How to change careers with a professional degree
Gain professional master's accreditation for a new career.
Considering a change into a completely new career? Think you need to go back to uni and start from scratch? Think again.
A postgraduate degree at the University of Sydney can open the door for a career change to a new profession.
The average person changes careers about three times in their working life, but figuring out how to do so can be a roadblock.
Postgraduate study can lead to a completely new career – regardless of the discipline of your undergraduate degree.
A career change involving professional accreditation is a big decision, but exploring your options doesn't have to be. We've compiled a list of postgraduate coursework degrees that welcome students from all educational and professional backgrounds.
Start your teaching career at Sydney, we are ranked =21st* in the world for education studies. Our master's degrees in teaching allow you to become an accredited teacher in either two years of full-time or three years of reduced-load study. Choose from one of our Master of Teaching streams:
*THE World University Rankings by Subject 2025 by Subject
Gain a professional health qualification in just two years and join our students who have completed a mix of undergraduate degrees, from commerce to arts or science.
You can study nursing, diagnostic radiography, or occupational therapy with a bachelor's degree in any discipline.
You may also be eligible to apply for our postgraduate speech language pathology, physiotherapy, exercise physiology and pharmacy courses provided you meet specific prerequisites.
Learn from some of the world's leading experts at a law school ranked 16th* in the world. Develop your analysis, research, writing and advocacy skills with one of Australia's most reputable graduate entry degrees, the Juris Doctor (JD).
Pursue a career as a solicitor, at the bar or in government service, industry or the not-for-profit sector with the JD, which will equip you with the analytical, ethical and problem-solving skills you will need to excel in the modern age of legal practice.
*2024 QS World University Rankings by Subject
Increase your employment prospects and gain real-world experience with the top ranked management degree in the Asia-Pacific* and the only Australian business school to achieve membership to CEMS – the Global Alliance in Management Education.
Start a dynamic business career with a degree that provides opportunity to work directly with multi-national corporations in a highly interactive learning environment. You will apply theory to practice and learn by doing, graduating with a holistic understanding of all aspects of business, from strategy to project management, and ready to launch your career with confidence.
*2025 QS Business Master’s Rankings
Build a future-proofed skillset that will help you identify business opportunities and solve accounting and business problems in innovative ways to drive organisational performance.
Our Master of Professional Accounting and Business Performance holds professional accreditation with CPA Australia, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ) and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).
Launch your career in project management by gaining the fundamental methodologies, modelling and analytical techniques required to design and implement projects across a wide range of industries.
Our Master of Project Management is available in a variety of flexible study options and is accredited by the Project Management Institute Global Accreditation Centre (GAC).
Accredited by the Planning Institute of Australia, this degree will develop your specialised knowledge in environmental design and strategic planning for well-structured cities, including the sustainable management of towns and cities.
Be equipped for a dynamic career across Australian and international contexts with the Master of Urban and Regional Planning.
The Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Dental Medicine graduate entry programs are available to students from all undergraduate degrees.
The application and admissions process is comprehensive and competitive, and requires applicants to take the GAMSAT exam, which involves previous knowledge of scientific concepts.
The above are examples of our degrees that offer career change through professional accreditation. We also have a range of postgraduate degrees that can create career change opportunities without providing accreditations. Some degrees in this category include:
