Exploring Higher Education in Australia: Degrees, Pathways, and Opportunities

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Higher education in Australia

Australia is a popular study destination among international students for higher education. You can discuss this with a study abroad consultants to know more. The below article gives a glimpse of the higher education landscape in Australia.

Australian Higher Education programs are highly regarded and internationally recognized. There are 43 universities in Australia and several private institutions. About 25% of enrolments are from international students. This is offered by universities and non-university higher education providers (including private institutes and government-owned TAFEs)

Bachelor’s Degree

Bachelor’s degree is typically three years. Bachelors with honours is of 4 years. The student must have completed 12 years of school education or equivalent, Certificate 3 or 4 of TAFE or VET. It is generally the minimum qualification for a professional career. The students choose between different specializations (majors & minors). Double-degree courses are also available that allow students to gain two bachelor's degrees.

A bachelor with honours is also available. Honours require 3 years of completed bachelor’s followed by one year of coursework along with a large project or written thesis. 

Master’s Degree

Masters can be of 1 or 2 years. Generally, there are two semesters per year. Some institutes can have three trimesters per year. To enrol in a master’s program, the student must have completed a bachelor’s degree/ bachelor with honours degree or a post-graduate diploma. There are mainly three types of masters.

  1. Master’s (Research) – Students focus on the generation of research or new knowledge, generally in the form of a large thesis project (20K to 40K words).
  2. Master’s (Coursework) – Student focuses on professional practice or academic field of study. Students complete a large project or a minor thesis (12K to 20K words).
  3. Master’s (Extended) – Student focuses on professional practice. 

Some masters have exit points – allowing students to stop their studies at a certain point. They can obtain a graduate certificate or graduate diploma. 

Both bachelor’s and master’s generally start in March. 

Doctoral Degree

A doctoral degree requires three years plus another year for review. The student must have completed a bachelor’s with honours or a master’s degree. There are mainly two types of doctoral degrees.

  1. Doctorate by research (PhD) – Students conduct original, in-depth research, often leading to a potential career in academia. 
  2. Professional doctorate – This is a coursework qualification. It usually has a profession-related outcome. 

In both cases, students review literature, undertake experiments or investigate new methods. The outcome is generally a major project or thesis (40K to 60K words). Most doctoral candidates do not attend classes. They, however, have academic supervision throughout the year. Students can negotiate start dates with supervisors. 

30% of research students in Australia are international. Almost 90% of Australian research is rated at or above world standard. Australia globally ranks within the top 1% in 15 different fields of research including space science, physics, computer science, and clinical medicine. Australia ranks in the global top 4 in scientific journal articles. These include six categories – computer science, space science, multidisciplinary research, physics, clinical medicine and molecular biology & genetics. 85% of international post-graduate research level are employed. Entrepreneurs and academics are collaborating for technical innovation, including blockchain in finance, immersive simulation in education, robotics in medical procedures, IoT in agriculture, and silicon-based quantum computing.

Many higher education providers also offer graduate diplomas graduate certificate programs, and even associate degrees that lead to full bachelor's qualifications.

Pathways and Foundation Courses

If a student does not meet entry requirements for direct entry to an Australian university, she can utilise a pathway program to gain the skills required to start an undergraduate higher education program. These can be 

English Language Courses - 

Students studying ELICOS (English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students) courses have the same protections as other international students. Learning English in Australia, you can be assured that your course has been designed to meet the requirements of a student visa. The Australian Government will also accredit it for study on a student visa. You can learn English in Australia for the following purposes.

  1. General English proficiency – focus on communication skills 
  2. EAP (English for Academic Purposes) – to study in an educational institution in Australia
  3. ESP- (English for Specific Purpose)
  4. Exam preparation – for taking a test (IELTS/TOEFL/TOEIC/Cambridge 1st Certificate)
  5. Teaching English – TESOL/ TEFL/EfTC/Cambridge CELTA or DELTA

VET programs – 

Vocational courses, formally known as Vocational Education & Training (VET) programs, are taught by TAFEs and RTOs. The Australian Government owns a TAFE (Technical and Further Education) institute. An RTO (Registered Training Organization) is a private organisation. These institutions are generally smaller than universities and provide more practical courses. Many VETs include work placement or workplace-based training. These can be from 1 to 4 years long. These generally start in late January or early February.

Major fields covered in VET

  • IT, Cyber-security, Computing
  • Travel, Tourism & Hospitality
  • Business, Accounting, Management and Entrepreneurship
  • Engineering, Automation and Technology
  • Architecture, Planning, Building & Construction
  • Agriculture, Horticulture & Agritech
  • Legal studies
  • Automotive
  • Health, Medicine, Psychology and Laboratory sciences
  • Creative industries, Fashion & Design

You can try a psychometric test for career to identify suitable careers for you. This shall help you identify your target university degrees or VET courses. 

Qualification levels associated with VET

  • Certificate I – 4 to 6 months – lead to become competent operators
  • Certificate 2 – About one year – lead to become advanced operators
  • Certificate 3 – About one year – lead to become a qualified technician
  • Certificate 4 – 12 to 18 months – leads to becoming a supervisor
  • Diploma – 18 to 24 months – leads to becoming a paraprofessional
  • Advanced Diploma – 24 to 36 months – leads to becoming a junior manager

Apart from providing pathways to university programs, these can also provide pathways to work, making students job-ready in a shorter span of time. 

RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) – 

Many Australian institutions recognize prior learning based on completed studies in similar subjects, relevant training, related work-experience or workplace-base training, as well as professional licensing & examinations. Once the student applies for this, course credits or exemptions may be given for part of the course in which you are enrolling. Course credits can reduce the length of the program. If exempted, the student doesn’t need to take some compulsory unit.

Foundation studies – 

These are generally six months to 1 year long and generally start in February. These generally include subjects compulsory for all students as well as electives for specific subject streams.. English language support is also usually available., 

Some higher education providers have formal arrangements with pathway providers to give study credits for prior learning. 

Bridging Courses – 

These are usually designed for overseas-trained professionals as refreshers to fulfil entry requirements. They can also be for students who completed class 12th from outside of Australia. These are generally six months to 1 year long. 

Important considerations when deciding on a particular pathway are its alignment with future course requirements, location, duration, and cost. The students must research pathway courses that offer credits towards future studies. Choose a closer-to-home location if available. 

Australian Qualification Framework (AQF)

AQF defines ten levels. Some of them that we feel are relevant for international students are 

  1. Level 6 – Associate Level
  2. Level 7 – Bachelor’s degree
  3. Level 8 – Bachelor with Honours/ Graduate Certificate/ Graduate Diploma
  4. Level 9 – Master’s Degree (Research/ Course work/ Extended)
  5. Level 10 – Doctoral Degree 

Conclusion – 

Australia provides a wide range of higher education programs and pathways to international students. It also provides excellent research and employment opportunities.