Major Difference between Undergraduate and Graduate Course

If you are looking to study abroad, chances are you too have stumbled upon this question of what is the actual meaning of the various terms related to their level of education, such as what is an undergraduate student course, what is a graduate course, and what are postgraduate courses.

Today I will answer all your questions and doubts as to in actuality what is undergraduate and graduate courses and what the various important aspects related to it which you need to consider to make an informed decision about the university or institute where you are going to pursue your course.

What is an Undergraduate?

First, you should know that the meaning of the words undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate can be different for different countries due to cultural differences. For example, the common interpretation of the term undergraduate student or graduate student in the USA differs from its meaning in India.

Usually, confusion arises between the terms graduate and undergraduate, leading to problems with the translation of the term undergraduate. Thus, we will be going through each one to provide you with a clear distinction between the terms and their meanings.

Undergraduate education refers to the education you undertake just after high school or your first university education. The courses which come under the undergraduate umbrella are mostly diplomas and bachelor’s degrees. While pursuing this course, you are categorized as an undergraduate student, and upon completing it, you become a graduate, Hence the word undergraduate.

Graduation course, on the other hand, is confusing as, in some instances, a graduate student is interpreted as a student who is pursuing a post-graduation course of a master’s degree in some cultures, whereas a bachelor’s course is also called a graduate course in most other cultures.

Hence, as a rule, a course can be classified as an undergraduate course or a graduate course from the student’s highest qualification, which is required to undertake that particular study. For example, A student pursuing coursing after passing their high school education is termed an undergrad student. Thus, they are labelled to be pursuing undergraduate courses, passing which they shall become a graduate.

Similarly, a student has already passed their undergraduate course, and after becoming a graduate, they may now undertake further studies as a pursuit of their master’s course; thus, the student shall be called a graduate student, and the course is a graduate course, passing which they shall obtain their master’s degree and attain the postgraduate-level education.

Therefore it is quite important to find out the common terminology in the country where you are planning to apply to avoid any major confusion due to such small detail.

Undergraduate Courses

The various undergraduate courses can be identified by the word ‘diploma in’ or ‘bachelor of’, completing which you are awarded a Graduate Certificate. These courses are usually between 3 to 5 years. To apply to this course, you need to have completed your high school education, although many universities consider diplomas and relevant work experience as well as part of their eligibility criteria.

The most well know undergraduate courses are mentioned below:

1. Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
2. Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.)
3. Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.)
4. Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com.)
5. Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.)
6. Bachelor of Computer Applications (B.C.A)
7. Bachelor of Engineering (B.E)
8. Bachelor of Journalism and Mass Communication (B.J.M.C)
9. Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A)
10. Bachelor of Medical Science (B.M.S)
11. Bachelor of Dental Surgery (B.D.S)
12. Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery (M.B.B.S)
13. Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.)
14. Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharma.)

The top-ranking universities and institutes for Undergraduate courses in Australia are listed below:

1. Australian National University (ANU)
2. University of Melbourne
3. University of New South Wales (UNSW)
4. University of Queensland (UQ)
5. University of Sydney
6. Monash University
7. University of Western Australia (UWA)
8. University of Adelaide
9. University of Technology, Sydney (UTS)
10. University of Newcastle (UON)
11. University of Wollongong
12. Macquarie University
13. Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
14. RMIT University
15. Curtin University
16. University of South Australia (UNISA)
17. Deakin University
18. University of Tasmania
19. Griffith University
20. La Trobe University

Graduate Courses

The most prevalent graduate courses can be identified by the presence of the word ‘Masters in/of’  or ‘Post Graduation in (PG)’, completing which you are awarded a Master’s Certificate and are called a Post Graduate. This course offers an advanced level of education on a specific topic. As the level of education advances, the topic of study shrinks, and the depth and intricacy of the study increases. Most PG courses are of 2 years and require a bachelor’s degree to undertake the course.

Following are the most known PG courses:

1. Master of Science (M.Sc.)
2. Master of Arts (M.A.)
3. Master of Technology (M.Tech.)
4. Master of Commerce (M.Com.)
5. Master of Architecture (M.Arch)
6. Master of Business Management (M.B.M)
7. Master of Business Administration (M.B.A)
8. Master of Computer Applications (M.C.A)
9. Masters in Social Work (M.S.W.)
10. Master of Philosophy
11. Doctor of Medicine (M.D)
12. Master of Dental Surgery (M.D.S)
13. Master of Pharmacy (M.Pharma.)
14. Post Graduate Diploma Courses (P.G.D)

Top universities in Australia that are known for their graduate courses are as follows:

1. University of Melbourne
2. Australian National University (ANU)
3. University of Sydney
4. University of Queensland (UQ)
5. University of New South Wales (UNSW)
6. Monash University
7. University of Adelaide
8. University of Western Australia (UWA)
9. Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
10. University of Canberra
11. University of Technology Sydney (UTS)
12. Griffith University
13. James Cook University
14. Macquarie University
15. University of Wollongong
16. Curtin University
17. Flinders University
18. La Trobe University
19. University of South Australia (UNISA)
20. Western Sydney University

One thing that should be noted is that depending on the country for which you are searching for courses, the course’s name and specification may change for different universities because of the particular education system and culture. Thus the course offered in one country may be just a subject of a whole other course in another country due to that course being more prominent in that country.

It is a common understanding that all of the above courses are full-time university courses. Still, for the last decade, universities have come up with new programs which allow individuals who are academically eligible to pursue a course yet still can afford to take the time out of their jobs to do a full-time course. People who are working in different fields to support their livelihood and want to study further can enrol in programs by Universities that allow them to continue their course through distance learning and progress in their careers.

It is well known that with the level of competitiveness in the academic world today, it is very difficult for students to efficiently manage their time with all their classes, exam schedules, and assignment deadlines. Therefore, students can now save a huge amount of time and effort by getting their assignments done by a professional academic writer who is an expert in his field. At HomeworkStand, we provide a platform through which students can get in touch with subject matter experts who specialize in all kinds of assignments, be it an undergraduate course or a graduate course. We assure timely delivery of the assignment and plagiarism-free work to students from all over the world.

In Summary, we have answered in this article the question of what undergraduate courses and graduate courses are, and the top universities in Australia provide the best courses on each.

Hope this article solved your question about what is Undergraduate and graduate courses and provides you with some universities to select from.