What to study

If you want to work, think about what to study:

Which subjects to study
Type of qualification you need

There are two pathways to get qualifications: you can study in an academic or vocational pathway. The vocational path includes a traineeship or an apprenticeship.

The academic path starts in Year 10. Year 12 VCE or VCAL is the next step. The list of academic qualifications starts at entry level through to the most advanced qualifications:

Certificate I, II, III, IV
Diploma/Advanced Diploma
Bachelor degree
Bachelor degree with Honours
Masters degree
PhD and Doctorate

Traineeship

A traineeship is training in a non-trade related area.
For example working in a fast food outlet, office or a shop.

Traineeship qualifications range from Certificate II to Advanced Diploma.

A traineeship in the workplace usually takes 12 months and must be agreed by the trainee and the employer.

Anyone can do a traineeship.

How to become a Trainee

Australian Apprenticeships Pathways is a good place to start looking for different types of jobs that include traineeships. Click here to go to the website.

Other good websites for more information include:

Become a trainee at any time

During school
After school (at any age)
If you are unemployed
Working in a different job

Reasons to do a traineeship

to work and earn money while you get your qualification
a mix of classroom or workshop learning (off-job) and practical (on-job) learning
real life experience in the workplace

Traineeship - examples

Traineeship is training in a non-trade related area:

Cafe
Office administration
Retail (clothing, products, shoes)
Cleaning
Community services
Disability
Real Estate

Apprenticeship

An apprenticeship is training in a trade-related area.
For example working as a hairdresser, plumber, builder or an electrician.

Apprenticeship qualifications range from Certificate II to Advanced Diploma. Apprenticeship qualifications take between three to four years of training. Training must be agreed by the apprentice and the employer.

English Transcript

Demo Content

Anyone can do an apprenticeship.

How to become an Apprentice

Websites

Become an apprentice at any time

During school
After school (at any age)
If you are unemployed
Working in a different job

Reasons to do an apprenticeship

to work and earn money while you’re getting your qualification
a mix of classroom or workshop learning (off-job) and practical (on-job) learning
real life experience in the workplace

Apprenticeship - examples

Apprenticeship is training in a trade related area.

Aircraft Engineering
Automotive (Cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles)
Boating
Bricklaying & Stonemasonry
Carpentry, Cabinet Making, Joinery & related occupations
Electrical
Engineering & Metals
Flooring, Carpet Laying and Upholstery
Gardening, Horticulture & related occupations
Hairdressing
Painting & Decorating, Tiling & Glazing
Plastering
Plumbing & Gasfitting
Printing

Certificate I, II, III, IV

These courses are longer than short courses and are ideal for beginners. Many TAFEs and private colleges offer Certificate courses. You can also do some of these courses online.

Certificate courses run between six months to four years. Certificate courses can also lead to a Diploma or a Bachelor Degree or both!

Anyone can study at certificate level.

Where to apply for a Certificate course

Below are some training organisations in Victoria that offer Certificate courses:

Certificate courses are ideal for

Getting skills and knowledge for an area of work
Getting a qualification to work
A pathway to a degree

Reasons to do a certificate course

Gain basic knowledge, skills and qualifications to work in an area
To study a trade or subject
Combine an Apprenticeship and Certificate qualifications
To upgrade or improve your existing skills
To specialise in your area of work

Diploma

Courses at Diploma, Advanced Diploma and Associate Diploma levels take one to three years to complete, and are generally considered to be equivalent to one to two years of study at a bachelor degree level. Many students combine a Diploma with a certificate or a bachelor degree.

These courses are delivered by community education centres, TAFEs, private colleges and universities.

If you are thinking about completing a Diploma, discuss this with your educational institution first.

Where to apply for a Diploma

Students can study Diplomas in almost any TAFE and RTOs.

Click here to go to a list of TAFEs available in Victoria.

A Diploma would be ideal if -

You want to improve your skills or further qualifications in the area you already work in.
You want to work or do more study in a particular field. For example:

Office Management
Sales
Business
Architecture
Building and construction
Education
Design, Illustration or Fine Art
Writing and editing

Diploma - examples

Demo Content

Bachelor degree

All universities offer bachelor degrees. A bachelor degree is also called an undergraduate degree. To apply, universities will usually need your ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) score. This is your Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) score.

Bachelor degrees take three to four years of full time study.

To apply for a Bachelor degree course, you can either apply through VTAC or directly to the university.

Where to apply for a Bachelor degree

Australian Catholic University

Deakin University

Federation University

La Trobe University

Monash University

RMIT University

Swinburne University

University of Melbourne

Victoria University

Reasons to do a Bachelor Degree

More job opportunities
Increase in knowledge of a specific area
Increase in salary
Pathway to Master degree or Doctorate degree

Bachelor degree with Honours

An Honours degree is a one-year full time program after you finish your Bachelor degree. Honours degrees can provide a pathway to postgraduate research or further study. Honours programs are only offered to students who do well in their last year of a Bachelor degree.

To get into an Honours Program, you will need to talk to the relevant course co-ordinator.

Where to study Honours

Please see Where to study Bachelor for a list of universities to study Honours year.

Reasons to do Honours year

To complete a small research project
To increase chances of entering a Master course or PhD or Doctorate course
Some courses require you to complete your Honours year in order to work in the industry (ie. Psychology)

Masters degree

Masters degrees are two years of full time study in addition to the Bachelor degree. They allow you to work in some specialised areas. There are two types of Masters degrees: Masters by Coursework and Masters by Research.

Some jobs require you to complete a Masters degree before you can work in the field. Click on “Masters degree – examples” for job specialisation examples.

Masters by Coursework involves completing specified units of study, assignments and in some cases, sitting an exam.

Masters by Research is more demanding, involving independent research and the completion of a research paper. There may be some compulsory units on research skills that you attend.

Where to apply for a Masters degree

Almost all universities offer Masters courses. However, not all universities offer the same courses. See Where to apply for a Bachelor degree for locations.

For example -
A health student decides she wants to become a psychologist. However, her university does not offer the course, Master of Clinical Psychology. This means the student must apply the course in a different university.

Reasons to do a Masters degree

Gain specialist knowledge of a subject
Gain higher qualification in order to work in the specific area
Advance your career in the specialised area
Gain a pathway to further research and study
Increase earning potential

Masters degree - examples

Some jobs require a Master degree or equivalent before you can work in that specific job:

Accounting
Architecture
Health specialisation (Audiology, Doctor, Speech Pathology)
Law
Psychology
Teacher of the Deaf

PhD and other Doctoral degrees

PhD stands for Doctor of Philosophy. A doctoral degree can also be called a research doctorate, or professional doctorate. PhD and Doctorates are the highest academic level available.

Very few students choose to pursue a PhD or a Doctorate but if a student receives a high mark in their Masters degree, they may be eligible to do further research. Students studying at PhD or a Doctorate levels must complete a thesis of 80,000 to 100,000 words on a specialised topic. Students need to have a supervisor to support their study and research.

PhD degrees are three-year, full time programs. Doctorate degrees are three to five-year, full time programs.

PhD and Doctorates are only offered at university level.

Where to study PhD or Doctorate

Most universities offer PhD and Doctorate positions. Students must apply to get into the PhD or Doctorate programs.

Reasons to do a PhD or Doctorate