Postgraduate programmes vary in length, but there are averages you can expect. For instance, a postgraduate diploma will likely take 2 semesters or a year. If you’re studying full time, this works out to be around 30 weeks. Of course, we aim to offer a range of flexible solutions to suit your situation.
It may be that you want to study for a postgraduate degree over two years part-time, this enables you to not only take your time with your study and make the most of it, but it also allows you to work part-time or explore other opportunities outside of study.
A basic breakdown of the year is as follows: there are two semesters to a year and two quarters to each semester.
The postgraduate level of study is designed to work around you, but will come with some guidelines. For instance, all postgraduate programmes will have a maximum set amount of time in which you must complete the programme, this time limit will be explained in semesters, quarters or years.
As with all studies, there are exceptions to these guidelines, and you may apply for extensions or suspensions of time. These extensions and suspensions exist so that you don’t suffer because of external factors. In the past year, we’ve seen some exceptional circumstances, which is why we have policies set in place to mitigate the effects on your study.
Unless otherwise specified, here are the guidelines around how long each postgraduate qualification would take to complete.
- Postgraduate Certificate: 1 Semester full-time | 4 Semesters part-time
- Postgraduate Diploma: 2 Semesters full-time | 4 Semesters part-time
- Bachelors honours postgraduate degree: 2 Semesters full-time | 4 Semesters part-time
- Taught masters 120 points*: 2 Semesters full-time | 8 Semesters part-time | 8 Quarters part-time
- Taught masters 180 points*: 3 Semesters full-time | 12 Semesters part-time | 12 Quarters part-time
- Taught masters 240 points*: 4 Semesters full-time | 12 Semesters part-time | 16 Quarters part-time
- Taught masters 300 points*: 5 Semesters full-time | 12 Semesters part-time