Higher education comprises formal or institutionalized education, leading to the awarding of recognized qualifications beyond the level of secondary schooling. It is defined in a variety of ways in different nations; in some countries, including parts of Europe and Australia, “higher education” is confined to degree-granting programs normally of three full-time years or more in duration. However, in some other countries, such as the United States and Canada, subdegree programs of two full-time years are included, while in some jurisdictions, shorter programs are included. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which [Page 385]publishes an annual series of comparative statistics on education, remakes the problem by focusing on “tertiary education” and dividing that category into degree and selected subdegree programs.

A related issue is the definition ...