Top Australian study areas for international students
If you’re looking to study in Australia, you may be overwhelmed by the number of courses on offer to international students. Whether you want to make the most of Australia’s unique natural environment or are looking to gain an internationally recognised qualification, Australia offers a wide range of high-quality courses. If you’re yet to choose a course, we list some specialisations worth pursuing in Australia.
Arts and humanities
This broad field includes everything from general arts and humanities degrees to performing and visual art courses and communications specialisations, such as journalism, media and film studies. This is a field with a large number of postgraduate research students, particularly in humanities and social sciences. At the creative and performing arts side of things, Australia has a number of prestigious schools and colleges, with graduates continuing to make their mark at the international level.
Business
Business is one of the largest and most diverse fields of study in Australia. Business and management courses are offered at a large number of institutions across the country and at all qualification levels, from vocational certificates to the Master of Business Administration (MBA) and even research. Australia’s location within the Asia-Pacific region offers a range of employment opportunities and most business schools have strong partnerships with local and international organisations to help students gain practical experience. Students completing an accounting degree may be eligible to undertake a Professional Year Program to increase their chances of gaining work and permanent residency in Australia. Professional Year Programs run for 12 months and allow international students to gain work experience in Australia after graduation through an internship with a host company.
Computing and information technology
Computing and information technology (IT) is a very popular field among international students in Australia. The Australian Computer Society (ACS) monitors the quality of Australian computing and IT courses, and those that are accredited by the ACS follow an industry-approved curriculum and maintain equipment and facilities to a high standard. Computing and IT courses in Australia include a wide variety of specialisations, such as computer systems, database management, games design, network engineering, software engineering and web computing. Graduates of this field may also be eligible to complete a Professional Year Program.
Engineering and technology
There is a wide range of engineering and technology courses on offer in Australia — from civil, chemical, electrical and mechanical engineering to aerospace engineering, naval architecture, nanotechnology, aviation, food technology and industrial design. Another unique specialisation in this field is mining, with courses particularly prominent in Western Australia, South Australia and regional Queensland, where extensive mining industries exist. Like computing and accounting graduates, international students undertaking engineering degrees may be able to complete a Professional Year Program upon graduation.
Environmental studies
With more than 35,000 kilometres of coastline, lush rainforests, vast deserts and snowy mountains, Australia offers the chance to study a huge range of environmental specialisations. Perhaps you want to study tropical agriculture in North Queensland or explore the Great Barrier Reef through a marine biology degree. You may choose to specialise in conservation or resource management or look at some of Australia’s native wildlife.
Health and medicine
If you’re looking to pursue a career in the health industry, Australia offers high-quality, internationally recognised qualifications along with modern, industry-standard facilities. Specialisations such as dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, psychology and rehabilitation all have strict accreditation requirements, with courses recognised both Australia-wide and overseas. If research is of interest, know that Australians have played a big part in medical research, with penicillin, IVF, ultrasound, the Bionic Ear and the cervical cancer vaccine all invented in Australia.
Tourism
Tourism is one of Australia’s major industries, and no matter what state or territory you choose to study in you’ll find a range of courses on offer in this field. Not only will you get to learn all the skills and knowledge associated with the tourism industry, you’ll also get the chance to experience some of Australia’s best tourist hot spots and attractions at the same time! Courses in this field are offered at all study levels, so you’ll have no trouble finding a course to suit your needs. There is even the opportunity to pursue niche specialisations such as wine tourism and ecotourism.
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