After graduation, selecting a higher education course is challenging. Consider your interests, potential returns, career prospects, and admission requirements. Gauging a course’s difficulty is essential before applying, especially in Australia. Read on to discover the hardest degree in Australia.
What Determines A Course’s Difficulty Level?
Determining a particular course’s difficulty level is not quantifiable. It depends on multiple factors. We have gathered some significant ones that may help you pan out the difficult –
- Requirements: Every course comes with a set of specific requirements. For example, a biology course will demand you to have a background or history of education in biology through schooling or undergraduate. Additionally, you may have to write separate entrance tests depending on your chosen course.
- Content: The complexity and intricacy of the content and curriculum included in the course heavily determine its difficulty level. For instance, differential calculus, topology, and mathematical modelling are some topics that can make a mathematics course tougher to undertake.
- Workload: If a class is more demanding than usual, the faculties will require their students to put in more work through additional assignments, research papers, practice and more.
- Duration: While the mentioned duration of a course doesn’t directly affect its difficulty, if you choose the hardest degree in Australia, you will have to consistently put in effort for a more extended period.
- Evaluation and exams: Courses with research, practicals, and comprehensive exams as a part of their curriculum tend to be tougher than others. The final grading system also affects it to a certain extent. For instance, if your grade depends on a singular final exam, it might require less effort. But if you need to undergo different assessments for your final grade, you’ll be required to put in more effort.
- Applications: Courses that have a high degree of real-world application tend to be more challenging as they can directly influence people’s lives. For example, medicine, pharmacy, engineering and law programmes.
Which Is The Hardest Degree In Australia?
As mentioned above, the difficulty level of a course is determined through its curriculum, workload, assessment, and real-world applications, among other factors. Based on these aspects, several studies and surveys were conducted where students picked what they felt was the hardest degree in Australia. Here’s the list of the most challenging programmes. Some of these courses are discussed in detail in the subsequent sections.
- Aerospace Engineering
- Law
- Chartered Accountancy
- Architecture
- Chemistry
- Medicine
- Pharmacy
- Psychology
- Statistics
- Nursing
- Physics
- Astrophysics
- Biomedical Engineering
- Astronomy
- Dentistry
1. Aerospace Engineering
Aerospace engineering involves the study, manufacturing, design and testing of aircraft. It demands proficiency in various aspects like, critical thinking, mathematical concepts, strong problem-solving abilities, and excellent design skills. As evident, this degree holds significant real-world influence, ranking among the toughest in Australia. Admission to top universities in this field requires high performance, as they enforce stringent admission criteria.
2. Law
One of the primary reasons Law ranks as the hardest degree in Australia is its challenging admission process. It demands consistent dedication to reading numerous law books. Furthermore, since graduating lawyers handle cases with significant life implications, comprehensive understanding of legislation is crucial. Law programs also entail rigorous training to cultivate critical thinking and problem-solving skills in students
3. Medicine
It’s clear why medicine ranks as one of the most challenging degrees in Australia. Graduates of this course will bear the responsibility of public health, demanding rigorous training and study. Beyond its difficulty, becoming a doctor requires years of dedication to study, training, and practice. Similarly, fields like nursing and pharmacy pose significant challenges due to the breadth of medical knowledge and clinical skills required to care for patients.
4. Architecture
Architecture, sadly, is more than drawing designs and models of buildings we wish existed. It is a highly intense degree that requires dedication and consistent effort to prove your mettle. Students need to have an in-depth understanding of mathematical concepts like geometry, trigonometry, algebra and topology to visualise and design infrastructure. It becomes especially challenging since students must have a creative, out-of-the-box thought process that produces feasible, practical ideas. Moreover, after completing such a rigorous course, graduates must acquire industry experience to establish themselves as successful architects.
5. Chemistry
What could be trickier than a subject that has hundreds of theories and just as many exceptions? Some streams of chemistry, like physical chemistry, are more mechanical and easier to master. A few other sub-topics, like organic and inorganic chemistry, require meticulous effort to memorise a large amount of information. There are hundreds of reactions, compounds, theories, hypotheticals, and applications that students must study in-depth. Since chemistry courses also involve practicals and lab work, they add to the existing workload and demand more effort.
