An Indian student’s guide to pursue a Master’s in Australia: eligibility, scope, salary

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Picture of Shivani Mani

Shivani Mani

Lead, Student Success - FundRight

Thinking about pursuing a Master’s in Australia? Take 5 minutes to read this article and learn about:

  • Why Australia?
  • The potential to settle in Australia after Master’s
  • Salary
  • Types of Master’s
  • Eligibility 

Why do a Master’s in Australia?

Home to some of the best universities in the world

Eight Australian institutions rank among the top 150 in the world, demonstrating the high caliber of education in this nation. Institutions have also produced globally significant research and have great labs and equipment.

Quality of life

Australia is home to 4 out of the 10 best cities to live in the world. Citizens get free healthcare and the infrastructure is great. Hence, it presents a great opportunity for you to settle there. 

If not, you will still have a great time for the duration of your education. 

Environmental Science Research opportunities

Australia is especially a good fit for Indians who want to study environmental science. This is because the country is surrounded by the ocean earning a reputation as an island continent. 

In total, Australia has 8,222 islands. You can become a marine biologist who has the golden chance to explore the Great Barrier Reef.

Easy transition

Like the Indian education system, the Australian Master’s degrees are modeled on the British degree system. Hence, the transition is easy. You can get into most Master’s programs after a 3-year Bachelor’s unlike the U.S.

Additionally, it uses a three-tiered degree structure. Meaning, an undergraduate Bachelor’s degree is followed by postgraduate Master’s degrees after which you can pursue a PhD. 

Many Australian degree programmes also have names that are similar to what is known in India. For instance, the terms MA (Master of Arts) and MSc (Master of Science) are frequently used. 

However, some course names do vary. For example, in India, a Master’s of Commerce is more common than Master’s of Marketing. In Australia, Master’s of Marketing or Finance is more common. 

Diversity

Diversity is a crucial factor when you are deciding to move abroad. You need to be sure that the country is accepting of foreigners. 

  • Australia is not only home to the world’s oldest continuous cultures, but also to Australians who identify with more than 270 ancestries.
  • Since 1945, all seven million people have migrated to Australia.
  • One in four of Australia’s 22 million people were born overseas.
  • 46% of Australians have at least one parent who was born overseas.
  • Nearly 20% of Australians speak a language other than English at home.
  • People born in the United Kingdom continue to be the largest group of overseas-born residents, 5.3%. India’s stand at 1.6%.

Most new migrants have even claimed that they feel a strong sense of belonging to Australia and that the feeling has deepened over time.

You cannot avoid racism completely. However, most Australians (86%) support action to tackle racism in Australia.

Scope of employment after Master’s in Australia

A student visa only allows you into the country temporarily. You are supposed to leave upon completion of your Master’s and before the visa will expire. 

However, Australia has a huge demand for foreign workers. If you have earned a postgraduate degree like an Ms in Australia, you can qualify for a special work visa category. 

There are also several other visa categories open to international students. For permanent residency, Australia uses a points system . 

Here is an overview of a few of the categories of visas that are available:

NumberNameDescription 
886Skilled Sponsor Resident VisaYou can apply for permanent residency and work while being sponsored by an employer.
485Skilled Graduate Temporary VisaOne of the most common visas applied to after graduation. You can stay in Australia for 18 months to gain work experience. Only valid for 2-year degrees.
402Training and Research VisaThe visa has three main categories: Occupational Trainee stream, Professional Development stream, Research stream. The visa allows you to participate in training and research activities.
487Regional Sponsored VisaIf you are looking for Permanent Residency, this Visa is the way to go. It allows you to work for 3 years in a specialized regional area. 
887Skilled Regional Residence VisaIf you have lived in Australia for two years (the duration of course), and have a year of work experience you can get permanent residency and settle in Australia permanently. 
885Skilled Independent Residence VisaThe visa allows you to live as a permanent resident. You can work without being sponsored.

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to secure residency and a work visa in Australia after your Master’s is complete. 

You can make around $110,000 annually after your Master’s in Australia. This will vary depending on demand, the scope of your field, the university and more. 

