Universities are called“unis”in Ausspeak.They take in about 200,000 new students each year.There are at least two universities in every State and Territory which has nine, and Tasmania,which has one.Universities were first established in Sydney and Melbourne in the 1850s.Today many still tend to follow British or American traditions, and responsibility for academic matters is vested in university boards and committees.The more old-fashioned establishments are run by professorial boards, comprising professors, deans and heads of department.And the structure of courses varies, depending on the university and field of study.
Most Australian universities are both teaching and research institutions.A full range of academic and professional disciplines is offered with awards ranging from associate diploma to doctorate being offered.Many universities have a multi-campus structure, with each campus specialising in a particular discipline.Regional universities, some offering specialised courses, provide a full tertiary experience with students residing on campus and participating in local activities.The standard, design and diversity of education offered by Australian universities are among the most effective in the world.On average,an undergraduate degree lasts from between three up to six years for a double degree with honours.Students can choose to pay fees for each year, or use a student loan system called the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS).
If using the HECS scheme, students gradually pay off their education once their income has reached a certain level.HECS applies to most degree courses,however, costs are still much lower than those in the United States and some other countries.Note that this system applies to Australian residents only.
In general, Australians are not as keen on gaining education and job skills as other Western countries.Nevertheless, Australia manages to make big news with its breakthroughs in everything.The Aussies write 2 percent of the world s scientific papers, win 1.3 percent of Nobel Prize and make 0.7 percent of world s patent applications.
most exclusive private colleges.
In New South Wales, Victoria,Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory, primary school years begin at Year 1 and end at Year 6.In South Australia and the Northern Territory there is an extra year in pre-school, while Queensland and Western Australian pupils have an additional year in primary of world s patent applications.
Notes on Language and Culture
1.institution: A custom, system or organization that has existed for a long time and is accepted as an important part of a particular society.Here it refers to schools and universities.
2.preparatory school: fml for prep school.A private school (a school paid for by parents and not the government) for children, who will then usually go to public school.
3.sectarian : Strongly supporting a particular religion, esp.in such a way as not to be willing to accept other beliefs.
4.denominational: Having slightly different beliefs from other groups which share the same religion.For instance, Protestantism and Roman.
Catholicism are both denominations of the Christian faith.
5.snobbery: snobbishness.
6.kudos: The fame and public admiration that a person receives as a result of a particular achievement or position in society.
7.exclusive: Limited to only one person or group of people.
8.New South Wales: The most populous and heavily industrialized state in Australia, lying in the southeast part of the Australian continent.Its capital is Sydney, Australia s largest city and one of the world s great seaports.It is also an important international financial center.It lies in the temperate zone and the climate is generally free from extremes of heat and cold.
9.Victoria: Victoria lies in the southeast corner of Australia.It is about the same area as England, Wales and Scotland; three-fifths of Japan and slightly larger than the US State of Utah.Victoria produces almost a quarter of Australia s total rural output.It is also one of Australia s major manufacturing States.Its factories employ about 34 per cent of the national labor force.
10.Tasmania: Tasmania,the smallest of Australia s six states, is an island lying south of the southeast corner of the Australian mainland.It is the most mountainous of Australian States.
11.Australian Capital Territory: The Australian Government took possession of 2,357 km of land from New South Wales (NSW) in 1911 to form the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) as the site for the Australian national capital.That capital, Canberra, lies between Sydney and Melbourne.The University of Canberra offers professional education as well as several research centers.
12.Northern Territory: It covers about one sixth of the Australian continent.
It supplies beef, veal and game meats to European, American,Asian and Pacific countries.Mineral production is a major contributor to the Northern Territory s economic development.
13.Queensland: Australia s second largest and the third most populous state.In recent years there has been an increasing number of new settlers from southeast Asia.About one-third of Queenslanders are migrants or the children of migrants.It is known as Australia s“sunshine state”although weather conditions vary greatly between the coastal plain and the inland.
14.Western Australia: The state of Western Australia is Australia s face on the Indian Ocean.Its major export industry is agriculture.
15.Sydney: The capital of New South Wales.Famous landmarks like the Sydney harbor bridge, the Opera House and many historic buildings all enrich its cultural and majestic beauty.
16.Melbourne: The capital of Victoria.It is renowned for its restaurants,virtually every kind of cuisine is available there.It is described as the most civilized city owing to its cultural richness.