College vs. Faculty: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Updated on December 25, 2023
College is an educational institution for higher learning; faculty refers to the teaching staff at such an institution.
Key Differences
Colleges are institutions dedicated to education and learning, offering a variety of academic programs and degrees. Faculty, on the other hand, refers to the collective body of teachers, professors, or academic staff who provide instruction within these institutions.
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A college may consist of various buildings, campuses, and facilities where educational activities occur, whereas faculty are the educators and researchers who curate and deliver the curriculum to students within the college.
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While colleges often encompass a larger organizational structure with administrative staff and departments, faculty specifically relates to those with the authority to teach and conduct academic research.
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The role of a college is to create an educational environment conducive to learning, whereas faculty contribute directly to this environment through teaching, mentorship, and academic guidance.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
An educational institution offering degrees.
A group of educators at an institution.
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Composition
Buildings, departments, students.
Professors, lecturers, instructors.
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Function
Grants degrees, hosts programs.
Delivers lectures, guides research.
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Example Usage
"She graduated from college last year."
"He joined the faculty of the history department."
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College and Faculty Definitions
College
A building used by an educational institution
The lectures are held in the main college building.
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College
A society of scholars within a university
The college met to discuss the new academic policies.
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Faculty
All the teachers of a particular school
The faculty at this school are very experienced.
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College
An institution of higher learning that grants the bachelor's degree in liberal arts or science or both.
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Faculty
The teaching staff of a university
The faculty voted to revise the curriculum.
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College
An undergraduate division or school of a university offering courses and granting degrees in a particular field or group of fields.
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Faculty
The authority to act in a particular field
The dean has the faculty to approve new courses.
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Faculty
A natural ability or power
He has a faculty for understanding complex theories.
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College
A school offering special instruction in a professional or technical subject
A medical college.
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College
The students, faculty, and administration of one of these schools or institutions
New policies adopted by the college.
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Faculty
A talent or natural ability for something
Has a wonderful faculty for storytelling.
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College
The building, buildings, or grounds where one of these schools or institutions is located
Drove over to the college.
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Faculty
(used with a sing. or pl. verb) The teachers and instructors of a school or college, or of one of its divisions, especially those considered permanent, full-time employees.
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College
Chiefly British A self-governing society of scholars for study or instruction, incorporated within a university.
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College
An institution for secondary education in France and certain other countries that is not supported by the state.
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College
A body of persons having a common purpose or shared duties
A college of surgeons.
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Faculty
The academic staff at schools, colleges, universities or not-for-profit research institutes, as opposed to the students or support staff.
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Faculty
A division of a university.
She transferred from the Faculty of Science to the Faculty of Medicine.
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College
(in some proper nouns) A group sharing common purposes or goals.
College of Cardinals, College of Surgeons
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Faculty
(Often in the plural): an ability, power, or skill.
He lived until he reached the age of 90 with most of his faculties intact.
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College
An institution of higher education teaching undergraduates.
She's still in college
These should be his college years, but he joined the Army.
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Faculty
Ability to act or perform, whether inborn or cultivated; capacity for any natural function; especially, an original mental power or capacity for any of the well-known classes of mental activity; psychical or soul capacity; capacity for any of the leading kinds of soul activity, as knowledge, feeling, volition; intellectual endowment or gift; power; as, faculties of the mind or the soul.
But know that in the soulAre many lesser faculties that serveReason as chief.
What a piece of work is a man ! how noble in reason ! how infinite in faculty !
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Faculty
Special mental endowment; characteristic knack.
He had a ready faculty, indeed, of escaping from any topic that agitated his too sensitive and nervous temperament.
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College
(Canada) A postsecondary institution that offers vocational training and/or associate's degrees.
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Faculty
Power; prerogative or attribute of office.
This DuncanHath borne his faculties so meek.
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College
A non-specialized, semi-autonomous division of a university, with its own faculty, departments, library, etc.
Pembroke College, Cambridge
Balliol College, Oxford
University College, London
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Faculty
Privilege or permission, granted by favor or indulgence, to do a particular thing; authority; license; dispensation.
The pope . . . granted him a faculty to set him free from his promise.
It had not only faculty to inspect all bishops' dioceses, but to change what laws and statutes they should think fit to alter among the colleges.
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College
(UK) An institution of further education at an intermediate level; sixth form.
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Faculty
A body of a men to whom any specific right or privilege is granted; formerly, the graduates in any of the four departments of a university or college (Philosophy, Law, Medicine, or Theology), to whom was granted the right of teaching (profitendi or docendi) in the department in which they had studied; at present, the members of a profession itself; as, the medical faculty; the legal faculty, etc.
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College
(UK) An institution for adult education at a basic or intermediate level (teaching those of any age).
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Faculty
The body of person to whom are intrusted the government and instruction of a college or university, or of one of its departments; the president, professors, and tutors in a college.
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Faculty
The body of teachers and administrators at a school;
The dean addressed the letter to the entire staff of the university
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College
(Australia) A residential hall associated with a university, possibly having its own tutors.
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College
A collection, body, or society of persons engaged in common pursuits, or having common duties and interests, and sometimes, by charter, peculiar rights and privileges; as, a college of heralds; a college of electors; a college of bishops.
The college of the cardinals.
Then they made colleges of sufferers; persons who, to secure their inheritance in the world to come, did cut off all their portion in this.
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College
A society of scholars or friends of learning, incorporated for study or instruction, esp. in the higher branches of knowledge; as, the colleges of Oxford and Cambridge Universities, and many American colleges.
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College
An institution of higher education created to educate and grant degrees; often a part of a university
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College
An institution of higher education
After high school, she attended college to study biology.
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College
A constituent part of a university
He belonged to the college of engineering within the university.
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College
A body of people engaged in a particular profession
The American College of Surgeons hosts an annual conference.
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Repeatedly Asked Queries
What is a college?
A college is an educational institution that offers undergraduate degrees.
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How long does it take to graduate from college?
Typically, it takes four years to complete an undergraduate degree in college.
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Is faculty only comprised of teachers?
Primarily, yes, but it can also include researchers and professors.
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Are all colleges part of a university?
No, some colleges operate independently from universities.
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Is community college the same as a four-year college?
No, community colleges typically offer two-year associate degrees.
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Do faculty members only teach?
No, faculty members also conduct research and perform administrative roles.
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Do colleges offer graduate degrees?
Some colleges offer graduate degrees, but often they are associated with universities.
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What does faculty mean?
Faculty refers to the academic staff responsible for teaching at an educational institution.
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Can college refer to a part of a university?
Yes, a college can be a specific school or division within a university.
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Can colleges specialize in one area?
Yes, there are colleges that focus on specific fields, like art or technology.
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Do you live on campus in college?
Many students choose to live on campus, but it is not mandatory.
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What’s a faculty lounge?
It’s a space designated for faculty to rest, prepare, or collaborate.
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Do faculty have to publish work?
In many institutions, publishing academic research is a requirement.
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Can someone be part of the faculty without teaching?
Yes, research faculty may not teach classes.
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Can faculty members be students as well?
Yes, some faculty members might be pursuing higher degrees while teaching.
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What’s the difference between a college and a university?
A university is typically larger and offers a wider range of graduate programs.
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Are all faculty members professors?
No, faculty includes lecturers, adjuncts, and instructors, not just professors.
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Do faculty members have other jobs outside of the college?
Some may, but most are dedicated to academic roles within the institution.
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How does one become a faculty member?
Through academic qualifications, usually a terminal degree, and a hiring process.
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
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