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The need for higher education arose back in the 12^th century. The purpose was to offer professionals a way to further their careers and would-be scholars avenues for enlightenment. Since the 12^th century colleges and universities have helped a great number of people get ahead both personally and professionally.

The birth of colleges and universities came at a time when people were looking for more. Professionals understood that their knowledge base needed to be increased in order to make a name for themselves in their chosen profession. At the same time the everyday person was becoming more aware of the importance of furthering their education to get a better job and higher stature in society.

There is a subtle difference between a college and a university. Universities are typically larger and are involved in research projects. They tend to have a wider array of curricula and they offer undergrad, graduate, and professional degrees. The first university was established in the 9^th century; the name of that university is Salerno. When universities first came about they were designed to aid a certain specialty.

For example, Salerno and Montpellier were both universities that specialized in medicine. There were also universities that focused on law, such as Bologna; and theology, like Paris. If you were to stroll back in time and spend a day in those universities back in the beginning you would note that they are different from the universities of today. Back then students did not sit in a classroom and listen to a lecture. Instead they were broken up into guide groups. The guide groups included facilitators who would lead learning exercises. Groups of students were referred to as "nations," and these "nations" would consist of people who were from the same areas.

Colleges started in a similar fashion. The first college was located in Paris and it was established during the 12^th century. The purpose of the first colleges was really to house the university scholars. They were not meant to be teaching institutions at all. However, the colleges started to take on many of the activities that took place in the universities and eventually surpassed the prestige of the universities.

Today the universities and colleges that are in place are a result of governmental and industrial changes. The international governments reorganized and nationalized certain universities. The 19^th century also saw the need for technical colleges and liberal art colleges to begin due to the demands of society.

From the beginning, universities and colleges were designed to help people improve their lives through learning. Whether it was the medical professional who needed to gain a new skill or advance his/her knowledge to make a name for himself, or the young lady down the road who just wanted to get more out of life, colleges and universities were there to help them get where they wanted to go.

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