Australian Education System for International Students Overview

What comes to your mind when you think of Australia?

The Sydney Opera House?

The One Central Park?

Or

Bondi Beach?

Kangaroos?

Well, it doesn’t end here! A lot more to look into the Australian Education System.
Did you know?

According to the usnews.com, Australia ranks amongst the top 10 countries with the best education systems in the world & is the 3rd largest population of international students as well. This massive achievement is the outcome of a joint effort by the Australian Education System (committee) and the Australian Government.

The well-organized and well-structured Australian education system is beneficial. As a result, in 2019, over 700,000 international students were enrolled across various courses in Australia.

Are you planning to study in Australia? Then, here is a detailed overview of the Australian Education System.

Early Childhood Australian Education System

This education system was the outcome of private educational institutions’ emergence during the year 2000. Though this early education system is not mandatory, many children are placed into kindergarten for the development of behavioral and interpersonal skills.

Primary Australian Education System

The primary education is mandatory for every individual aged from 5 to 17, where students have the provision of choosing a government institution or a private institution.

The primary education is mandatory for every individual aged from 5 to 17, where students have the provision of choosing a government institution or a private institution.

Since the curriculum is a national standard, students learn similar syllabus throughout the country. (Nearly 60% Australians prefer public schools while 40% opt for private institutions).

The 21st-century curriculum of the Australian education system focuses on providing 7 capabilities that are vital for work and life, which includes:

· Literacy
· Numeracy
· Information and communication technology
· Critical and creative thinking
· Personal and social capability
· Ethical understanding
· Intercultural understanding

Secondary Australian Education System

The secondary education system in Australia adheres to a national curriculum framework, which is being implemented in schools to set up strong foundations in mathematics, English, physical education, economics, civics, citizenship, and history.

Senior Secondary Australian Education System

The senior secondary Australian Education System permits students to choose a major as per their wish. The purpose of the secondary education system is to ensure students develop their core knowledge and improve practical competencies to contribute to the country’s economy.

Undergraduate Australian Education System

The undergraduate Australian Education System stands out from the other commonwealth countries. Australian Education Qualification Framework, a dedicated committee governed by the Australian Education System, monitors the quality of education, availability of scholarships & job opportunities for high achieving students.

This framework allows students to choose their undergraduate majors based on their career interest- one of the reasons why Filipinos prefer Australia as their study abroad destination. Besides, this system is flexible to adapt to an international student without any hassle.

The following are the list of popular undergraduate programs for international students in Australia:

• STEM majors - [(Science - earth science, biology, and chemistry), Technology, Engineering, and Maths)]
• Archaeology & Anthropology Computer Science
• Business economics, management & Law
• Psychology
• Music and arts
• Philosophy
• Literature

Post-graduate Australian Education System

The postgraduate Australian Education System differs from the Philippines Education System by its variety of options to postgraduate qualifications. Hence, international students get an opportunity to explore diverse courses.

The Australian postgraduate degrees are classified into coursework and research degrees. As the name suggests, coursework degrees are focused on providing a theoretical foundation and assessed through examinations.

On the other hand, a research degree is oriented towards the practical aspects (by exposing you to some real-life challenges) through experimental work. Unlike coursework, your academic excellence in a research degree is assessed by the thesis works submitted to respected universities.

The following are the postgraduate qualifications (coursework) offered by the Australian Universities:

• Graduate Certificate
• Graduate Diploma
• Master’s Degree (by Coursework)
• Master’s Degree (Extended)
• Doctorate
• Postgraduate qualifications by research
• Master’s degree (by research)
• Research Doctorate (Ph.D.)

Additional Special Features of the Education System in Australia

Vocational education and training (VET) - Australian Education System

The VET course is a collaborative initiative from the Australian Government and private industries. The course focuses on providing a job-orientated curriculum, whereas a higher education course concentrates on providing theoretical & research knowledge.

Only the Registered Training Organisations (RTO) are permitted to offer VET courses, which include TAFE (Technical and Further Education) institutions and some private institutions. The availability of over 4,000 RTOs in Australia (across regional and metropolitan areas) ensures that everyone has easy access to a VET institution.

The VET courses are structured into the following types:

Certificate I to IV: The I to IV course duration varies from 6 months to 2 years. The curriculum focuses on providing communication skills, literacy, numeracy, teamwork, and Industry-specific knowledge.

Diploma: Diploma in VET is the best option to choose a paraprofessional (trained to assist professionals) career. The duration varies from 1 to 2 years(full-time).

Advanced diploma: An advanced diploma offers practical skills to become a thought-leader in professions such as building design calculation and accounting. Advanced diploma course duration varies from 1.5 to 2 years(full-time).

Vocational graduate certificate: The vocational graduate certificate program requires 6 months to 1 year of full-time study. This course is equivalent to some of the higher degrees of the Australian Education System (graduate certificates like engineering, architecture). The primary goal of this course is to offer sufficient theoretical skills to compete in the Australian job market.

ELICOS - Australian Education System

The Australian Government was keen to implement a standardized English course to its citizens and international students. As a result, ELICOS (English Language Intensive Courses) was introduced in the 1980s.

TAFE institutes, secondary schools, universities, specialist English language centers, and private colleges offer this ELICOS course as per the Government norms.

The Australian Government offers an ELICOS student visa for international students. It states that this program is open to citizens from all countries, including people on a visitor visa or tourist.

Through ELICOS, you could either choose a General English Course or a specialized English course for Business communication.

In fact, after higher education and Vocational Education and Training (VET), the ELICOS is the third-largest preferred study abroad course by international students.