The qualifications you can attain at a university or higher education institution are shown below.
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
Duration – Three to five years (depending on program)
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.
Masters Degree (Coursework)
Duration – 1 to 2 years
Completed following – Bachelor Degree (Honours) or Bachelor Degree
Details – A Masters Degree (coursework) involves traditional coursework that will develop your expertise in your field. A Masters Degree takes either one year after a Bachelor Degree with honours, or two years after a Bachelor Degree.
Masters Degree (Research)
Duration – Typically 2 years
Completed following – Bachelor Degree (Honours) or Bachelor Degree
Details – A Masters Degree is a course of independent research that will further your postition as an expert in your chosen field of study.
Doctoral Degree
Duration – Typically 3 to 4 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.
