Tertiary education, also referred to as
third stage, third level, and
post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of a school providing a
secondary education. The
World Bank, for example, defines tertiary education as including universities as well as institutions that teach specific capacities of higher learning such as colleges, technical training institutes, community colleges, nursing schools, research laboratories, centers of excellence, and distance learning centers.
Higher education is taken to include
undergraduate and
postgraduate education, while
vocational education and training beyond secondary education is known as
further education in the
United Kingdom, or
continuing education in the
United States.