Diploma of Hospitality Management

The Diploma of Hospitality Management is a one-year qualification taught at the Australian School of Commerce. It sits at the diploma level of the Australian Qualifications Framework, which puts it below a bachelor degree but above a certificate III or IV. In practice that means you spend the year learning how hospitality businesses actually run, rostering, budgeting, stock control, food and beverage service, workplace health and safety, and how to lead a small team on a busy shift.

The course is delivered over one year of full-time study, usually across two or three study periods depending on how the school timetables it. You enrol in individual units of study, each worth a set number of credit points, and you need to pass the required units to complete the diploma. Assessment is practical as much as written. Expect to be assessed on things like preparing a roster that meets an award, costing a menu, handling a customer complaint, or running a service period under supervision. Some units are delivered in a commercial kitchen or simulated restaurant environment, and many diploma programmes in this field include a work placement or industry-based component so you build hours in a real venue.

What you come out with is a working knowledge of how a hospitality operation is put together. You learn to supervise staff, manage stock and suppliers, follow responsible service of alcohol and food safety rules, and read the numbers well enough to know whether a venue is making money. Those skills transfer across hotels, restaurants, pubs, clubs, catering companies and events businesses. The diploma also gives you a pathway, many students use it to enter the second year of a bachelor degree in hospitality, tourism or business, subject to the receiving institution's credit rules.

This course suits people who want to move off the floor and into a supervisory or team-leader role, or who are already working in hospitality and want a formal qualification behind them. It also suits school leavers who want a shorter, practical qualification before deciding on a degree, and international students looking for a post-study work option. English requirements are set by the school; international applicants typically need IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 or an accepted equivalent such as TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic or Cambridge C1 Advanced. The Department of Home Affairs sets its own separate English threshold for the Student visa. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 111704M. Confirm current entry requirements, unit structure and fees on the official page before you apply.

• Duty manager or shift supervisor, hotels, pubs, clubs, restaurants and resorts across Australia.
• Food and beverage supervisor, restaurants, function centres, conference venues and catering companies.
• Front office supervisor, hotels, motels and serviced apartment operators.
• Restaurant or café manager, independent venues and hospitality groups.
• Events and functions coordinator, event companies, wineries, clubs and convention centres.
• Catering supervisor, airline catering, aged care and hospital food service, and contract caterers.
• Small business operator, many graduates go on to run their own café, food truck or catering business.

International graduates may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream, which allows you to stay and work in Australia after finishing. While you study, your Student visa generally allows up to 48 hours of work per fortnight, so you can pick up shifts in a venue while you complete the diploma.