Tertiary education builds on secondary education, providing learning activities in specialised fields of education. It aims at learning at a high level of complexity and specialisation. Tertiary education includes what is commonly understood as academic education but also includes advanced vocational or professional education. It comprises ISCED levels 5, 6, 7 and 8, which are labelled as short-cycle tertiary education, BachelorÂ’s or equivalent level, MasterÂ’s or equivalent level, and doctoral or equivalent level, respectively. The content of programmes at the tertiary level is more complex and advanced than in lower ISCED levels.
First programmes at ISCED level 5, 6 or 7 require the successful completion of ISCED level 3 programmes that give direct access to first tertiary education programmes. Access may also be possible from ISCED level 4. In addition to qualification requirements, entry into education programmes at these levels may depend on subject choice and/or grades achieved at ISCED level 3 or 4. Further, it may be necessary to take and succeed in entrance examinations.
In tertiary education, an education programme is always classified at the same level as the level of the qualification awarded on its successful completion (unless a programme is partly classified as ISCED level 3). Therefore, in contrast to ISCED levels 0, 1, 2 and 3, the concept of programmes spanning ISCED levels is not applicable for the tertiary levels.
There is usually a clear hierarchy between qualifications granted by tertiary education programmes. However, unlike programmes at ISCED levels 1, 2, 3 and 4, national programmes at ISCED levels 5, 6 and 7 can exist in parallel rather than as one ISCED level building sequentially on another. Completion of an ISCED level 3 or 4 programme may provide access to a range of first tertiary education programmes at ISCED level 5, 6 or 7, depending on the availability in a specific education system and/or on additional entry requirements which may be specified. These include:
• short-cycle tertiary education programmes at ISCED level 5 (at least two years);
• Bachelor’s or equivalent first degree programmes at ISCED level 6 (three to four years);
• Bachelor’s or equivalent long first degree programmes at ISCED level 6 (more than four years); or
• Master’s or equivalent long first degree programmes at ISCED level 7 (at least five years).
The transition between programmes at the tertiary level is not always clearly distinguished and it may be possible to combine programmes and transfer credits from one programme to another. In certain cases, credits received from previously completed education programmes may also be counted towards the completion of a programme at a higher ISCED level. For example, having obtained credits in an ISCED level 5 programme can reduce the number of credits or study duration required to complete a level 6 programme. In some systems, individuals may transfer to an education programme at ISCED level 6 after completion of an ISCED level 5 programme, which may reduce the time required for an individual to complete an ISCED level 6 programme. Others may directly enter ISCED level 6 or 7 from ISCED level 3. In many education systems, most students must first complete ISCED level 6 before gaining entry into ISCED level 7.
The successful completion of ISCED level 7 is usually required for entry into ISCED level 8.
The following figure illustrates the categories of tertiary education programmes and the pathways between them.
