postgraduate”) schools where students receive advanced degrees.

　　简而言之，“university”包含本科学院和研究生学院，例如硕士研究生和博士研究生。如果你想获得本科学位，那么 “college”或者 “university”都可以选择。但在美国，学生们往往习惯于称 “四年制本科院校”为“college”而不是“university”。只要是涉及本科级别的，他们都习惯于用“college”,他们会说“going to college(读本科)”或者“a college degree(本科学位)”, 无论是university中的本科学院还是独立的本科学院。然而，大部分的“college”还是指单独的院校的，与 university并无关联;小部分的“college”是指坐落于“university”校园中的本科学院。不排除一些“colleges”会针对某些特定的学科提供研究生课程，但通常来说，“university”才是提供研究生课程的地方。所以，美国人提到研究生学习时，都用 “university”，而不是“college”。

　　Therefore, a university offers both the Bachelor’s Degree and graduate degrees such as the Master’s (M.A.) and Doctorate (Ph.D.). You can earn a Bachelor’s Degree at either a college or a university. However, students in the U.S.A. prefer to use the word “college” rather than the word “university” when they talk about the four-year undergraduate program and the Bachelor’s Degree. They say “going to college” and “a college degree” when they talk about undergraduate programs at either a college or a university. Most “colleges” are separate schools. They are not located in a university. Some colleges are part of a university and are located on the university campus. (The “campus” is the school buildings and surrounding area.) A few colleges offer graduate programs in selected subjects. Usually, however, it is universities that offer graduate programs. So, Americans use the word “university” and not “college” when they talk about graduate study.