Education Student Services

The qualifications you can attain at a university or higher education institution are shown below.

• Your Goal - To improve general proficiency to access higher level courses; to improve your English for everyday use; to improve your English for travel; to improve your English for work purposes or to do casual work in an English speaking country
• Course description - Focusing on communication skills with emphasis on speaking and listening

Associate degree

• Duration - Two years
• Completed following - Year 12 or equivalent, Certificate III or Certificate IV
• Details - The Associate Degree is a short-cycle Degree program that can help with career development if you're already working and don't have time to complete a full Bachelor Degree. It can be a pathway to a Bachelor Degree or prepare you for an Advanced Diploma in specialist industry training. An Associate Degree will be about the basics or foundations of your field. It will cover the broad theory and enable you to develop the basic employment-related skills.

Bachelor Degree

• Your Goal - You want to learn the spoken and written English needed for a specific context and perhaps want to consider an internship
• Course description - Focusing on practical English for specific course areas such as business, aviation or tourism

Examination Preparation

• Duration - Three years
• Completed following - Year 12 or equivalent, Certificate III or Certificate IV
• Details - A Bachelor Degree is the basic qualification for entry to a field. It will give you a systematic body of knowledge, the underlying principles and the problem-solving techniques you'll need to work in the discipline. With deeper content than an Associate Degree, your Bachelor Degree will develop your skills and knowledge to the point where you can pursue postgraduate studies if you want to.

Bachelor Degree (Honours)

• Duration - Four years
• Completed following - Bachelor Degree
• Details - If you do particularly well in your Bachelor Degree, your institution might grant entry to an additional year of study to enable you to graduate with honours.

Graduate Certificate

• Duration - 6 months
• Completed following - Bachelor Degree
• Details - Your Graduate Certificate will broaden individual skills you already have from an undergraduate program, or develop your knowledge in a new area.

Graduate Diploma

Duration - One year

Completed following - Bachelor Degree

Details - A Graduate Diploma will apply a body of knowledge in a range of contexts for you to undertake professional or highly skilled work and as a pathway for further learning.

Master Degree

Duration - 1 to 2 years

Completed following - Bachelor Degree (Honours) or Bachelor Degree

Details - A Master Degree is a course of independent research, traditional coursework or a combination of the two, and will make you a leader in your field. A Master Degree takes either one year after a Bachelor Degree with honours, or two years after a Bachelor Degree.

Doctoral Degree

Duration - Typically 3 years

Completed following - Masters Degree

Details - The highest award offered by Australian universities, the Doctoral Degree is a research program, although it can have some coursework. The three components of your Doctoral Degree are:

A review of literature, experimentation or other methodical approach to a body of knowledge.

An original research project that makes a contribution to understanding and knowledge in your field.

A substantial, well-ordered thesis that shows a relationship between the research and the field of study.

Whether you’re looking to move straight into the workforce, or to take an initial step in your tertiary education, an Australian Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification can take you where you want to go.

Australia’s VET sector is based on a partnership between governments and industry. VET qualifications are provided by government institutions, called Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutions, as well as private institutions. Australian governments (federal and state) provide funding, develop policies, and contribute to regulation and quality assurance of the sector. Industry and employer groups contribute to training policies and priorities, and in developing qualifications that deliver skills to the workforce.

Study with the experts…

Nothing is more exciting than learning from someone who shares the same passions as you do – and who’s already been there and done it at the highest level. In Australia, VET teaching staff are not just industry-aware, but have actual experience in their fields of expertise – maintaining the currency of their knowledge, and modifying their courses to reflect changing industry focus and needs. And that means you learn not only the theory, but also the reality of the subjects you’re studying.

…And learn on the job.

Many of our VET courses incorporate a period of on-site learning, which means you don’t just learn in a classroom, but get priceless industry experience in a genuine work environment. It’s real-world industry experience that ensures your qualifications fully prepare you for employment in your chosen industry.

Our quality assurance

In Australia, the quality of your education is guaranteed. In fact, the wellbeing of all international students, the quality of their educational experience, and the provision of up-to-date and accurate information is protected by law – under the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act 2000. On top of this, a national VET Regulator – Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) (opens in a new window) – ensures the quality of our education to more than 1.2 million students – including some 230,000 international students involved in vocational education and training.

Vocational education and training (VET) institutions specialise in providing students with hands-on experience and real-world skills. Courses are taught within an array of industries, including: administration, retail, tourism and hospitality, construction, utilities, community services and health, transport, mining, manufacturing, and technology.

VET qualifications are outcome-based and focus on the occupational skills and competencies gained. The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognises prior learning or current competence in the industry. This makes credit transfer easier and offers students flexible learning pathways. Qualifications range across four levels of certificates (Certificate I, II, III and IV), as well as Diploma courses and Advanced Diploma courses.

Your VET course will broaden your skills in a specialised area that teaches you the practical experience you'll need for the workplace. It will train you to design, plan, and execute the practical and technical aspects of your field in an industry context.

Listed below are the qualifications and possible career outcomes of Australian VET courses:

Certificate I

• Duration - 4 to 6 months
• Career outcome - Competent operator

Certificate II

• Duration - About 1 year
• Career outcome - Advanced operator

Certificate III

• Duration - About 1 year
• Career outcome - Qualified tradesperson or technician

Certificate IV

• Duration - 12 to 18 months
• Career outcome - Supervisor

Diploma

• Duration - 18 to 24 months
• Career outcome - Para-professional

Advanced Diploma

• Duration - 24 to 36 months
• Career outcome - Junior manager

School education in Australia includes preschool, preparatory (or kindergarten), primary school, secondary school (or high school) and senior secondary school (or college).

