A Brisbane TAFE college will be the first in Queensland to offer bachelor degrees as part of its curriculum.

The Metropolitan South Institute of TAFE’s initiative is designed to give more people the chance to gain a degree without being a university graduate.

Dannielle DePinto reports.

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From next semester students at Mount Gravatt TAFE will be able to begin studying for a degree in either Business or Early Childhood Education.

If they pass it will give them the same qualifications as a university student.

Tegan Sinclair, MSIT student: “I’ve been doing the bridging work at TAFE by studying my diploma and I was going to study my advanced diploma to get to uni but now they’ve offered it, I’m able to study straight through TAFE.”

It will open doors for people who want to further their careers but haven’t qualified to enrol at a university.

Kaylene Harth, MSIT Director: “There’s no bridging course, you qualify automatically if you’re able to complete your diploma or advanced diploma.”

With only limited positions available at Queensland universities, the new initiative is helping people like Tegan to gain a degree.

TAFE degrees won’t be as expensive as those at university but they don’t come under the HECS loan scheme.

The only financial relief at the moment is through gaining a scholarship.

John-Paul Langbroek, Education Minister: “If we could get some more support from the Commonwealth Government to give similar loans to people that go to uni, we’ll have more people who go to TAFE.”

There are plans to make a greater range of degrees available to TAFE students at the start of next year.

Dannielle DePinto, QUT News.