Tertiary Education: Definition, Types, and Global Significance

Education is a lifelong pursuit, and tertiary education plays a crucial role in equipping individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary for specialized careers and active participation in society. Tertiary education, also known as postsecondary education or higher education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completion of secondary education. It encompasses a diverse range of programs and institutions, including universities, colleges, technical training institutes, and vocational schools. These programs generally culminate in the receipt of certificates, diplomas, or academic degrees.

Defining Tertiary Education

Tertiary education refers to any level of schooling pursued after high school. It is designed to prepare students for specific careers and focuses on learning endeavors in specialized fields. UNESCO stated that tertiary education focuses on learning endeavors in specialized fields. The International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) in 2011 classifies higher education at undergraduate, master's, and doctoral levels as levels 6, 7, and 8, respectively.

Types of Tertiary Education

Tertiary education encompasses a wide array of programs and institutions, each catering to different educational and career goals. These include:

Universities: Universities are institutions of higher learning that offer a wide range of academic programs, including undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees. They are typically research-intensive and focus on advancing knowledge in various fields.
Colleges: Colleges are institutions of higher education that primarily offer undergraduate degrees. They may also offer some graduate programs, but their focus is typically on providing a broad-based education in the liberal arts and sciences.
Technical Training Institutes: Technical training institutes provide specialized training in specific trades or technical fields. These programs are designed to prepare students for entry-level positions in skilled trades.
Vocational Schools: Vocational schools offer training in specific vocational skills, such as cosmetology, culinary arts, or automotive repair. These programs are designed to prepare students for specific occupations.
Certificate Programs: Certificate programs are geared towards students who seek career training to enter a career within a short amount of time. Certificate programs can generally be completed within 6 months to a year.
Undergraduate Degrees: Undergraduate degrees take about two years (for an associate’s degree) to four years (for a bachelor’s degree) to complete. Within these programs, students spend the first year or two on general education and then take specialized courses based on their major of choice.
Graduate Degree Programs: For those who have completed an undergraduate degree, graduate certificate programs provide an option to further expand knowledge and skills without committing all the time and money required for a graduate degree program. Graduate degree programs consist of master’s degrees and doctoral degrees. Some fields require that their professionals have a graduate degree to work.

A Brief History of Higher Education

The roots of higher education can be traced back to ancient civilizations. In 425 CE, the Byzantine emperor Theodosius II established the Pandidakterion, with a faculty of 31 professors, to train public servants. In the 7th and 8th centuries, "cathedral schools" were created in Western Europe. Simultaneously, the first Madrasahs were founded in the Muslim empire, evolving from primary schools in mosques to institutions of secondary and higher education.

According to UNESCO and Guinness World Records, the University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez, Morocco, is the oldest existing continually operating higher educational institution in the world. The University of Ez-Zitouna in Montfleury, Tunis, was first established in 737. Founded in 1088, the University of Bologna is likely the oldest in the world.

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The Rise of Mass Higher Education

Since World War II, developed and many developing countries have witnessed a significant increase in higher education participation, transitioning from elite rates (up to 15%) to mass rates (16 to 50%). In many developed countries, participation in higher education has continued to increase towards universal or open access, where over half of the relevant age group participates.

The Significance of Tertiary Education

Tertiary education is important to national economies, both as an industry and as a source of trained and educated personnel. It is instrumental in fostering growth, reducing poverty, and boosting shared prosperity. A highly skilled workforce, with lifelong access to a solid post-secondary education, is a prerequisite for innovation and growth: well-educated people are more employable and productive, earn higher wages, and cope with economic shocks better. The economic returns for tertiary education graduates are the highest in the entire educational system - an estimated 17% increase in earnings as compared with 10% for primary and 7% for secondary education. These high returns are even greater in Sub-Saharan Africa, at an estimated 21% increase in earning for tertiary education graduates.

Graduates of tertiary education are more likely to have different worldviews and moral values than non-graduates. They are also more likely to embrace cultural and ethnic diversity and express more positive views towards minority groups.

Tertiary education benefits not just the individual, but society as a whole. Graduates of tertiary education are more environmentally conscious, have healthier habits, and have a higher level of civic participation. Also, increased tax revenues from higher earnings, healthier children, and reduced family size all build stronger nations. In short, tertiary education institutions prepare individuals not only by providing them with adequate and relevant job skills, but also by preparing them to be active members of their communities and societies.

The Right to Access Tertiary Education

The right of access to higher education is mentioned in a number of international human rights instruments. Access to tertiary education “on the basis of merit” is a human right enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Art. 26.2), and referred to in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (Art. 13c). The 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) affirmed the right of all children, regardless of status, to free and compulsory primary education, to available and accessible secondary education, and to tertiary education on the basis of capacity (United Nations, 1989, Art.

