What is postgraduate study?
Postgraduate study describes a course that leads you to an award such as a graduate diploma, a master's degree or a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
Entry to our postgraduate courses usually requires you to have already completed a relevant undergraduate degree (or diploma).
There are two main types of postgraduate courses – research and coursework. Coursework programs consist of units of study (subjects) rather than research work. They usually require attendance at lectures and tutorials.
Coursework programs
You may have a number of reasons to consider postgraduate coursework. Whether you want to qualify for a profession or gain accreditation, enhance your career path, change careers altogether or pursue a personal interest, our broad range of coursework programs can help you achieve your goals.
Master's degree
Sydney offers a wide range of specialist master’s degrees for graduates who want to gain specialised knowledge and skills. You usually need to complete an undergraduate degree before beginning a master's degree.
Graduate diploma
The graduate diploma is based on the master's program but requires fewer units of study. It is an excellent option for students who do not wish to commit to a full master's program, but want to gain a solid grounding in their chosen field.
Graduate certificate
The graduate certificate is intended for those who wish to undertake a short academic training course for career reasons, or to sample further study.
Non-award study
Students who wish to undertake one or more units of study (subjects) for their own interest but not towards a degree may enrol in single units as a non-award student. These could help you to update your professional knowledge or to explore subjects of general interest. If you subsequently enrol in an award course, it may be possible to credit these units towards a formal qualification.
Many faculties, for example, Sydney Law School, Arts and Social Sciences and Health Sciences, offer non-degree study. You will need to contact the faculty to see if single units are available.
Continuing professional development (CPD)
Once you are qualified for a profession you may need to complete a certain number of hours of continuing professional development to keep your skills up to date. We offer a range of options to help you. These include single units of study, short courses run by faculties and courses run by our Centre of Continuing Education.
Flexible learning options
We know that the way we learn, work and live is always changing. That’s why we offer flexibility in how you can complete our coursework programs.
For example, we provide some programs face to face (on campus) or via block mode. We may make others available to you through distance and online learning.
Many of our courses offer a choice of how you can attend classes, such as full time, part time, part-time evening, block or intensive, so you can organise your study commitments to suit your lifestyle.
If you would like to find out more about postgraduate coursework, you can ask us a question online.