6. Psychology
Psychology primarily includes a ton of research and study of the human mind and its functioning, making it an exhaustive and arguably the hardest degree in Australia. Students must study the evolution of human thinking, social anthropology, philosophy, sociology and politics to understand the basic coursework. As they progress in their degrees, universities often introduce coursework like neurosciences, cognitive functioning, experimental psychology and social psychology. The major reason it becomes challenging is because of the complexity and unique nature of the human mind. Each patient is different, has unique experiences, and is looking for specific help. This requires graduating psychologists to be equipped to take on the workload, understand their patients, and resolve their issues without letting it affect their mental health.
7. Physics
What’s more interesting than the study of our universe? Being one of the most fascinating and intriguing subjects, physics is equally challenging to the average human brain. Richard Feynman once proclaimed that if his work was understandable by the layman, it wouldn’t have gotten him a Nobel prize. A claim that accurately summarises the study of physics, it includes complex concepts and ideas like nuclear physics, quantum mechanics, astrophysics, material sciences, and electromagnetism. It is, without a doubt, a beautiful subject that satisfies the intellect of any researcher. But, unfortunately, physics makes its students work equally hard. Students must gain expertise in understanding the theories and laws because rote learning will only take you so far.
8. Biomedical Engineering
This degree is an amalgamation of multiple streams of study, like biology, physics, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, and, of course, medicine. The core idea of this degree lies in finding solutions to the problems and obstacles of human health development through the techniques and skills of engineering. Since it includes a combination of several tricky areas, it becomes a challenging subject. Students must read and memorise information related to human health and medicine while also fostering a creative ability to find innovative solutions. Biomedical engineers undertake several responsibilities, from developing drugs and antibiotics to designing medical equipment. As a graduate, you must have the capabilities to enable medical discovery and development by studying the curriculum meticulously and with dedication.
Top Universities In Australia
Choosing a course is tough, but finding the right university is a bigger challenge. The university must offer adequate facilities and excellent opportunities that will enable the students to progress in their careers at a significant pace. Here are the top universities in Australia that offer the above mentioned courses. These have also been ranked as some of the hardest universities to get into in Australia.
| University | Acceptance rate | Average cost of tuition (AUD) |
| University of New South Wales | 30% | $23,140 |
| University of Queensland | 40% | $33,888 – $48,976 |
| University of Sydney | 30% | $41,000 – $73,000 |
| Edith Cowan University | 62% | $13,600 – $34,550 |
| Australian National University | 35% | $32,786 |
| University of Wollongong | 30% | $13,968 – $19,728 |
| Queensland University of Technology | 40% | $31,000 – $37,600 |
| University of Adelaide | 75% | $18,480 – $21,730 |
| Monash University | 40% | $50,000 |
FAQs
Q1. Which is the most difficult university in Australia?
Ans: Multiple polls and surveys have ranked Australian National University to be the toughest university to get into. It offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses that students must gain entry to through rigorous screening procedures and admission requirements.
Q2. Which is the most studied degree in Australia?
Ans: According to research conducted in the past few years, it has been deduced that medicine degrees are statistically the most widely applied in Australia.
Q3. Which is the hardest degree in Australia?
Ans: Architecture, medicine, physics, psychology, engineering, and law are some of the top courses you’ll find on searching for “hardest degrees to study Australia”.
Q4. Which is the easiest course in Australia?
Ans: Diplomas and certifications are the easiest courses to pursue in Australia. They often have a shorter duration as compared to other full-time programmes. They also have an easier curriculum comparatively.
Q5. What is Australia famous for studying?
Ans: International students mostly opt to study engineering, health, science, and technology-related courses in Australia since they offer considerable career scope.
Thank you for reading our guide to the hardest degree in Australia! Let us know your thoughts or queries in the comments section below!
