With projections in the federal government’s 2023 Intergenerational Report indicating the Australian population aged over 85 is set to triple, demand for doctors, physiotherapists, exercise and sports scientists, and other healthcare professionals is growing.
Queensland is already experiencing a shortage of health workers, which has led many students to pursue the faster pathway of accelerated degrees which can see students graduate in as little as two years (excluding doctors who graduate in four years and eight months).
At Queensland’s Bond University, the most popular courses for 2024 indicate students may be reacting to future job trends, with four of the top seven degrees related to the care industry. Many of these students will be educated and trained at the institution’s state-of-the-art health precinct at Robina where a major extension opened in 2023.
Bond University’s popular undergraduate courses for 2024:
- Bachelor of Biomedical Science
- Bachelor of Laws
- Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science
- Bachelor of Business
- Bachelor of Psychological Science
- Bachelor of Health Sciences
- Bachelor of Actuarial Science
A finance degree with a difference
The Actuarial Science degree, which prepares students to work in data analytics, finance, and banking, is the only tertiary degree of its kind available in Queensland. Actuaries traditionally worked in the insurance industry predicting the risks of making claims payments or calculating anticipated investment returns in superannuation.
But the masses of data now being collected by almost every business — and the opportunity to interpret and monetise it — means actuaries are branching out across a broad spectrum of industries.
Queensland construction projects spark study interest
Another degree trending upward for 2024 is Project Management.
The choice may reflect future job opportunities, particularly in Queensland, which is experiencing a housing crisis and gearing up to host the 2032 Olympics, requiring billions of dollars in new infrastructure.
Salaries for some in-demand construction industry jobs have almost doubled in a few years, recent research from Bond University found.
Junior contract administrators with only two-years’ experience could command up to $140,000, compared to $80,000 a few years ago.
Project managers with five to seven years’ experience could earn up to $220,000.
Taking tertiary studies further
And if completing an undergraduate degree just isn’t enough, Bond University reveals it’s most popular postgraduate courses for 2024 – also with an emphasis on health and well-being.
- Doctor of Physiotherapy
- Graduate Diploma in Psychology (bridging)
- Juris Doctor
- Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice
- Master of Occupational Therapy
- Master of Nutrition and Dietetic Practice
- Master of Architecture
