What is University: Definition and 1000 Discussions

A university (Latin: universitas, 'a whole') is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs.
The word university is derived from the Latin universitas magistrorum et scholarium, which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars".The first universities were created in Europe by Catholic Church monks. The University of Bologna (Università di Bologna), founded in 1088, is the first university in the sense of:

being a high degree-awarding institute;
having independence from the ecclesiastic schools, although conducted by both clergy and non-clergy;
using the word universitas (which was coined at its foundation);
issuing secular and non-secular degrees: grammar, rhetoric, logic, theology, canon law, notarial law.

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  1. G

    Schools Graduate studies in University of Florida

    I consider entering the University of Florida for graduate physics studies. Do you know what the ranking of the University is? Is it worth going there? Some good or bad experiences from this institution? Could maybe anyone compare studies at Florida and at the best institutions, such as MIT...
  2. A

    1st year Chemistry Course in University

    Hi everyone, I was wondering if anyone would be willing to lend a helping hand to a first year chem student. I have forgotten a lot of material from my high school courses and am currently struggling just with completing the reviews. The book that I'm using is called "General...
  3. S

    Schools Studying theoretical physics at the same university

    At the moment, I'm doing my Master degree in theoretical physics. I'd like to do a doctoral program in the field of quantum field theory. My partner is also doing his Master degree at the same university like me (in Switzerland). He is more interested in the field of astrophysics. We are...
  4. A

    Well my university doesnt have aerospace

    Well I am a freshman in college (University of Toledo) and all day today i pretty much was contemplating on whether to pursue Pharmacy, Med School, or Aerospace engineering. Well the side of my that's obsessed with airplanes took over and I am pretty much set on aerospace engineering. problem...
  5. M

    University of Chicago Economics Major Applying to Law School

    I'm going to be a 3rd year at the University of Chicago. I am an economics major with a concentration in mathematics. I am interested in applying to law school. Right now, I have a 3.48 GPA, I have no idea what my LSAT scores will be (thought I imagine they will be on the higher side). I...
  6. A

    Schools How much effect does undergrad university have on choice of PhD uni (UK)?

    I am just coming into Year 13 in the UK and I need to choose which universities to apply to, at AS Level I got 5As in Maths, Further Maths, Bio, Chem and Physics so I have a free choice as far as entry requirements go with the exception of places like Oxbridge and maybe even Imperial where there...
  7. C

    Get Help with Your University Course: Q1-C

    Hey all, as you can see I’m new here and signed up because my uni course is annoying and I was hoping for some good advice and I also found some good material I can use for my assignments. Currently this is the question that has been giving me grief and my lecturer hasn’t replied to my...
  8. LaserMind

    Geneva University speed of entanglement results

    According to the newspaper Students at Geneva University have found that "A signal passing between entangled photons 18 km apart must travel at least 10000 times faster than light" Its the same problem about the 'speed' of wave function collapse - there is no 'speed' parameter in the wave...
  9. A

    Schools Grad School from a State University

    I go to a small state university in Pennsylvania. I'll probably end up with a dual major in Physics and Math, possibly a minor in Comp Sci. But here's my issue: My university is really not meant for Physics. It has a really small department, and there aren't that many high-level courses...
  10. M

    Schools Tech Degree vs University Education

    Hi guys, I wanted to get the input of some people who post on these forums. Maybe some people who are in industry or currently in school. I'm currently at a university studying Mechanical Engineering. I'm about to enter my final year and only have a few more classes to finish to get my...
  11. Mk

    Purdue University declares physicist guilty of scientific misconduct

    http://chronicle.com/news/index.php?id=4849&utm_source=pm&utm_medium=en Wikipedia says about this:
  12. E

    Schools Can I make it to a university?

    I'm going to be a senior this next fall, and I'm wondering if I'll make it to a university. First of all, I'm wondering if the grades in my senior year matter at all as far as college admission. I wouldn't see how they make a big difference, as I'm probably going to make applications in the...
  13. Peeter

    Schools Journal access outside of a university context?

    I'm self teaching myself some physics. I enjoyed the subject in my undergrad Engineering days (~ten years ago) but didn't find we covered it thoroughly enough (more emphasis on calculation than understanding). Since I started my learning quest there have now been a number of times that I...
  14. Saladsamurai

    Schools What should I review to prepare for a university thermodynamics course?

    I will be taking this course in Fall 08. Here is a description: Obviously I should review the topics mentioned above that were covered in my Physics sequence, but is there anything else I could do to prepare for the course? Any maths or anything. I am not too worried, I just like to...
  15. H

    MATLAB Learning Matlab for University Beginners - Tips and Resources

    Hey!, I'm starting university soon and there we have to use a little Matlab. I have never programmed before, so I was wondering if you guys knew of any good texts for a beginner?
  16. H

    C/C++ Should I Learn PHP Before C++ for University?

