Qualification levels
Graduate/Postgraduate Certificates and Diplomas
Graduate/postgraduate certificates and diplomas are the first level of awards taken after an undergraduate degree. They are usually professionally oriented, either providing entry into a new specialisation or further development in an area for which the student is already qualified.
Traditionally the distinction between graduate and postgraduate awards has been whether entry requires previous study in the area (postgraduate) or students can come in from any undergraduate degree (graduate). This means that most certificates and diplomas in the MGSE are called “Postgraduate”, since most require an Education qualification for entry. However, there are some awards with “Graduate” in the title (e.g. University Management, English as an International Language) since they can be entered from any undergraduate degree.
A certificate is normally 50 points of study (i.e. one semester full-time, one year part-time).
A diploma is normally 100 points of study (i.e. one year full-time, two years part-time).
Postgraduate certificates and diplomas in many cases articulate with Masters courses, giving up to 50 points credit into a 100-point Masters.
Doctorate/Doctoral Program
A doctoral program is a postgraduate research program where students independently research a specific topic under the guidance of a supervisor to produce a thesis. For a doctorate, considerably more original work is required than for a Masters by Research program. Students should note that some faculties and schools offer doctoral degrees by coursework and typically professional doctoral degrees such as the Doctor of Education will offer a combination of course work and research.
For information on the distinction between the PhD and the Doctor of Education, go to: http://www.education.unimelb.edu.au/grad/qualification_levels/doc.html
Masters Program
Masters courses require between one and one and a half years equivalent full-time study (100 points for a one year Masters, 150 points for a one and a half year Masters).
Many of the Masters qualifications can be taken as either coursework or research degrees depending on whether or not students wish to complete a thesis. The thesis allows the student to undertake independent and sustained research on a particular topic, which is supervised by an academic within the Melbourne Graduate School of Education. Some specialist coursework Masters Degrees require the Postgraduate Certificate as an entry requirement.