Published on 01 Sep 2023

Why study postgraduate?

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With the world of work changing at a rapid rate, there has never been a better time to explore the benefits of postgraduate study.

Overview

Postgraduate study is a great way to advance your career and grow your network.
Your postgraduate degree could also open your path to making a positive difference in the world.
ANU offers great flexibility, so you can fit study into your life.

Whether you want to make a difference in the world, qualify your work experience, or learn something completely new, a postgraduate degree is a great way to explore your potential and your next career move.

You can start small with a six-month graduate certificate or a year-long graduate diploma. Both can ease your way into postgraduate study. Or, you can think big and dive straight into a master’s degree. Either way, you’ll discover lots of flexibility and ways to change the world.

Discover the benefits of postgraduate study that our students enjoy during and after they complete their graduate certificates, diplomas and master’s degrees at ANU.

Elevate your career

Postgraduate students develop advanced critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.

With employers increasingly looking for these skills, your degree can show you’re ready for the next career step. It can also formalise your current work experience.

Either way, completing a postgraduate qualification at a top-ranking teaching and research university like ANU will make your resume stand out in the competitive job market.

Three students talk to each other around a table and take notes.

Stay relevant

With industry changing rapidly to keep up with technology and the global economy, postgraduate degrees ensure you stay relevant.

They show a commitment to lifelong learning and staying up to date, which employers value. But postgraduate qualifications can also help you meet the professional accreditation requirements of an industry body, such as Engineers Australia, the Australian Computer Society and CPA Australia.

Three men in safety gear stand in front of scientific equipment at the ANU Research School of Physics.

Grow personally

Exploratory by its very nature, study can be inspirational and enjoyable – an opportunity for personal growth.

You can choose courses that build on your current knowledge, teach you about an aspect of a new discipline or let you explore something you’ve always loved.

Whether you’re interested in further study to advance your career or looking to indulge an interest, postgraduate study will connect you to people who share common interests. As well as challenging you, it can be a great way to boost your confidence.

Make a difference

Choosing an area of study that intrigues you can help you contribute to the greater good.

Learning from researchers and field experts inducts you into a lively intellectual community that develops unique solutions to complex problems, creates institutional change and improves whole communities.

It’s your time to make a difference – to your career, your community or the world at large. Or even just to prove to yourself that you can.

A man examines materials in the ANU Maker Space.

Enjoy flexibility

At ANU, you can start when you like and take as many or as few courses as you want.

The flexibility of our postgraduate programs includes part-time or full-time study, some intensive and online courses, 24-hour lab and library access and the ability to start your degree in the first or second semester.

You can even pick up some courses during the summer or winter sessions if that works for you.

Grow your network

An important benefit of postgraduate study, networking develops professional contacts, creates relationships and connects you with information and knowledge.

Learning from researchers and field experts inducts you into a lively intellectual community that develops unique solutions to complex problems, creates institutional change and improves whole communities.

The first room of a building, where people are coming and going. Students sit around a table near the stairs to study.

Two men stand at a railing in the entryway of a building. A classroom with tables is visible through the windows opposite.

Start small, think big

A graduate certificate, sometimes called a ‘short course’ at ANU, is a great place to start postgraduate study, especially if you’re not ready to commit to a bigger program yet.

Taking just six months to complete, some graduate certificates can segue to a graduate diploma, which takes a year, and then to a one or two-year master’s degree that can develop specialised knowledge and skills, and see you get involved in a research project.

With some core units of study in common, and electives that allow you to explore your specific interests, all postgraduate qualifications gradually develop your knowledge and expertise.

Thinking of starting with a six-month short course first? Among the graduate certificates we offer are ones in: