1301.0 - Year Book Australia, 2004  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 27/02/2004   
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Contents >> Education and training >> Higher education

Institutions

There were 40 higher education institutions which received operating grants from DEST in 2002, as well as the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, Avondale College, The National Institute of Dramatic Art and the Australian Defence Force Academy. The private Melbourne College of Divinity reported data for postgraduate students only, while Bond University in Queensland reported data for research students only.

Apart from the Australian National University and the Australian Maritime College, which are established under Commonwealth legislation, Australian universities operate under state or territory legislation. However, they are autonomous bodies responsible for their own governance and make their own decisions on allocation of funding, staffing and academic courses.

Most higher education institutions provide both full-time and part-time courses and external or distance education courses. In addition, some institutions offer courses which associate full-time study with periods of employment.

Students and courses

Prior to 2001, institutions providing data supplied only one student enrolment file per year based on a 31 March census date. This meant enrolment numbers were a count of unique (individual students only appeared once) student enrolments as at 31 March.

In 2001, institutions started providing a second student enrolment file based on a 31 August census date. This means enrolment numbers now provide a count of students (one entry only per student) who were enrolled anytime within a 12-month period, that being 1 September to 31 August, and cover all enrolments at higher education institutions over that period.

Where time series data are shown, as in table 10.25, two figures are provided for 2001, one figure based on the ‘old’ scope and one figure based on the ‘new’ scope.

Table 10.23 shows the numbers of higher education students and their mode of participation at higher education institutions. The number of such students in 2002 was 896,621, a rise of more than 54,400 (or 6.5%) since 2001. This growth was almost entirely among those in face-to-face (internal) tuition. The proportion of students who were female was 54%, the same as for 2001. In 2002 full-time study was the choice of 64% of higher education students.

10.23 HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS(a), By mode(b) and type of enrolment

2001
2002


Males
Females
Persons
Males
Females
Persons

Internal
Full-time
224,529
262,785
487,314
242,537
282,695
525,232
Part-time
86,486
99,547
186,033
92,685
106,997
199,682
Total
311,015
362,332
673,347
335,222
389,692
724,914
External
Full-time
9,239
12,421
21,660
10,833
13,608
24,441
Part-time
52,081
62,610
114,691
50,970
63,817
114,787
Total
61,320
75,031
136,351
61,803
77,425
139,228
Multi-modal
Full-time
8,827
15,370
24,197
8,938
15,969
24,907
Part-time
2,969
5,319
8,288
2,670
4,902
7,572
Total
11,796
20,689
32,485
11,608
20,871
32,479
Total
Full-time
242,595
290,576
533,171
262 308
312,272
574,580
Part-time
141,536
167,476
309,012
146,325
175,716
322,041
Total
384,131
458,052
842,183
408,633
487,988
896,621

(a) The scope of the data in this table is students enrolled at anytime within the 12-month period 1 September to 31 August. Previously, published data referred to students enrolled at 31 March of the stated year.
(b) This relates to the delivery of education to the student. 'Internal' is where the delivery of education is done entirely within the institution, 'external' refers to delivery of course material to students off-campus, and 'multi-modal' is where at least one, but not all units, are provided at the institution.
Source: Department of Education, Science and Training, 'Students 2002: Selected Higher Education Statistics'.

The basic undergraduate course at most institutions is a Bachelor degree of three or four years duration. At some institutions, courses may also be offered at the Diploma or Advanced diploma level. Most institutions also offer postgraduate level study. One to two years of full-time postgraduate study are required for a Master's degree and three to five years for a Doctoral degree. Postgraduate diplomas and certificates are offered in some disciplines. In 2002, 70% of higher education students were enrolled in bachelor courses, with a further 25% enrolled in higher degree and other postgraduate courses (table 10.24).

Higher education institutions offer a wide variety of courses embracing such areas as Natural and physical sciences, Information technology, Engineering and related technologies, Architecture and building, Agriculture, environment and related studies, Heath, Education, Management and commerce, Society and culture, Creative arts and Food, hospitality and personal services. Fields of education with the largest numbers of award course students in 2002 were Management and commerce (28%); Society and culture (22%); Health (11%); and Education (10%).

10.24 HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS, By level of education(a) - 2002
Level of education of study

Postgraduate
degree
Graduate diploma/
Graduate certificate
Bachelor
degree
Advanced diploma/
Diploma
Other
education
Total
courses
Field of education(b)
'000
'000
'000
'000
'000
'000

Natural and physical sciences
9.3
1.6
56.5
0.2
0.6
68.2
Information technology
14.0
7.5
57.3
0.2
0.2
79.1
Engineering and related technologies
9.3
2.2
48.2
0.3
1.2
61.3
Architecture and building
2.0
1.1
14.6
0.1
-
17.8
Agriculture, environment and related studies
3.3
1.0
11.9
1.7
0.6
18.5
Health
13.5
9.6
73.0
0.6
0.7
97.3
Education
14.6
12.9
59.6
0.6
1.7
89.4
Management and commerce
59.0
20.0
160.3
0.6
1.3
241.2
Society and culture
27.4
10.8
148.2
6.0
4.0
196.4
Creative arts
5.2
2.3
45.6
0.3
1.2
54.7
Food, hospitality and personal services
-
-
0.1
-
-
0.2
Mixed field programmes
-
-
-
-
1.9
1.9
Non-award
-
-
-
-
22.3
22.3
Total
157.7
68.9
623.8
10.7
35.5
896.6

(a) Level of education of study.
(b) Combined courses are coded to two fields of education. As a consequence, the data in the total may be less than the sum of the data aggregated down each level of education.
Source: Department of Education, Science and Training, 'Students 2002: Selected Higher Education Statistics'.

