Diploma of Marketing and Communication

The Diploma of Marketing and Communication is a one-year qualification that gets you into the practical side of marketing, how organisations find customers, talk to them, and keep them. You'll work through the core areas of the trade: consumer behaviour, market research, campaign planning, copywriting and content, digital channels, and the communication skills that hold a team together. Assessment is competency-based, so you're showing you can actually do the task, not just recall theory.

As a diploma, this sits at the middle of the Australian Qualifications Framework, below a bachelor degree. It's delivered over one year of full-time study, usually across two or three study periods depending on the provider's calendar. You complete units of study, each worth credit points, and you need to pass all of them to graduate. There's no honours year and no thesis at this level, the focus is applied skills. Some providers build in a work placement or industry project as part of the course, which is where you'd put your learning into practice in a real workplace.

You'll come out with a portfolio of work you can show employers: campaign plans, research reports, social media calendars, written copy. You'll also pick up the soft skills that matter in marketing teams, presenting ideas, working to a brief, meeting deadlines, and using data to make decisions. The course suits school leavers who want a faster route into the workforce than a three-year degree, career changers moving into marketing from another field, and people already working in admin, sales or communications who want formal recognition of their skills.

If you're an international student, you'll need to meet the English requirement, IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall is the common standard for courses at this level, though some providers set their own. You can study on a Student visa and work up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session. After you finish, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream may be available, depending on your circumstances. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register. Check the official page for the exact fees, intake dates and unit list.

• Marketing assistant or coordinator, supporting campaigns, managing schedules and reporting on results in agencies, retail, not-for-profits or corporate marketing teams.
• Digital marketing assistant, running social media accounts, scheduling content, and helping with email and search campaigns.
• Communications officer, drafting newsletters, media releases and internal updates for government departments, associations or small businesses.
• Sales and customer support roles, using marketing knowledge to handle enquiries, manage leads and support business development.
• Events and promotions assistant, helping plan launches, expos and community events that get a brand in front of people.

These roles turn up across most Australian industries, advertising and media agencies, tourism and hospitality, education providers, health services, and the public sector. The diploma also gives you a credit pathway into a bachelor degree if you decide to keep studying later.