Australian Course Options
Australia has thousands of courses to choose from. Australia Study Team’s Education Counsellors will support you to choose the best course for you.
University Courses
The Australian Higher Education system follows an internationally recognised model. This is mapped to the Australian Qualification Framework (AQF).
There are five (5) types of undergraduate university course available at universities in Australia.
These include (from lowest to highest):
- Diploma
- Advanced Diploma
- Associate Degree
- Bachelor’s degree
- Bachelor’s Honours Degree
Bachelor’s degrees are the most common undergraduate tertiary degree in Australia and provide an initial preparation for most professional careers and for postgraduate study. Most Bachelor’s degrees require three years of full-time study at an Australian tertiary institution. A Bachelor’s (Honours) Degree is a further optional year of study, and is typically in one area of study and is a
combination of coursework and research.
There are seven (7) types of postgraduate courses that can be studied at universities in Australia:
- Graduate Certificate
- Graduate Diploma
- Masters Degree (Extended)
- Masters Degree (Coursework)
- Masters Degree (Research)
- Doctoral Degree
- Higher Doctoral Degree
A Graduate Certificate is typically a 6-month course of study for vocational purposes. A Graduate Diploma is for a similar purpose for one year. A Graduate Certificate or Diploma is undertaken to broaden skills in a professional or vocational area, for example, the library or teaching profession.
A Masters Degree is a degree in a field of study of professional practice and may be undertaken by coursework or research or a combination of the two.
A Doctoral Degree and a Higher Doctoral Degree is a higher degrees by research, through which a candidate contributes to a field of research through an original contribution to their field of study.
Vocational Courses
Vocational Courses (in Australia, known as Vocational Education and Training, or VET) are delivered by the VET Sector in Australia. VET focuses on skills for work and trades. An example of skills taught by VET providers includes hairdressing, plumbing, commercial cooking, horticulture, or civil construction. The skills taught by the VET sector are in high demand in Australia and often lead to
highly successful careers.
The qualifications taught in the VET sector include:
- Certificates I-IV: These are introductory level courses, teaching industry-specific skills, and range from six months to two years in length.
- Diploma: Diploma Courses prepare students for careers in industry, business, and paraprofessional careers;
- Advanced Diploma: Provides practical skills for advanced work, for example in accounting, building, landscape design, or engineering over up to two years of full-time study;
- Vocational Graduate Certificate and Diploma: Similar to the tertiary version of the Graduate Certificate and Diploma, this qualification provides high-level vocational skills and knowledge in a study area.
English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS)
International Students coming to Australia must complete an ELICOS course. ELICOS courses are designed to prepare students to develop their English language skills so they can complete the English requirement of their institutions, confidently converse in English while studying in Australia, and participate in Australian life.
Secondary School
Australia has a safe, high-quality secondary school system. The education system in Australia includes public, private (also known as ‘independent’) and Catholic schools.
All schools in Australia follow the National Curriculum, which sets national standards for English, mathematics, science, history, languages, the arts, geography, health and physical education, ICT, economics, and civics and citizenship. In South Australia, the final two years of secondary education is called the South Australian Certificate of Education, or SACE.