Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Equity in Postgraduate Education in Australia

This presentation outlines key findings from a recently completed national study examining equity trends in participation in postgraduate study in Australia. Funded by a National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education Grant, this research compared enrolment, completion and employment data for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander HDR and Coursework postgraduate students across universities and by university type. Using a range of published and unpublished student data from selected higher education statistics, the presentation identifies key trends with attention to how these trends differ by university type. The findings are important in the context of the increasing function of postgraduate education as an employability enhancing strategy, allocation of resources, and the extension of the current emphasis on widening participation in higher education in Australia to include postgraduate cohorts.