Educated entirely overseas

Cannot directly apply for skills assessment

A bit older — what now?

yes

Over the past few days, these are the questions we’ve been getting most from clients in China:

“I have a diploma qualification from China. Thanks to COVID over the past few years, I hit a ceiling at work. Now I want to upgrade my qualifications — what options do I have?”

“I’m around 30, I want to migrate to Australia, but my previous qualifications and work experience don’t qualify for a direct skills assessment. I’d like to study at TAFE, but I’m worried about being refused a visa at my age. Is postgraduate study good value?”

The answer is: Yes!

You can get there through Australia’s diploma-to-master’s pathway programme

and achieve a genuine head start

earning a higher qualification

with a clear pathway to Australian migration

Many people assume you need a bachelor’s degree certificate before you can apply for postgraduate study in Australia. In fact, the Australian education system is more flexible than most countries’, anda bachelor’s degree is not always required to study a master’s.

Postgraduate Study in Australia

What are the benefits?

Here’s a quick rundown of the benefits of postgraduate study in Australia:

1. Australian education consistently ranks among the world’s best. The government places enormous weight on the standard and quality of its institutions, most of which are public universities. Australia’s 8 leading universities all rank in the global top 100.Many leading universities, including the Group of Eight (Go8), offer diploma-to-master’s pathway programmes.

2. From 1 July 2023, the student visalawful work hours increased from 40 hours per fortnight to 48 hours per fortnight, which means international students can earn living expenses by working part-time around their studies.

3. An Australian undergraduate degree often takes 3–4 years, whereas a master’s can typically be completed in around two years — shorter study time, higher qualification,and the post-study work visa after completing a master’s is at least 3 years。

The Department of Home Affairs has even announced that from 1 July 2023, graduates in certain fields will receive a post-study work visa of up to 5 years.Graduates will have more time to remain in Australia and build towards eventually obtaining permanent residency.

Next, let’s walk through the Australian diploma-to-master’s pathway: the Master’s Foundation Programme, which is a six-month bridging course completed before the postgraduate programme begins. The university tailors the bridging course to the student’s undergraduate or diploma grades and chosen field. Credits earned during the bridging course can reduce the credit load in the subsequent master’s programme.In most cases, students only need to complete a six-month pathway programme followed by 1.5 years of master’s coursework to obtain their master’s degree.

Programme 1

Pre-Master Program

University: University of Adelaide (QS Global Ranking 108 #2022)

Who is this for:

1. Students who have completed a 3-year diploma programme in China

2. Students in China who completed an undergraduate degree but did not receive a degree certificate

3. Students with a Chinese bachelor’s degree whose average grade does not meet master’s entry requirements

Master’s Foundation Programme entry requirements:

6-month foundation programme:

Academic requirement: bachelor’s degree, recommended average of 70% or above

English requirement: IELTS overall 6, no band below 5.5

9-month foundation programme:

Academic requirement: diploma, recommended average of 80% or above

English requirement: IELTS overall 5.5, no band below 5

Available postgraduate fields: Accounting, Finance, Economics, Project Management, Arts, Computer Science, International Management, Public Safety, Wine Business.

Programme 2

Graduate Certificate — 6-month bridging course

University: University of Newcastle (QS Global Ranking 197 #2022)

Who is this for:

1. Students who have a graduation certificate but no degree certificate (any field accepted)

2. Students with a 3-year full-time diploma (from institutions with or without degree-awarding authority)

3. Students with a 2-year full-time diploma (from institutions with degree-awarding authority only) where the field studied is business-related + 2 years of business-related work experience

4. Students with a 2-year full-time diploma (from institutions with degree-awarding authority only) where the field studied is not business-related + 3 years of business-related work experience

5. Students with no qualifications or lower-level qualifications who have 5+ years of business-related work experience, or self-taught learners (assessed on a case-by-case basis)

English requirement: IELTS 6.5, no band below 5

Available postgraduate fields: Finance, Human Resource Management, Marketing, Accounting, International Business, Computer Science.