What Are Tertiary Qualifications?

After secondary school, tertiary qualifications are a type of professional qualification that is often listed on a résumé or curriculum vitae (CV). Professionals in Australia frequently use this term, but similar concepts can be found in many countries with similar educational systems. In general, primary school is the education that students receive during their childhood, whereas secondary school is the education that students receive during their adolescence and young adulthood. Adults earn tertiary qualifications after completing a program at a tertiary school, which can include vocational or technical schools as well as colleges and universities.

The basic concept of “tertiary qualifications” comes from the division of the educational system in many countries, including the United States and Australia. These countries classify the various types of schools that students frequently attend over the course of their lives into three categories. Students attend primary schools, also known as elementary schools in the United States, from the time they are children to the time they reach adolescence or young adulthood. Students attend secondary schools, also known as high schools in the United States, for several years before completing their secondary education.

Tertiary education facilities, which grant people degrees and certificates that often make up tertiary qualifications, are those educational institutions and opportunities beyond the completion of secondary school. This type of education is typically listed on a résumé or CV in the United States to indicate the degree or other certification received. In Australia, the term “tertiary qualifications” refers to the same type of education and the completion of a similar curriculum. These qualifications are made up of a variety of degrees and certificates that are divided into multiple levels in the Australian educational system.

Professionals working in technical fields may find that certification is preferable to a degree at the first few levels of tertiary qualifications. For example, those wishing to work as an electrician may receive a certificate from a vocational school as part of their tertiary education. Students who complete degrees from a college or university, beginning with a bachelor’s degree and progressing through honors degrees and various types of master’s degrees, are given additional levels of tertiary qualifications. In Australia, students who complete a doctoral degree in a specific field are awarded the highest level of qualification.