What Is Australian Tertiary Education?

Like first, second, third, it goes primary, secondary, tertiary. As such, Australian ‘tertiary’ education is post-secondary (post-high school) education. Specifically, education after final compulsory schooling, which occurs at the age of 17 in Australia, or after a students’ Year 12 Higher School Certificate.

Australian tertiary education can be divided into two sectors, Vocational Education and Training (VET) and Higher Education:

Vocational Education and Training (VET)

The key to understanding Vocational Education and Training (VET) is to understand what is meant by the term ‘vocational’. Vocational is defined as “relating to occupation or employment” or “education and training directed at a particular occupation and its skills”. As such, VET courses typically have more emphasis on occupational skills for specific industries and roles rather than academic learning. VET is often referred to as technical or career education.

From lowest to highest, the VET qualifications are the Certificate I, Certificate II, Certificate III, Certificate IV, Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma. According to the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), which specifies the standards for educational qualifications in Australia, these are lower-level qualifications than those offered in the Higher Education sector (excluding the Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma which sit a step above the Bachelor’s Degree, and the Advanced Diploma which is the the same level as the Associate Degree).

Certificates I and II: Generally taking less than one year to complete, these are the most basic tertiary qualifications, designed to introduce learners to a vocational field and or provide a pathway to further learning (particularly for those who have not completed a year 12 Higher School Certificate).

Certificate III and IV: Generally taking six months to two years to complete, these are designed to qualify learners to undertake skilled work and or further learning (particularly for those who have not completed a year 12 Higher School Certificate).

Diploma: Generally taking six months to two years to complete, this course is designed to equip learners to undertake highly skilled or paraprofessional work and or further learning, often providing pathways to Higher Education study.

Advanced Diploma: Generally taking eighteen months to two years to complete, this course is designed to qualify learners with specialised knowledge and skills for highly skilled work or paraprofessional work and or further learning.

Graduate Certificate: Generally taking six months to one year to complete, this course is designed to qualify learners to apply a body of knowledge in a range of contexts for professional or highly skilled work and or further learning.

Graduate Diploma: Generally taking one to two years to complete, this course is designed to qualify learners to apply a body of knowledge in a range of contexts for professional or highly skilled work and or further learning.

VET sector qualifications and course providers are accredited and regulated by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA). The most common VET course providers are TAFE and private colleges (or Registered Training Organisations, RTOs).

Technical and Further Education (TAFE): Is an Australian government owned and nationally operated system of colleges which offer a huge diversity of nationally recognised training and qualifications.

Registered Training Organisations (RTOs): Are privately owned education providers (private colleges) which also provide nationally recognised training and qualifications to the same standard as TAFE. However, as RTOs are generally smaller in size than TAFE, RTOs tend to specialise in certain areas of study, focusing on a particular industry, sector or niche.

Higher Education

Higher Education courses typically have more emphasis on academic learning, knowledge, theory, personal attributes, the development of professional and transferable skills, rather than industry specific occupational skills.

From lowest to highest, the Higher Education qualifications are the Associate Degree, Bachelor’s Degree, Bachelor Honours Degree, Master’s Degree and Doctoral Degree. According to the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), which specifies the standards for educational qualifications in Australia, these are higher-level qualifications than those offered in the Vocational Education and Training sector (excluding the Bachelor’s Degree which is a step below the Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma, and the Associate Degree which is the same level as an Advanced Diploma).

Associate Degree: Generally taking two years to complete, the Associate Degree qualifies graduates with underpinning technical and theoretical knowledge and skills for paraprofessional work and or further learning.

Bachelor’s Degree: Generally taking three to four years to complete, this degree equips graduates with a broad and coherent theoretical, practical and academic knowledge and skills in a range of contexts for professional work and or further learning.

Bachelor Honours Degree: Generally taking one year to complete, this degree qualifies graduates to apply a body of knowledge in a specific context for professional work, and as a pathway for research and further learning.

Master’s Degree: There are three main types of the Master’s Degree ranging from one to four years to complete. With a Master’s Degree, you dig deeper into a specialised knowledge area than in the Bachelor’s Degree.

Doctoral Degree: Generally taking three to four years to complete, the Doctoral Degree qualifies graduates to apply a substantial body of knowledge to research, investigate and develop new knowledge, in one or more fields of investigation, scholarship or professional practice.

Higher Education sector qualifications and course providers are accredited and regulated by the Tertiary Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA). The most common Higher Education course providers are universities.

Universities: Are usually very large with many facilities, typically offering a huge diversity of accredited training and qualifications.

Useful Links

• To read more about the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), click here.
• To read more about Australian post-school qualifications (including VET and Higher Education qualifications), click here.
• To read more about the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) and the Tertiary Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), click here.
• To read more about tertiary education providers, including VET and Higher Education course providers, click here.

References

• Australian Government, Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), “About ASQA“, retrieved 27/06/18
• Australian Government, Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), “Australia’s VET Sector“, retrieved 27/06/18
• Australian Government, Study in Australia, “Universities and Higher Education“, retrieved 27/06/18
• Australian Government, Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), “What we do“, retrieved 27/06/18
• Australian Government, “Vocational Education and Training“, retrieved 27/06/18