Types of Master’s in Australia

There are a range of degree formats to do your Master’s. You can build directly upon your undergraduate study, boost your current career or switch your field. A Master’s in Australia presents incredible opportunities for indian students

Traditional Master’s

Traditional master’s degrees are academic programmes that give you the option to delve further into a specific discipline. You can get a degree such as the Master of Arts (MA) or MS in Australia, which are comparable to equivalent degrees in nations like the UK (MSc). 

These courses are taught using a combination of research and/or instruction, and the majority include a final dissertation or other type of project.

Note – Such courses usually require you to have a Bachelor’s in a related field. 

Master’s that allows you to change fields

If you want to switch your academic paths or advance their knowledge in a different field, a Master’s in Australia will be a great fit. 

Before giving you extensive training in a particular specialization, they frequently start by giving you a foundation in the fundamental concepts of your new field. So, you can learn the fundamentals of the field while also getting  practical experience.

For example, if you have earned a degree in a Humanities subject, you can switch to Digital Humanities and gain programming skills. This will equip you for IT related jobs as well.

Note – Make sure that your professional qualifications are recognised in your home country, if you want to work in your home country. 

Professional development Master’s

You can also advance your career with the extra education you can get with a Master’s degree. For instance, pick a course that has electives like AI and ML to use in your commerce job. You can also participate in valuable research during your term and learn more. 

In contrast to graduate entry professional Master’s programmes, these programmes typically demand prior credentials and experience. By utilizing the distinctive knowledge and training options in Australia, studying for such courses overseas might be a great approach to improve your CV.

Select the right university

When you pick a college you have to keep a lot of things in mind.

  • The ranking of the university 
  • The curriculum 
  • Faculty 
  • Application deadlines 

And more.

Hence, we have created SelectRight to help you find the ‘right’ university for you. You can make an account for free and assess each university, figure out your admission chance and value for money. 

How does it work?

In five simple steps.

  1. Create an account on the platform
  2. Answer a few questions about your academic profile and goals so that our AI can understand what you need.
  3. We will match universities as per expectations, admission chances and total cost of admission and provide you with suggestions. 
  4. Connect with the alumni 
  5. Get expert guidance. 

Here are the perks of SelectRight.

A huge database

The platform offers unbiased, personalized program recommendations from a database of over 1000+ universities and 6500+ programs. We are adding more programs on a daily basis. If you can’t find yours, contact our customer support to get your program added.

To provide you with open and unbiased suggestions on the best matched fundable programmes in accordance with your requirements, we use 6 million data points from 10,000+ STEM, CS, and MBA programmes.

We provide the best guidance to pursue a Master’s in Australia for Indian students.

Networking

With SelectRight you become a part of a community that provides you exclusive content and communication channels. 

Attend special gatherings hosted by the Australian universities you were matched with. Ask questions, get answers and make decisions about your future education. 

Expert assistance in selecting and application

We will help you with shortlisting Australian universities. With our suggestions, you can like universities from our database which will be automatically added to your personal shortlist. 

Connect with alumni and specialists of the Australian university you want to go to and learn from their experience. 

Master’s eligibility criteria Australia

This section will give you a general overview. Check the exact entry requirements from the institution of your choice as requirements may vary. Alternatively, you can get in touch with a SelectRight expert who can guide you with the right knowledge. 

  • An Undergraduate degree of 3 or 4 years. The minimum GPA requirement in the Indian equivalent to GPA of 5.0/7.0. 
  • A decent GMAT or GRE  score. The decent score varies as per the university. For example, the University of Melbourne for the Master of Business Administration requires GMAT – minimum required 560 or GRE – minimum 310 with a minimum score of 157 on the Quantitative Section and a minimum of 152 on the verbal section. 
  •  A good score in English language proficiency tests like IELTS with a minimum overall band of 6.5
  • Some programs may require work experience. 

Note – A good GMAT score is around 600. A score above 660 is considered excellent. A SelectRight expert can help you understand what GMAT score you will need. 

You are expected to meet program-specific academic/non-academic requirements, and English language requirements. However,  admission to most Australian programs is on a competitive basis. Therefore, meeting all admission requirements does not automatically guarantee entry.

Now that you know what a Master’s in Australia entails, create a free account on our platform to find the perfect university match for you.

Picture of Shivani Mani

Shivani Mani

Shivani, aka 'Sheen' brings in 15+ years of experience in banking & finance. An IIM-A alumna, she actively interacts with students & provides actionable solutions to their study abroad funding issues.

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