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How to determine which programme will best suit your needs
One of the most common questions received by University can be summed up as: what is the difference between doing a “Master’s degree”, a “Bachelor degree” or a “Graduate diploma”?
Things can get a little confusing when exploring our academic options beyond the bachelor’s degree level. Without further ado, let’s have a look at the various types of postgraduate offerings available in Singapore!
Let us help you have a better understanding of the key differences and which programme will be most suitable for you!
What is the difference between the courses ?
Bachelor Degree:
A bachelor’s degree can set you on a path to break into a field you’ve always been interested in, or enhance a career you’re already in. Bachelor’s degrees typically take between four and five years to complete. Majors can include a number of subjects, such as psychology, computer science, business, nursing, or English. Most assessment requires examinations , groupworks and academic research.
Who is it for: Bachelor degree is highly suitable for fresh diploma holders or young adults seeking to enter the job market.
Graduate Diploma:
A Graduate diploma is an advanced diploma that is usually taken after a bachelor degree. A graduate diploma is typically shorter in duration than a master degree course and should be viewed as an additional specialisation that improves a person’s overall employability A graduate diploma distinguishes itself by offering a high level of specialisation and/or update in a discipline or knowledge that is more concrete than those of master’s degrees, usually with a clear professional orientation.
Graduate Diploma are taught at the same level as master’s degrees and are ideal for those who wish to advance their knowledge and career prospects. They feature up to six intakes per year, with a structured curriculum of three modules taught by faculty of the awarding international university; this allows students to address real-world challenges and gain global experience by taking part in application-based projects and assignments instead of traditional examination.
Who is it for: Graduate Diploma is highly suitable for working professionals above 30 years old since most of the assessments are coursework focus instead of examination. Both Diploma Holders and Degree holders with more than 5 years working experience will qualified for graduate diploma.
Master’s Degrees:
Master studies are aimed at the acquisition by the student of an advanced training, specialized or multidisciplinary, oriented to academic or professional specialisation, or to the initiation in research work. Generally, masters’ degrees have a strategic orientation that address one or various disciplines with a comprehensive approach.
Who is it for: Masters degree and MBA is highly suitable for senior professionals and executive with more than 10 years working experience. Most are seeking advanced management and leadership skills or to gain advanced competency in areas such as cyber security, Artificial intelligence, Data Science, Psychology, HR etc.
5 Reasons You Should consider a Graduate Diploma:
1. Employability
Today, degrees are becoming ever more commonplace so it is important to make your CV stand out from the rest. Studying for a Graduate Diploma will not only help you acquire new skills that will assist you in your working life, but will allow you to have that competitive edge over other candidates potentially applying for the same roles.
2. Time Constraints
Graduate Diploma typically requires students to complete 6 months worth of work, a Master’s qualification will expect students to have completed in 12 to 18 months worth of learning and is much more time heavy.
If you’re uncertain as to whether you want to commit to that much study, it is advisable to complete the Graduate Diploma and then, if you deem it necessary at a later date, progress to a Masters degree
3. Career Change/Learn New Skills
Many students opt to study something new at postgraduate level, but don’t want to commit to a content heavy course before finding out whether it is something they will truly enjoy. As such, studying a Postgraduate Diploma allows potential applicants to dip their toes in the water without committing to a year of highly intensive study.
4. Finance
In general, the average Graduate Diploma course will cost 50% or more less than a Master Degree equivalent, although this isn’t always the case. With postgraduate courses at all levels becoming more and more expensive, many graduates prefer to study on courses with lower tuition fee costs such as Graduate Dip, and then potentially save up over a longer period of time if they’re interested in pursuing an even further course of study.
5. Salary and Career Networking Opportunities
Most graduate diploma and masters degree holders enjoy signficant salary growth. They also expand their professional network. will have industry experts in to give talks and seminars about working life, and may even offer prestigious work placements to their students. Many graduates use the contacts made while studying in order to find postgraduate employment.
Are you qualified to take a Graduate Diploma?
While most graduate diploma are ideal for diploma and degree holders with more than 5 years working experience.
A graduate diploma program offers students advanced, practical knowledge of one subject area. This may provide knowledge in new subject areas for students who are thinking about changing careers or disciplines. Students can even pursue preparatory courses for a master’s degree program. Some programs also include hands-on experience, such as that gained through internships.
Choose from a variety of graduate diplomas:
Accelerate your career with Our suite of graduate diploma Our carefully-crafted curriculum is designed to provide you with the breadth and depth you need to lead in any organisation. Apply your skills with hands-on projects and build a portfolio that showcases your competency to your employers. At Aventis, choose your graduate diploma from our 3 pillars:
Frontier Technology: As the main driver, digitalisation is now taking place across practically all sectors. Today, digital economy jobs are required across all 23 sectors with Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs). Frontier Technology skills are important and transferable, making it a great career choice.
Business Sustainability: As the main driver, digitalisation is now taking place across practically all sectors. Today, digital economy jobs are required across all 23 sectors with Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs). Frontier Technology skills are important and transferable, making it a great career choice.
Social Sciences: The Care Economy comprises a professional cluster of jobs and skills involved in counseling, nurturing and teaching. Almost 40% of job openings in emerging professions globally will be in the Care Economy by 2022. It is a great career choice as its skills are transferable across many sectors from early childhood to adult education.
About Aventis Graduate School
Aventis is a Global Graduate School, headquartered in Singapore with more than 60,000 learners across the world. Established since 2007, Aventis collaborates with leading universities across the United Kingdom and the United States to deliver best in class graduate education for working professionals across Asia. Aventis offers an exciting suite of business programmes including Graduate Diploma in Business Analytics & Data Storytelling, Graduate Diploma in Child Psychology & Mental Wellness, Graduate Diploma In Business Sustainability & Environment, Social And Governance (ESG).
Join over 3,000 Successful graduates.
In summary, choosing the right postgraduate offering for yourself really boils down to the admission criteria, preferred method of delivery, and tenure, before assessing which intake you would like to go for – all of which can be done when you check out the Aventis Graduate Schol Suite of courses designed for working professionals.
Embark on your learning journey with us today, find out more at www.aventis.edu.sg Save on Programme fees with referral and enjoy up to $1,000* savings when you invite your colleagues to join you!