Graduate Diploma of Management (Learning)

The Graduate Diploma of Management (Learning) is a two-year course for people who want to lead the learning and development side of an organisation. It sits at graduate diploma level on the Australian Qualifications Framework, which means it comes in above a bachelor degree but below a master's. You do not need a bachelor degree to be considered, though the college will look at your work history and prior study. The course is delivered over two years, and like most Australian qualifications it runs on a semester or trimester structure, with each unit of study carrying a set number of credit points. You build credit as you go, and you need to pass the required units to graduate.

What you actually study

The subject area is curriculum and instruction, so the focus is on how adults learn and how you design and run training that works. You look at learning theory and how it applies to a workplace, how to design a curriculum or a training programme from scratch, how to assess whether people have actually learned something, and how to lead a team of trainers or educators. There is a management side as well: budgeting for learning, compliance with Australian vocational education and training requirements, and the reporting that goes with government-funded training. Assessment is a mix of written work, projects and practical tasks rather than exams alone.

Structure and work-integrated learning

Australian graduate diplomas are usually made up of core units plus some electives, and this one follows that pattern. Because the field is applied, work-integrated learning is common. That can mean a placement with a registered training organisation, a corporate learning and development team, or a community education provider, where you work under supervision and put the coursework into practice. Some students complete a capstone project instead, pulling together everything they have learned into one substantial piece of work. The exact mix of placement and project depends on the intake, so confirm the current structure with the college before you enrol.

Who it suits

This course suits trainers, assessors and team leaders who already work in vocational education or corporate training and want to move into management. It also suits people from other industries who are moving into learning and development and need a formal qualification to back up their experience. If you are an international student, you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session, and you may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream after you finish. English requirements are set out on the official page: IELTS Academic 6.0 to 6.5 overall is the common coursework-postgraduate standard, with TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the college's own English programmes accepted as equivalents. The Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the Student visa itself. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 107436E. Check the official page for the current fees, intake dates and unit list.

• Learning and development manager, leading training strategy for banks, insurers, retailers, government departments and large employers across Australia.
• Training manager or RTO manager, running a registered training organisation, managing trainers, compliance and student outcomes.
• Curriculum developer or instructional designer, building training programmes and learning materials for corporate, government and education clients.
• VET trainer and assessor, delivering and assessing nationally recognised qualifications in TAFE, private RTOs and industry skills centres.
• Organisational development consultant, advising employers on capability building, performance and change.
• Education program manager, managing publicly funded training programmes, apprenticeships and traineeships.
• Human resources manager with a learning focus, linking training to workforce planning and compliance.