    Hi, I was thinking of learning c++ as it would help me in my first year at university. However, someone told me that i should learn php first as it is easier and then learn php. Is that true? If not then are there any good tutorials on the internet for C++? Thanks.
  17. M

    Schools University of Toronto Physics Programs - Requirements & List

    Hi all, I was just wondering where I could find a list of physics programs the university of Toronto has, and I was also wondering what kind of marks should I should have to get into these physics programs. Currently i have a 82% average in grade 11 but I plan to work a lot harder in grade 12...
  18. D

    Employer Requirements for University Graduates: Grades, GPA and More

    When an employer looks to employ somebody straight from uni, what exactly will they look at? Will it be grades from individual units, my GPA, or something else, and how far back to they tend to look? Ive just started my first year in a commerce/engineering degree and so far my grades have...
  19. P

    Schools REU vs. work at your own university

    Greetings... I'm looking for opinions about whether I should apply for an REU next year. My situation is the following: I'm a physics undergrad student at a school with a fairly good physics reputation (UTexas at Austin). I'm certain that I want to pursue an academic career, and therefore plan...
  20. F

    Schools Out of school -> to university (for pharmacy)

    Hi all, A friend of mine graduated from high-school in 2001 without taking the ACT/SAT with a GPA in the C to B range. He worked out of high-school, but he now has a goal that he would like to pursue pharmacy. Can someone recommend what they believe the best route to accomplishing...
  21. D

    Medical Navigating Genius & ADHD: Strategies for University Success

    I went to see a professional psychologist today who suggested my current problems in university are the result of a combination of a high intelligence and ADHD. I am going to get professionally tested for both, of course. I know I am intelligent, but I am unsure of whether or not I am a genius...
  22. E

    Schools Applying for Engineering Science or an University program in Canada

    Hi, I'm a new member to this forum and i want to clear up my understandings about applying to an University program. My first choice is Engineering Science in UoFT and my current marks are 92 in Physics, 88 math, 88 chem, 50 in english and so on. I am in grade 11 and i just had a revelation...
  23. G

    Schools Are GRE Scores Required for Canadian Graduate Schools?

    Where has the best physics program in Canada? (as in university, of course!)
  24. A

    Schools University that I could major in two subjects and minor in one?

    I was wondering if there is any way when I go to university that I could major in two subjects and minor in one? Those two subjects I was thinking would either be physics/math, or physics/chemistry, as physics goes together with math and chemistry very well. Can I do this? Any suggestions on my...
  25. G

    Schools Thinking about takeing physics in university but have a few questions

    So here's the deal. Right now i am a high school student (age 17) and i am going off to uni in about a year and i really like physics. i want to take physics only in undergrad thou if i do end up taking it because i want to get to med school after 4 years. so here are my questions... How...
  26. electronic engineer

    Schools Which university; medical electronics?

    Sorry if i change the subject somehow. I'm going to do postgraduate studies of medical electronics in germany, so does someone know which univeristies offer this sort of studying and its ranking.
  27. M

    Schools Need help with university choice

    hi all i am a high school student(in ontario) going on to university next year.i'm planning on going into life sciences and eventually get into med school. i'm stuck between the university of toronto and queen's university and was wondering if anyone can help me in my decision. I am hoping...
  28. D

    Preparing for Research at Utah State University

    Hi I'll be going to Utah State University this summer doing research in coding and communications theory. I actually have no idea what coding and communications theory entails. Is there any sort of preparation i should do learningwise before i go out there? I don't want to get there...
  29. Andre

    Fire at Delft University - No Casualties

    That's in Delft. I'm witnessing it from my appartment in Holland: No casualities but it's a very sad day for science.
  30. Shackleford

    Schools BAM Finally got my final grade in University Physics I

    BAM! Finally got my final grade in "University Physics I" My Cal 3 grade was up pretty quickly after the final. I got an A in that. But the PHYS 2425 Mechanics and Heat or "University Physics I" took almost a week after the final. I got an A in that, too. :smile: It was my first physics course...
  31. P

    Schools Can AP exams substitute a year of university?

    Hello. Well, it looks like I'm going to have to go back for another year of high school due to low marks. However, it is very boring and I regret not doing better because I know everything and far beyond all of the math, science, and english curricula. There were also some complications relating...
  32. K

    Schools Best University for String theory

    What is the best University to do graduate studies and PhD if you want to go into String theory research?
  33. A

    Schools Which University Should I choose?

