Australian universities have seen a massive increase in postgraduate students in the past 30 years. In 1960, the postgraduate elite numbered less than 2500. By 1999, there were more than 100,000 enrolled at campuses around the country.
Last month’s Beilby Rewards survey supports this shift, with more than half of the respondents indicating that they were currently studying, or considering further studies in the future. More than 77% of these were particularly interested in post-graduate university qualifications and just under half already had an undergraduate degree.
So, what’s driving this unprecedented growth? According to our poll, students of today are not just seeking promotion or planning a career change. About 45% of respondents indicated that personal satisfaction was their main reason for studying, while another 24% were seeking formal recognition for their career experience.
Most of those currently studying, or thinking about it, intended to do so in their current field while a significant 13% were looking to start again in an unrelated discipline. This was in line with the 10% of participants who said their primary motivation was a career change.
Only 2% of those surveyed said their job required them to do more study and less than 2% were encouraged by the prospect of their employer footing the bill.
In 2001, 52% of postgraduate (phD and Masters students) were aged between 30 to 49 years of age, with almost half studying part-time while they continued to pursue their professional careers.
Numbers have been tipped to rise even further following the introduction of the Federal Government’s Postgraduate Education Loan Scheme, which offers postgraduate students the ability to offset their fees against future earnings.
Back to School Tips
The pursuit of knowledge can be costly, time consuming and extremely challenging especially for those who have not studied before or who have been away from school for a long time.
When it comes to managing your time, the general rule of thumb is that you should spend the same amount of hours studying on your own as you do in class contact. Unfortunately, this doesn’t include the addition of assignments or preparation for exams. Plan your time effectively; before each study session set yourself some goals and importantly set some breaks, this will reduce your tendency to wander to the fridge or the phone to avoid the task at hand!
If you are in a relationship, the support of your partner will be integral to your success. The financial drain of fees and books can also be a hurdle. Of course, this may be outweighed by your increased earning potential when the course is completed.
Once you’ve made the decision to enrol in a course, think what additional skills you’ll need to get you through. A crash course in computing, word processing, typing, speed-reading, writing or researching, could be of benefit when you start out.