Higher Level Education System

The Australian Postgraduate Education System

When you think of Australia, you might be more likely to imagine surfing and barbecues than libraries and laboratories. However, Australia is among the world’s biggest spenders on education, research and development and produces a similar amount per capita of scientific research papers as the USA and the UK, making Australia an attractive location for international postgraduate study. Science and surfing is, after all, a hard combination to top.

Australian institutions offer a diverse range of postgraduate options and are involved in many advances in the telecommunications, information technology, manufacturing, mining and agricultural industries. There is a strong practical and vocational prominence and an emphasis on quality, diversity, access and equity.

Australia is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world - so international students (and certainly Irish students) can be confident of being made to feel at home. It is the third most popular study destination in the English-speaking world, with more than 200,000 international students enrolled in Australian third level institutions. As well as Europeans and Americans, this includes a growing number of students from Asian neighbours such as Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

Australian universities are mostly public and vary significantly in size, ranging from 40,000 students down to around 2,000. Each major Australian city has a significant university, and smaller institutions are dotted around the country. At postgraduate level, there is a practical emphasis on career-orientated and vocational education. As Australian universities are down under, the academic year starts in late February and finishes in November. Many universities and colleges also accept enrolments in July.

The system of awards is broadly similar to the Irish system.

Associate Degree – 2 years

Bachelor Degree – 3 to 4 years

Graduate Certificate – 6 months

Graduate Diploma – 12 months

Masters Degree – 1 to 2 years

Doctoral Degree – 3 to 5 years

Universities also offer Vocational Graduate Certificates, which involve the development of specific professional knowledge and skills.
Qualifications are centrally accredited under the Australian Qualifications Framework, which is overseen by the Australian Government. This makes transferring between courses and institutions easier, and also ensures a certain standard for all qualifications. The Australian government take an active interest in attracting international postgraduate students and ensures that institutions provide education to international students to meet nationally consistent standards in education delivery, facilities and services.