Editing Tertiary education (section)

==Definition==
[[File:20160512_GCC_Graduation_(26887523562).jpg|thumb|A post-secondary graduate receives a diploma during a graduation ceremony at [[Germanna Community College]] in Virginia.]]
Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of [[formal learning]] that occurs after completion of [[secondary education]]. This consists of [[universities]], [[colleges]] and [[Polytechnic (disambiguation)|polytechnics]] that offer formal degrees beyond high school or secondary school education.

The [[International Standard Classification of Education]] in 1997 initially classified all tertiary education together in the [[International Standard Classification of Education#1997 version|1997 version]] of its schema. They were referred to as level 5 and doctoral studies at level 6. In 2011, this was refined and expanded in the [[ISCED#2011 version|2011 version]] of the structure. Higher education at undergraduate level, masters and doctoral level became levels 6, 7, and 8. Nondegree level tertiary education, sometimes referred to as [[further education]] or [[continuing education]] was reordered as level 4, with level 5 for some higher courses.<ref>[http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/Documents/isced-2011-en.pdf Revision of the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525154803/http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/Documents/isced-2011-en.pdf |date=2017-05-25 }}. Retrieved 5 April 2012.</ref>

In the days when few pupils progressed beyond [[primary education]] or [[basic education]], the term "higher education" was often used to refer to secondary education, which can create some confusion.{{NoteTag|For example, ''Higher Education: General and Technical'', a 1933 [[National Union of Teachers]] pamphlet by [[Lord Eustace Percy]], which is actually about secondary education and uses the two terms interchangeably.}} This is the origin of the term ''[[High school (North America)|high school]]'' for various schools for children between the ages of 14 and 18 (United States) or 11 and 18 (United Kingdom and Australia).<ref>{{Cite web |title=high school |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/high-school |website=Cambridge Dictionary |access-date=2021-06-24 |archive-date=2021-02-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227115551/https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/high-school |url-status=live }}</ref>