美国大学教育是一种以建立知识体系为主要目的，以促进社会流动性等衍生效应为次要目的的教育体制。
由于美国大学数量之庞大，性质之复杂，比较常见和为学生所关注的，是按照其教学方式，开设专业，授予学位等因素进行综合性分类的评价方式。分类基本有：综合性大学，文理学院，社区大学和艺术院校。
综合性大学是提供本科，硕士和博士学位的研究性大学。综合性大学首先提供四年制本科学位，如比较常见的BA(BACHELOR OF ARTS)BS(BACHELOR OF SCIENCE)或BBA（BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION)BFA(BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS)BM(BACHELOR OF MUSIC)这样的专业学位。此外，综合性大学通常都会提供硕士学位，如常见的MBA（MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION)，MFA（MASTER OF FINE ARTS)LLM(MASTER OF LAW)ME(MASTER OF ENGINEERING),或MACC(MASTER OF ACCOUNTING),MEC(MASTER OF ECONOMIC）这样的专业学位。在硕士学位之后，综合性大学一般还会设立博士和荣誉学位（HONORARY DEGREE)如PHD/D.ED/D.E。
文理学院是独立的，仅设置本科学制，专注于博雅教育，提供四年制本科学位的大学。与综合性大学不同，它们大都不开设职业性强的学位（比如工程学位），甚至不分学院，但它们以更小的学生群体，更高的师生比例，更紧密的学术交流为自豪。
社区大学通常为两年制大学。它们不提供4年制大学的BACHELOR’S DEGREE,即学士学位，而是在两年毕业后给予学生ASSOCIATE DEGREE，即副学士学位，作为完成两年高等职业教育学院的证明，类似于我国的专科文凭，以保障教育平等或职业化训练为主要目标，社区大学一般拥有比州立大学更低的学费，以及非常低的录取门槛。
除了部分综合性大学中开设了艺术专业，美国大学中有一类专门教授艺术类课程的高校，统称为艺术类院校。比较为我们是熟悉的有罗德岛设计学院，帕森斯设计学院，纽约视觉艺术学院，普瑞特艺术学院，芝加哥艺术学院等。它们通常都开设本科和研究生课程，开设各种设计，绘画和影视等专业，是培养专业艺术人才的摇篮。
American college education is an educational system whose main purpose is to build a knowledge system and its secondary purpose is to promote social mobility and other derivative effects.
Due to the large number and complex nature of American universities, the most common and most concerned evaluation method is the comprehensive classification based on their teaching methods, majors, degrees and other factors. The categories are: comprehensive universities, liberal arts colleges, community coll
eges and arts colleges.
Comprehensive universities are research universities offering undergraduate, master's and doctoral degrees. Comprehensive universities initially offered four-year undergraduate degrees, Such as the most common BA(BACHELOR OF ARTS)BS(BACHELOR OF SCIENCE) or BBA (BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION)BFA(BACHELOR OF FINE) BACHELOR OF MUSIC (BM) In addition, comprehensive universities usually offer MASTER's degrees, such as the common MBA (MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION), MFA (MASTER OF FINE ARTS)LLM(MASTER OF LAW)ME(MASTER OF ENGINEERING), OR MACC(MASTER OF ACCOUNTING),MEC(MASTER OF OF ECONOMIC). The master's DEGREE is usually followed by the doctoral and HONORARY degrees such as PHD/D.E /D.E.
Liberal arts colleges are independent, undergraduate only universities that focus on liberal arts education and offer four-year undergraduate degrees. Unlike universities, most do not offer career-focused degrees (such as engineering degrees) or even separate schools, but they boast smaller student bodies, higher student-faculty ratios and closer academic exchanges.
Community colleges are usually two-year colleges. They do not provide students with a BACHELOR's DEGREE from a 4-year university. Instead, they give students a ASSOCIATE DEGREE after two years of graduation as a proof of completion of a 2-year college of higher vocational education. Similar to China's college diploma, it aims to guarantee educational equality or vocational training. Community colleges tend to have lower tuition than state universities and very low barriers to admission.
In addition to some comprehensive universities offering art majors, there is a class of colleges and universities specializing in teaching art courses in American universities, collectively known as art colleges and universities. We are familiar with Rhode Island School of Design, Parsons School of Design, New York School of Visual Arts, Pratt Institute of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago and so on. They usually offer undergraduate and graduate courses, offering various majors in design, painting and film and television, and are the cradle of professional artistic talents.