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Studying IT in Australia

IT programs in Australia are high quality, and widely recognized throughout the world. Moreover, the security, cleanliness and quality of lifestyle makes it an outstanding study option.

Australia is one of the world’s leading providers of education and training. An analysis of the higher education sector conducted by the Australian International Education Foundation shows that in terms of number of foreign student, Australia – with 64,188 students – is ranked third in the English-speaking world, after the US and the UK.

Australians have had an involvement with IT since early life.  Australians are amongst the world’s most rapid appliers of information technology and are leaders in software and system development. Australian universities also have an outstanding reputation for the quality of their educational programs, attracting large numbers of students from the overseas. It is notable that in Singapore, with a labour force that is one of the most highly educated, articulate and productive in the world, Australia is the number one provider of education, ahead of both the US and the UK, as well as an important provider of education for overseas students from Hong Kong and Japan. Most overseas students in Australia are studying vocational courses, with the top two areas being:

1.    Business, Administration and Economics
2.    Science (with the overwhelming majority studying Computer Science)

Perhaps the best indication of a university’s international standing is the demand for its places amongst overseas students; particularly full-fee paying students open to a wide choice of study options. Australian universities are highly regarded, and their qualifications are valued – competition for places is tough, and academic standards are high. There appears to be a tendency for overseas students to pursue courses at better-known and larger universities. For example, while overseas students are found in most Australian universities that conduct IT programs, the four largest institutions educate almost 54% of overseas IT students in Australia. What’s more, in the largest five institutions, overseas IT students comprised approximately 25% of total undergraduate IT students in 1997, compared with an average of 15% for all institutions. This reflects overseas students’ preferences for IT degrees from large and well-known institutions with prestigious reputations.

Diversity of Course Offerings


One strong aspect of Australian IT institutions is the diversity of programs available. These vary from specialized courses targeted at fast-growing areas of  IT, such as Networking Computing,  Electronic Commerce and , Multimedia , to more general degrees which allow graduates to pursue a wide range of careers in computing, and to target a broad range of opportunities. In addition to undergraduate degrees, most Australian universities offer a range of programs that allow students who have completed their studies in other areas to undertake IT studies at graduate level. Many of these programs do not require students to have completed previous studies in computing.

Cost and Value

With a level of quality in the provision of education equal to universities in the USA, UK and other European economies, Australian institutions offer outstanding value. Not only has the cost of tuition been historically low in comparison to courses in the Northern Hemisphere, but right now the costs have been further deflated by the drop of the Australian dollar. Likewise, living costs in Australia are low compared to those in Europe.

Advantages of studying in Australia


 
  1. Even in the final year of a course, the fees will be fixed to the level of the student’s enrollment
  2. Australian rental and transport costs are extremely low compared to those in Europe and the States
  3. Australia has an excellent healthcare system. An international student has only to pay a yearly Medibank fee of $275 to access it.
  4. Security and Quality of Life
  5. There are few large cities in the world that can match the cleanliness and environmental quality of Australian cities. Melbourne was voted the most liveable city in the world in 1997, with Sydney close behind at number three. Australians enjoy and seek cultural diversity. Not only will you find them to be warm and friendly, you’ll also find that they are fascinated by you and your background. Few people realise that over 40% of Australians were born overseas, or are only second-generation Australians.


Which courses should you choose?


  • Look for the prestige of the institution. Is it large and well known? What standing does IT have within the university? Does it have its own faculty, or fall within another, such as science or engineering?
  • Diversity of the courses offered.
  • Does the university offer little more than traditional computer science courses, or does it offer a wider variety of programs? You will need to have regard to your career aspirations in deciding which course is best for you. Are you interested in specific areas, such as multimedia applications or information systems – or do you wish to pursue a generalist computing program that will allow you to target a range of IT career opportunities?
  • Also consider the subject areas available – for example, the universities that offer the largest range of course programs will generally offer the greatest choice in terms of programming languages and specializations.
  • Examine the courses offered to see whether they offer the chance to study languages that you want to specialize in, or the latest languages, such as JAVA.
  • Look at the university’s commitment to overseas students. Most Australian universities have a range of support systems to cater for international students, and can help you with such matters as accommodation, VISA requirements and day-to-day living problems. Generally, all Australian institutions offer very high quality and credible programs. That, however, doesn’t mean that they will all suit you – the final choice must be yours!

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