Table 10.25 shows the number of higher education students by age group and sex. Between 2001 and 2002 the growth in higher education student numbers (6.5%) has been strongest among 20-24 year olds (9.1%) and 25-29 year olds (6.7%).

10.25 HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS(a), By age group

2000(b)
2001(b)
2001(c)
2002(c)
Age group (years)
'000
'000
'000
'000

19 and under
Males
78.9
81.2
86.4
88.8
Females
110.4
113.4
120.0
123.3
Persons
189.3
194.5
206.4
212.1
20-24
Males
107.1
113.0
129.7
141.2
Females
126.2
132.7
150.3
164.3
Persons
233.3
245.7
280.0
305.5
25-29
Males
45.2
47.6
59.7
63.7
Females
49.0
51.2
63.1
67.3
Persons
94.1
98.7
122.8
131.0
30 and over
Males
80.2
84.8
108.3
115.0
Females
98.6
102.7
124.6
133.0
Persons
178.8
187.4
232.9
248.0
Total
Males
311.4
326.6
384.1
408.6
Females
384.1
399.8
458.1
488.0
Persons
695.5
726.4
842.2
896.6

(a) Includes students in enabling and non-award courses.
(b) Students enrolled at 31 March.
(c) In 2001 the scope used to define the data in this table changed to include students enrolled at anytime within the 12-month period 1 September to 31 August. Previously, published data referred to students enrolled at 31 March of the stated year. Both old scope and new scope series are presented here for 2001.
Source: Department of Education, Science and Training, 'Students 2002: Selected Higher Education Student Statistics'.

Graduate starting salaries

The average annual starting salary of male bachelor degree graduates has risen by 32% between 1992 and 2002, to $42,366. For females the rise was 33% to $37,784 (table 10.26).

These starting salaries, as a percentage of average annual full-time adult ordinary time earnings, have declined in the years 1992-2002. For males they dropped from 98.9% to 88.1%. For females the respective percentages dropped from 105.0% to 92.8%.

The male postgraduate average annual starting salary rose by 50% between 1992 and 2002, to $67,165. For females the rise was 44% to $52,747. Male postgraduate starting salaries, as a percentage of average annual full-time adult ordinary time earnings, show rises between 1992 and 2002 increasing from 138.2% to 139.6%. For females they declined from 135.6% to 129.5%.

Female starting salaries for bachelor degree graduates were 89.1% of the equivalent male starting salaries in 2002. The ratio for female to male postgraduate starting salaries was 78.5% in 2002.

10.26 STARTING SALARIES FOR EMPLOYED HIGHER EDUCATION GRADUATES

Bachelor graduates(a)
Postgraduates(a)
Average annual full-time adult ordinary time earnings(b)



Males
Females
Males
Females
Males
Females
$
$
$
$
$
$

1992
32,127
28,429
44,852
36,718
32,462
27,079
1997
36,467
32,139
54,335
42,831
38,870
32,448
2002
42,366
37,784
67,165
52,747
48,099
40,733

(a) Self-employed graduates are included in 1992 and 1997 but excluded in 2002.
(b) Of employees.
Source: Average Weekly Earnings, Australia (6302.0); Graduate Careers Council of Australia, Graduate Destinations Survey.

Staff

Table 10.27 shows that in 2002 there were almost equal proportions of male and female staff in higher education. This has changed somewhat over the last decade - in 1992, 53% of all higher education staff were male.

Higher education staff may be classified as academic or non-academic. In 2002, as in previous years, there were more non-academic than academic staff. The largest numbers of academics were at the lecturer and senior lecturer levels.

While there were more male than female academics in 2002, the proportions were closer than they had been a decade earlier. In 2002, 62% of academics were male, compared to 68% in 1992. Men outnumbered women at all levels of academic staff except 'below lecturer'. Between 1992 and 2002, the proportion who were women increased for all levels of academic staff, most notably for senior lecturers.

10.27 HIGHER EDUCATION STAFF

1992
2002


Males
Females
Persons
Males
Females
Persons
Staff classification
%
%
no.
%
%
no.

Academic staff
Above senior lecturer
89.9
10.1
5,411
81.9
18.1
7,475
Senior lecturer
80.9
19.1
7,606
67.7
32.3
8,543
Lecturer
60.0
40.0
12,228
54.2
45.8
11,995
Below lecturer
48.7
51.3
5,939
46.1
53.9
6,587
Total
68.1
31.9
31,184
62.0
38.0
34,600
Non-academic staff
42.2
57.8
42,771
38.1
61.9
46,544
Total
53.1
46.9
73,955
48.3
51.7
81,144

Source: Department of Education, Science and Training, 'Staff 2002: Selected Higher Education Statistics'.



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