Study for a Master's Degree in Australia
What are my master's degree options?
There are two types of master's degrees in Australia. The Master's by Coursework involves 1.5 to two years of full-time study with a combination of classroom-based teaching and a dissertation. This type of degree is most similar to the American or Canadian two-year master's degree. The Master's by Research is a research-based degree that takes two years to complete. The Master's by Research generally leads to a PhD.
If you are interested in studying a professional master's in Australia such as law, medicine, dentistry, nursing and business, check out our professional degree page for information on how to apply to those programs.
Finding a master's in Australia
There are 40 universities in Australia and each offer a range of master's degree programs. Factors you may want to consider are: programs on offer, quality of academic staff and faculty members, libraries and on-campus resources, links to industry employers, rankings and research quality, location in Australia and campus environment. There are several tools to help you find the right master's in Australia for you.
- The Australian Government's Study in Australia website offers a comprehensive course search of all master's in Australia degree programs available to international students. Click here to access the course search.
- The Excellence in Research Australia or ERA is an independent assessment of the research quality at Australian universities. The 2012 Excellence in Research Australia National Report can help you determine the universities with the strongest research capabilities for your master's in Australia.
- Australia's Knowledge Gateway is a searchable database of researchers, experts and key publications developed by Australia's leading research universiites, the Group of Eight. You can search Australia's Knowledge Gateway by key words related to your master's in Australia.
Funding a master's in Australia
There are many funding opportunities available for master's degree students in Australia.
- The Endeavour Postgraduate Awards provide financial support for high achieving American and Canadian students to study for a master's degree or PhD in Australia. The Endeavour Postgraduate Awards are valued at AUS$118,500 for master's by coursework or research degrees.
- The International Postgraduate Research Scholarship Scheme provides financial support to high quality international postgraduate students coming to Australia to support the country’s research effort. Scholarships are funded through the Department of Innovation and administered by participating Australian universities
- The Study in Australia website offers a comprehensive scholarship database for master's in Australia.
- The Joint Academic Scholarship Online Network aims to assist students wishing to pursue graduate research degrees in Australia with information on funding opportunities through various scholarship programs run through universities, charitable foundations, government and private institutions.
It's also possible to take Canadian or US federal government loans to most Australian universities.
Next steps
For more information, download our Guide to Graduate Degrees in Australia or check out the list of Australian universities here.