    Here is a list of the university I am admitted in. I am interested in Engineering, but am not sure, maybe I would want to do something else. Financial aid is a major point since my EFC is $948.00. GaTech is only giving a Pell Grant. That's it RHIT is giving a $15000 scholarship. Other than that...
  34. B

    Schools Whats a good SUNY(state university of New York) Engineering school?

    currently I'm a student at the City College of New York, but New York City is expensive as hell to live in, I plain just don't like the city, and the reason I've been living here has been to be with my girl friend, who I'm breaking up with. So, I want to transfer somewhere, some place that's...
  35. R

    Schools UBC, University of Toronto, Queen's or Waterloo for civil engineering?

    Hi, I am a Canadian high school student who has been admitted to the following universities: University of British Columbia (UBC), Queen's U, University of Waterloo, and University of Toronto, into the Faculty of Applied Science. I plan on being a civil engineering in the future, so...
  36. M

    Best physics textbook for basic university physics

    Hello everyone I was searching around and am interested in finding the best university physics textbook for a university level beginning physics course. We are using University Physics 12th edition by Young and Freedman but the explanations are somewhat lacking- the problems are more...
  37. J

    Schools Take a Break from University: Pros & Cons

    I'm currently finishing up my third year of university, set to graduate in a year or year and a half with a B.S. in mathematics. I'd like to go on to graduate school, but I'm beginning to have serious reservations. Mostly I'm concerned that I will not be able to get into grad school; my GPA is...
  38. V

    Schools Changing undergrad. course in University

    I'm currently an A2 student in the UK and I've received conditional offers from all my universities already. I originally wanted to do engineering but wants to do physics now, I emailed Imperial but they said Physics is full already but I can email them again once A-level results come out. How...
  39. V

    Schools Should I Study Physics at University?

    I can't decide whether to do physics at university or not. I'm doing my A2 right now in the UK. Physics seems really interesting but I can't do maths too well. I got an A grade last year for AS and I'm predicted an A this year... but does physics at university require monster maths? I was...
  40. T

    Schools What's it like at University of New Mexico?

    I just got in and it looks lke I'm going. Anybody from there on the board? What's it like?
  41. qspeechc

    Downloading & Installing MiKTeX for University Reports

    Hi all. I'm trying to download MiKTeX. Please note I know absolutely nothing about LaTeX and MiKTeX. So I went to their page http://miktex.org/2.7/Setup.aspx and clicked on the "Installing the complete MiKTeX system", downloaded the file. Now in the Net Installer, should I choose "Download...
  42. RyanSchw

    Schools Is the University of Phoenix Worth the High Cost for an Online Degree?

    What are your collective thoughts about the “University of Phoenix”? My brother recently enrolled and is set to start classes on April 21st. From what I understand they have an online program called Axia and would only required to meet on campus on the first and last days of each semester...
  43. M

    Schools How much does high school contest skill improve your grades in university math?

    How much does high school contest skill improve your grades in university math courses? Currently I find that all the contest tricks that I've learned play almost no role in my university courses, and studying my textbooks is all that matters now. Any clever thinking I had for those contests...
  44. C

    Schools Feasibility of EE+Physics at University of Waterloo

    The chances are slim, but anybody here know the University of Waterloo Engineering Department enough to know if EE+physics double major would be possible without taking a decade? Seems like many uncommon courses.
  45. D

    Schools Physics REU at University Park

    I applied to the physics REU at University Park where i attend school. I sent in 3 letters of recommendation and sent my transcript. My Cum GPA is 3.83. I am a freshman, but have completed Calc I,II,II, Linear Algebra, Dif. Equations and 2 physics (Mechanics, and Electricity and...
  46. I

    Schools Apply to Harvard University Undergrad Program - IB Programmer from Montreal

    Hello all, I am looking forward to apply at Harvard university (undergrad program). I am currently enrolled in the IB program at a well-known institution in my city (I live in Montreal). Since the program takes an additional year to complete (which is equivalent to first year of undergrad...
  47. W

    Schools Does the Obscurity of Your University Impact Job Prospects?

    What are the job prospects in your opinion for graduates of a school you never knew existed as compared to a respectable institution, even though the same programs of study are accredited by the same company.
  48. L

    Schools Choosing a UK university for physics wrt international PhDs

    Hey, I am in the process of choosing which univeristy I want to go to do my first degree. I am am also thinking about doing a PhD after I finish my first degree. I would like to do this PhD at a good international university in the US or in wider europe e.g MIT. With that in mind could...
  49. L

    Schools University of Toronto Undergrad

    Right now the University of Toronto is my first choice for undergrad in physics. I have read some posts by some people who went to U of T, Vincebs I think it was, who say that the averages are kept really low and it will be hard to get into grad school with. Is this really true? I was...
  50. Shackleford

    Schools University Physics I - Mechanics and Heat

    Well, I'm in the first Calculus-based introductory physics course. It's my first physics course since high school in 2002. I think I'm doing fairly well. The first exam is next Thursday. I want to do the very best that I can in this course as it is laying the foundation for the road ahead. What...
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