The education in Australia generally starts at the age of four with
Pre-School. However this pre-schooling is not mandatory. Primary school
education begins for most children at the age of five. The main subjects
in all primary schools are based on the eight key learning areas -
English, Health and Physical Education, Language other than English,
Mathematics, Science, Society and Environment, Technology and The Arts.
Next to the primary school, the students enter into the secondary school
system at the age of twelve or thirteen. A broad range of elective
subjects are offered apart from the compulsory subjects such as English,
Mathematics and Science, during the first four years of their secondary
school studies.
The elective subjects include computing studies, languages, art, music,
drama, commerce, history, geography and technical subjects. After
successful completion of the final year of this secondary education
system, students head for their admission into degree or graduate
courses in the universities. International students who look forward to
Australia, to pursue their further studies after secondary education,
generally enter into the 'Foundation studies'. Foundation studies are
usually one year in duration and students are assessed and checked up by
their lecturers. Foundation studies are divided into various streams
like arts or science studies. The common characteristics of foundation
studies are that a university allocates a provisional place in an
undergraduate course for a student who achieves the prescribed grades.
Students from overseas who come to Australia to study English either
for educational purposes or for any other career purposes enter into
'English language schools'. Wide range of English language courses are
available in these schools to suit candidate's requirements. 'Vocational
Education and Training Institutes' of Australian education system gives
students practical skills for their careers. These vocational institutes
are broadly categorized into two types - Government recognized and
private ones. Different vocational courses are taught in Vocational
institutes across the country such as computing, designing, pilot
training, business management, hospitality and tourism.
For higher education in Australia, a student must get an entry into
'University education system'. There are more than thirty universities
in Australia to offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. The
most popular courses for international students till now are offered in
the fields of Business, Administration and Economics followed by
Science, Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. University study can lead
students to awards such as Undergraduate Bachelor Degrees, Bachelor
Degrees with Honors, Undergraduate Diplomas, Associate Diplomas,
Postgraduate Degrees, Doctoral Degrees, Graduate Diplomas and Graduate
Certificates.
