Higher education
18 Nov 2010
On this page
- Short description of the higher education system
- Types of degrees
- Quality assurance and accreditation
- Recent reforms
Short description of the higher education system
In Australia, higher education is provided by 43 universities and a much larger group of higher professional education institutions. Since the abolition of the binary system in 1990, both types of institutions are called universities, and both offer academic and professional programmes. As mobility between different types of post-secondary education is encouraged, a growing number of universities have started to offer non-degree vocational education and training programmes. Most higher education institutions are public.
Types of degrees
The first university degree awarded is the bachelor’s degree, of which there are several types. The ordinary/pass bachelor’s degree is awarded upon completion of a three-year full-time programme, although some professional bachelor’s programmes take four years to complete. An honours degree (first or second class) is awarded on completion of an additional year of study and research, or on completion of an integrated four-year programme. Universities also offer five-year combined bachelor’s degree programmes that cover two subject areas.
A master’s degree is normally awarded on completion of a two-year programme following a three-year bachelor’s course (or a one-year programme after a four-year bachelor's). Australian universities offer coursework-based and research-based master’s programmes. The latter are examined externally, and graduates generally go on to do a PhD. A PhD degree is awarded on successful completion of a three-year research programme.
Higher professional education institutions offer bachelor’s, master’s and, in some cases, PhD degrees, as well as one or two-year programmes leading to a diploma, advanced diploma or graduate diploma (diplomas and advanced diplomas can be awarded by both the vocational and higher education sectors).
Quality assurance and accreditation
To be officially recognized by the Australian authorities, higher education institutions must apply to the state or territory in which they wish to operate. Once recognized, an institution is registered as such in the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). Self-accrediting institutions organize and offer their own programmes and are responsible for quality assurance themselves. Non self-accrediting institutions are included in a national/state/territorial register and are accredited by the competent authority.
The registers of those higher education institutions that are recognized and are not self-accrediting are available on the AQF website. Once every five years, the Australian Universities Quality Agency carries out a quality assurance audit at all higher education institutions, the results of which are publicly available.
Recent reforms
In 2009, the government responded to the Bradley Review of Higher Education by announcing a series of policies aimed at improving the quality of the Australian higher education system. Higher education funding will now be linked to institutional performance, thereby increasing competition. Universities are to offer flexible learning options, and there is expected to be a rise in the number of private-sector companies and technical and further education (TAFE) colleges.
In February 2010, the Baird Review of Australia’s Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act 2000 was published. The report makes a number of government recommendations to (i) ensure that international students in Australian education are better supported and protected and (ii) to improve regulation of Australia’s international education sector and maintain Australia’s reputation as a high quality study destination.
Download the Bradley Review (2.5 MB)
Download the Baird Review (1.2 MB)
