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Australian Terms

An undergraduate student is someone who is studying for their first degree, usually called a bachelor degree. At ANU they can opt to do a single degree, or a combined degree (sometimes also called a double degree). A combined degree generally adds one year of study to the single degree but students end up with two degrees.

A postgraduate coursework student is someone who has usually graduated from their first degree and who is studying for a higher degree by coursework (not research).

A PhD student is someone who already has a first degree with excellent results and who is studying for what is known as a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). The student identifies a topic to research and is supervised by one or more members of academic staff, sometimes in one or more departments. A PhD normally takes 3-4 years to complete. A Master of Philosophy (MPhil) is another type of research degree that takes 1-2 years to complete.