Top of the Class

Tatler rounds up the best of the best of masters and doctoral programmes, and professional development courses in Asia and Australia, currently popular destinations for postgraduate studies

- Maritess Garcia Reyes and Jove Moya

Learning is a lifelong journey, and while a bachelor’s degree is enough to land a job, upskilling and postgraduate education have become essentials in this dynamic and ever-competitive world. In recent years, an increase in enrolment in postgraduate and professional certification courses has been seen around the world. A 2021 article in the British news platform The Guardian says that postgraduate applications accelerated especially during the pandemic because “students are recognising the value of furthering their education against a challenging economic and employment backdrop”. Through continuing education, learners develop new skills, knowledge and expertise that can support them face the demands of the 21st century: technological advancements, economic growth and societal shifts.

But why choose Asia or Australia for your postgraduate journey? A study by Unesco in 2013 says that since the Nineties, many countries in Asia, which previously had only public institutions, started establishing private institutions of higher education. Countries such as Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines and the Republic of Korea have a strong tradition of private higher education where most students attend private institutions. Universities in Australia, on the other hand have been consistently topping the university ranking charts for decades.