Universities and higher education
Australia’s universities and higher education providers offer degree qualifications at undergraduate, postgraduate and doctorate levels.
Bachelor Degree
Bachelor Degree (Honours)
Master Degree
Doctoral degree or doctorate (including PhD)
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Duration
Three to five years (depending on degree structure)
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Completed following
Year 12 or equivalent; Certificate III or Certificate IV in TAFE or vocational education and training (VET).
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Details
A Bachelor degree is often the minimum requirement for professional careers or further study. It often combines theory and practice to give you broad knowledge in your area of study.
Degrees at this level allow you to choose from different specialisations (majors or minors) to open up your career opportunities.
You may also be able to enrol in a double degree. By completing extra courses, you could graduate with two Bachelor degrees. You will be better prepared to work in your field or go on to further studies.
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Duration
Usually a one-year honours program at the end of a three-year bachelor degree, as long as you meet your university’s academic requirements.
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Completed following
Bachelor degree, with required academic results.
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Details
In some cases, an Honours year will be built into your degree from the beginning.
In other cases, if you do particularly well in your Bachelor degree, your institution might give you the opportunity to complete an additional year of study. This will allow you to graduate ‘with Honours’.
An Honours degree will usually involve some coursework and either a large project or a written thesis (a long essay) that is developed over the duration of your final Honours year.
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Duration
One to two years
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Completed following
Bachelor Degree; or Bachelor Degree (Honours); or Graduate Diploma. For some postgraduate qualifications, you might be accepted if you have significant, relevant work experience.
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Details
A masters degree is a specialised course that requires you to find advanced answers to complex problems or questions.
Studying for a masters degree can help you become a leader in your field, or lead to further study in a doctoral degree (PhD).
There are three main types of masters degrees:
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Masters Degree (Research): The purpose of this degree is to produce research or add new knowledge in your field. You will usually need to complete a large project or a thesis (long essay of 20,000 to 40,000 words).
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Masters Degree (Coursework): In a masters degree (coursework) you can focus on professional practice or your academic field of study. As part of your studies, you may need to complete a large project or a minor thesis (long essay of 12,000 to 20,000 words).
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Masters Degree (Extended): In this type of masters degree, you will usually focus on professional practice. As part of your studies, you may need to complete a large project or a thesis (long essay of 12,000 to 20,000 words).
Note: Some masters degrees have ‘exit points’ within them. These may allow you to stop your studies at a certain point and be awarded a Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma. These are described below.
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Duration
Three to four years
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Completed following
Bachelor Degree (Honours) with a research component; or Masters Degree.
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Details
This is the highest award on offer at Australian universities.
There are two types:
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Doctorate by research, also known as a Doctor of Philosophy or PhD requires you to conduct original, in-depth research, often leading to a potential career in academia. Once you graduate, you will be given the title of ‘Doctor’.
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Professional doctorate: This doctoral degree is a coursework qualification. Upon completion, you will also be given the title of ‘Doctor’ but this qualification that usually has an outcome related to a profession.
In both types of doctoral degrees, you will review literature, undertake experiments or investigate new methods, making a major contribution to knowledge in your field. The result is often a major project or thesis (40,000 to 60,000 words).