Education System Of Australia-What You Need To Know

Australia has emerged as a top destination for international students desiring premium quality education. If you are also interested in pursuing your education dreams in Australia then there are certain basic things about the education system of Australia you should be aware of. Let us start with an introduction to the Australian education system.
Australia offers more than 12000 internationally recognised university courses which are more affordable than US or UK education. In fact, the affordability factor attracts more than 400,000 students from across the world. Students of diverse backgrounds come here to pursue their academic dreams.

If you are relocating to Down Under with your family then you should know about the school education system in Australia. The academic year for schools starts from late January/early February till December. In Australia a child begins his academic career with pre-schooling (voluntary) and then proceeds to compulsory twelve years of primary and secondary schooling. The standard assessment scale (grading scale) is available to measure the student’s performance in the school levels. There are more than 7000 government schools and 2000 independent schools here. You may be surprised to know that international schools are in dearth here as there is little demand for them. However, Australia has independent-fee charging schools with focus on international students and are highly likely to offer internationally-acknowledged transferable qualifications like International Baccalaureate. On completing of schooling a student can pursue under-graduation and subsequently post graduation studies.

Students who desire to study in colleges in Australia must have a government recognised senior secondary certificate. The academic year for colleges/universities in Australia starts from early March till late November. Certain universities in Australia may follow semester system and others follow trimester system.  I shall give you a brief outline on the university level education system in Australia:

•    Under graduate courses-The duration of these courses ranges from two to four years. You will require Australian senior secondary certificate or equivalent certificate from your country to become eligible. You have the option to register for associate degree program (2 years) or bachelor’s degree (3 years) or go for professional/honors degrees.

•    Post graduate course- On the completion of under graduation program you become eligible to apply for post graduation. These master’s courses will take one or two years to complete. The program includes coursework, research, etc.  Certain universities demand work experience to become eligible for these courses.

•    Doctoral courses- These are the highest level of educational qualification in Australian universities. In order to become eligible for these courses you require a master’s or bachelor honors degree in the specific subject. These are of three years duration and either professional or research doctorates.

•    Vocational training- These are offered at the vocational education & training institutions and include certificated, diploma, advance diploma. These prepare you for further studies and also open up better career opportunities.
If you are trying to study in Australia then you are making a wise choice as it is one of the most affordable and best countries to study in.

Why a College Education is Important

The world today is fast paced with technological advances and the job market has become very competitive. It is not surprising that employers want college educated candidates. A college education may be the finest investments of time and money for your career. While workers with a high school education may well secure jobs with good remuneration, it is the college grads that usually fare better by landing higher-level jobs with larger salaries. Also college grads are expected to obtain promotions, receive raises and develop interpretation and communication skillfulness that can be related to their jobs.

Better avenues and Higher Salaries
As technology advances, higher-paying jobs that were previously accessible to high school grads now entail some form of higher education. If you have college degree then several avenues are opened up to you than having a high school diploma does. Those who don’t have educational degrees are more liable to be restricted to basic jobs in service, construction and manufacturing sectors.

While the manufacturing sector used to be at the center of our employment market, the trend today is changing to jobs in further sectors which want more definite proficiency. As a result employers are more likely to select candidates with better training and education from the vast number of available candidates. The U.S. Census Bureau released a 2011 report of American Community Survey (ACS) which stated that people with a bachelor's degree were expected to earn a 40-year lifetime salary of around $2.4 million on an average, while high school grads could only expect a lifetime salary of about $1.4 million (www.census.gov). On average, those who had master's degrees received $2.8 million and those with professional degrees could anticipate life span earnings in surplus of $4 million.

Salaries by Major
The opening salaries of college grads normally surpass those of people who only possess a high school education, even though the subject a student majors in also controls his/her salary prospective. On an average basis a person with college education makes almost twice as much money as a graduate of high school. As per 2011 American Community Survey, people with an engineering bachelor's degree who found work in management could look forward to a lifetime salary of $4.1 million, which was approximately $3 million higher than the regular for those who majored in education and were in public services sector.

Better Life Skills
When attending their classes, college students regularly develop the reasoning dexterity required to make important life decisions, like purchasing a home to helping their kids choose their own college. In reality, college grads are highly likely to have kids who also go to college/university for higher education Other benefits of educational degrees may comprise of better self-discipline, study routine and supportive behaviors which make them successful in their career projects and responsibilities.

It has been evident in the past few years that job market has more opportunities for you if you have college education. You don’t need to look beyond the above facts to conclude that pursuing higher education in colleges in USA is the way to a better life.

A Simple Guide to Choose The Right College

Have you completed your junior year successfully and are prepared to start considering colleges to attend after graduation? Does your family want you to join their alma mater which has spanned three generations? Are you going to choose a college which is near to you home? You may have received brochures of several well-known universities and the education prospects look enticing. However, you are confused about making the right choice. Worry not, we all go through that.

The first step before embarking on this life changing journey of gaining college education you need to do your research well. Merely knowing the names isn’t enough; you have to be able to distinguish between the universities in USA with the best sports teams and the colleges known for the party scene. Choosing a school to pursue higher education is not really “one-size-fits-all” situation. There’s more to mull over than football teams or famous names when it comes to colleges and universities.

Here is some advice to help guide you in your choice for the perfect school:

1.The Liberal Arts colleges can be a great choice. You can enjoy quite pricey and potentially life altering experience here. Liberal arts colleges pride themselves on lifetime learning and dare the status quo. These are cohesive campuses which teach you make use of your brain rather than learn by rote a textbook. The class sizes are small and reliable faculty support ensure that the liberal arts college gives you less of a culture shock than those large universities where more than 200 students attend per class.

2. Look for the ones which offer unique amenities. What is the point of joining a university known for its football if you are not interested in it?  Perhaps you prefer studying best in the open air, or under the stars in front of a warm fire pit. Or you fancy a campus located near the ocean with the waves in the backdrop to soothe you. 

You can choose a college as per the amenities it offers. Several colleges and universities offer an overabundance of options to be social. Just do some researches to figure out which colleges in USA can cater to your needs and interests best.

3.The Community College can be a nice choice also. I agree that many do not dream of attending a two-year college for their AA degree before going to a four-year university, but if you like the feel of small classroom or want to remain close your roots then community college is a good choice. Sometimes, it has been seen that the culture shock of a large university can unsettle or overwhelm freshmen.

Only you can make this decision properly. Your friends, teachers and parents will all have something or the other to say about where you go for your college education. However, you need not join some university due to parental or peer pressure. Possibly, you’ll attend college once (undergrad degree, that is) so mull over all your options to land the best college or university.