Schooling lasts for 13 years, from preparatory to senior secondary. School is compulsory until at least the age of 16. Types of schools include government schools, non-government schools (including faith-based schools such as Catholic or Islamic schools) and schools based on educational philosophies such as Montessori and Steiner. All schools must be registered with the state or territory education department and are subject to government requirements in terms of infrastructure and teacher registration.

Australian schools do more than just educate students. They prepare them for life − developing communication skills, self-discipline and respect for themselves, their peers and their world. Schools offer a broad curriculum in the key learning areas – English, mathematics, studies of society and the environment, science, arts, Languages Other Than English (LOTE), technology, health and physical education. They also believe strongly in the benefits of a rounded education – including the teamwork, self-expression and personal development that happen outside the classroom.

In Australia, students will enjoy a diverse learning environment that is as personally enriching as it is educational, and develop the skills and qualities needed in a changing world.

A higher standard of learning

Australian schools are among the finest in the world. See for yourself what makes an Australian education so valuable:

• Small class sizes (a maximum of 30 students in a class).
• University-trained and qualified teachers and specialist teachers in subject areas.
• Facilities of a high standard – including a high level of technology, with all schools having computers and internet access.
• 'Gifted and talented’ programs to extend students who are high achievers.
• ‘High Achievement’ programs, which see the top students studying university-level subjects for advance credit.
• Individual learning programs for students who require additional learning support.
• Quality assurance frameworks where schools must meet required standards.

Producing thought leaders

The Australian school curriculum prepares you for your future. Our schools aim to develop students into independent and successful learners, confident and creative individuals, and active and informed citizens – with the view to giving them all the skills, knowledge and capabilities to thrive in a globalised world. From Kindergarten to Year 12, Australian schools focus on providing equity for every student, and striving for excellence in all areas of education.

Teaching styles and assessment methods

A variety of teaching methods are used, including: teacher-directed learning, student research, group projects and presentations, visual presentations, e-learning and interactive classrooms. A variety of assessment methods are used to assess student outcomes. These may include individual research projects, group assignments, oral and visual presentations, the use of technology including PowerPoint, podcast or vodcast presentations, as well as the more traditional class tests and assignments. National and state testing programs ensure standards are met and maintained.

School qualifications

After completion of senior secondary school (Years 11 and 12) students sit for exams and receive an official certificate of qualification. The name of this certificate varies within Australia's state-based education systems but regardless of what the certificate is called, it is recognised by all Australian universities, higher education and vocational education and training institutions, as well as many institutions internationally.

Studying English in Australia is about much more than reciting words in a classroom. Our teaching approach focuses on critical thinking, as well as group and project work – all drawn from real-life experiences, which means you will not only be learning the language, you will be learning how to use it in everyday life.

By studying English in Australia, you will gain a huge range of life skills you cannot get at home. Invaluable skills like problem-solving, leading diverse teams of people, and applying your English to real-world situations – abilities you will draw on for the rest of your life. With a multicultural mix of students in our educational facilities, you will learn the world’s language in a truly international environment.

Our English language teaching maintains a consistently high quality – no matter where you study or what course you choose. With mandatory national standards and a comprehensive, industry-led quality support framework (see English Australia) you can be confident that you’re getting the very finest English education.

Types of English training

Australia offers a range of English courses to suit a range of study needs. There are a range of English language testing organizations whose results are recognized in Australia and around the world.

General English

• Your Goal - To improve general proficiency to access higher level courses; to improve your English for everyday use; to improve your English for travel; to improve your English for work purposes or to do casual work in an English speaking country
• Course description - Focusing on communication skills with emphasis on speaking and listening

English for Academic Purposes

• Your Goal - You want to study in an Australian school, vocational college or university
• Course description - Preparing you for study at an English-speaking university, higher education or vocational institute

English for Specific Purposes (ESP)

• Your Goal - You want to learn the spoken and written English needed for a specific context and perhaps want to consider an internship
• Course description - Focusing on practical English for specific course areas such as business, aviation or tourism

Examination Preparation

• Your Goal - You plan to take an exam such as IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC, or the Cambridge First Certificate
• Course description - Preparing you for English language proficiency examinations

English for Teaching

• Your Goal - You want to teach English in schools in your own country
• Course description - These courses include TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, EfTC (English for Teaching Children.)

Study Tours

• Your Goal - You want to have a short holiday, study English and have fun or study English and undertake work related training
• Course description - These courses are a combination of General English with sporting, social, tourist, cultural or professional training activities.

Our quality assurance

Australia has national regulatory and quality agencies for international education – the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) (opens in a new window) and the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA). (opens in a new window) They were established by the Australian Government to monitor quality, and regulate university and non-university education providers against a set of independently developed standards to regulate courses and education and training providers to ensure nationally approved quality standards are met. These two bodies share responsibility for monitoring national standards for English language colleges (opens in a new window).

In addition, the following student rights are protected by law under the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS):

• The wellbeing of all international students.
• The quality of students' education experience.
• The provision of up-to-date and accurate information.