The Evolving Landscape of Tertiary Education

Governments are increasingly recognizing that the entire educational system - from early childhood through tertiary education - must reflect and be responsive to rapidly evolving social and economic demands and needs within an expanding globalized knowledge economy, which increasingly demands a better-trained, more skilled, and adaptable workforce. As the youth population continues to swell and graduation rates through elementary and secondary education increase dramatically, especially in regions like South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa, there is an intensifying demand for expanded access to tertiary education of good quality. Diversification of institution types and delivery modalities will become increasingly more central to meeting this expanded demand. Tertiary technical and vocational education and training, as one example, can provide an effective and efficient complement to traditional university studies in providing students with skills and knowledge relevant to the labor market.

There are around 222 million students enrolled in tertiary education globally, up from 100 million in 2000. In Latin America and the Caribbean, the number of students in tertiary education programs has increased since the early 2000’s, but quality concerns remain. In Sub-Saharan Africa, enrollments have doubled every twenty years since the late 1970s. This massive growth remains critical as a student with a tertiary education degree in the region will earn more than twice as much as a student with just a high school diploma over a lifetime, though, of course, a variety of factors such as social capital and networks, institution quality, and academic program selection are among the factors that lead to notable heterogeneity of outcomes at for individual students in every country. Across the expanding pool of graduates of tertiary education, matching the skills developed today to the needs of the labor market of both today and of the future remains a major challenge. At the same time, expanded enrollments increase the strain on publicly funded institutions of higher learning, and many countries with limited resources are struggling to finance the growing needs of a larger student body, without compromising the quality of their educational offerings. Tertiary education also remains out of reach for many of the world’s poorest and most marginalized. In Latin America and the Caribbean, on average, the poorest 50% of the population only represented 25% of tertiary education students in 2013. In Sub-Saharan Africa, only 9% of the traditional aged cohort for tertiary education continues from secondary to tertiary education - the lowest regional enrollment rate in the world.

Tertiary Education for Non-Traditional Students

Non-traditional students are learners who don’t fit the mold of a traditional postsecondary student. Non-traditional students worldwide have different needs than the traditional student. Instead of carrying out their tertiary education in a dormitory, completely immersed in the college experience, non-traditional students have one or even two feet in the ‘real’ world.

To accommodate the needs of non-traditional students, tertiary education providers are increasingly offering flexible learning options, such as online courses and reasonable accommodations for in-person courses. By offering courses via edtech platforms like Canvas and Blackboard Learn, tertiary education providers allow students to watch lectures, take quizzes, and more without leaving their homes. While in-person courses can be difficult for non-traditional learners to attend, those that are able to can greatly benefit from learning in physical classrooms, where tertiary education can be more engaging. To make this option accessible for more non-traditional students, many colleges provide reasonable accommodations.

Non-traditional learners are, therefore, one of the biggest student populations that can benefit from the ability to listen to course content. With text-to-speech technology, non-traditional students can listen to slideshows, notes, textbooks, and other course content on the go while exercising, cooking, driving, or traveling on public transportation.

Tertiary Education in Different Countries

Tertiary education systems vary across countries, reflecting different cultural and historical contexts. Here's a glimpse of how tertiary education is structured in a few nations:

Australia: Within Australia, "tertiary education" refers to continuing studies after a student completes secondary school.
Italy: Education in Italy is compulsory from 6 to 16 years of age and includes university (università). Education is free in Italy and free education is available to children of all nationalities who are residents in Italy. Italy has a large and international network of public or state-affiliated universities and schools offering degrees in higher education. Italian universities are among the oldest universities in the world; the University of Bologna (founded in 1088) notably, is the oldest one ever; also, University of Naples Federico II is the world's oldest state-funded university in continuous operation.
United Kingdom: Under devolution in the United Kingdom, education is administered separately in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. In England, the term "tertiary education" aligns with the global term "higher education" (i.e. post-18 study). In 2018 the Welsh Government adopted the term "tertiary education" to refer to post-16 education and training in Wales.
Canada: Higher education in Canada includes provincial, territorial, Indigenous and military higher education systems. The ideal objective of Canadian higher education is to offer every Canadian the opportunity to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to realize their utmost potential.
United States: The higher education system in the United States is decentralized and regulated independently by each state with accreditors playing a key role in ensuring institutions meet minimum standards. It is large and diverse with institutions that are privately governed and institutions that are owned and operated by state and local governments.
Nigeria: In Nigeria, tertiary education refers to post-secondary education received at universities (government or privately funded), monotechnics, polytechnics and colleges of education. After completing a secondary education, students may enroll in a tertiary institution or acquire a vocational education.
Hong Kong: In Hong Kong "tertiary education" or "higher education" refers to any education higher than secondary education.

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