Graduate Certificate in Business Administration

The Graduate Certificate in Business Administration is a short postgraduate qualification for people who want a grounding in business management without committing to a full MBA. At Kaplan Business School it runs over 34 weeks, and it's the kind of course you take when you're already working and want to move into a team leader or manager role, or when you've got a degree in something else and need the business basics. It also works as a stepping stone, if you complete the certificate and want to keep going, the units you pass usually count towards a longer postgraduate award, so you're not starting from scratch.

What you study

As a graduate certificate, this is a nested qualification: four units of study, usually 24 credit points in total, delivered across trimesters. Expect core business subjects, accounting and finance fundamentals, marketing, organisational behaviour, and the economics of how businesses operate. Assessment is a mix of reports, case studies, group projects and exams, and you'll be working with real Australian company examples rather than textbook hypotheticals. Class sizes are small and teaching is practical, with a lot of discussion and group work.

How it fits together

The Australian Qualifications Framework places a graduate certificate at Level 8, alongside the Graduate Diploma and bachelor honours. It's shorter than a master's degree, which is typically one to two years, and it sits below the MBA on the same ladder. Because Kaplan Business School is a private provider, the course is registered on CRICOS (code 078567E) and is available to international students. There's no research thesis at this level, it's coursework only. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register, and you should check the official page for current fees and intake dates.

Who it suits

This course suits early-career professionals with a few years of work behind them, career changers who need formal business training, and people who want to test whether an MBA is the right next step. International applicants need to meet English requirements, IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall is the usual coursework-postgraduate standard, with TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the school's own English programmes accepted as equivalents. The Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the Student visa. While studying, you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight, and on completion you may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream, depending on your circumstances. Confirm all details on the official Kaplan Business School page or the CRICOS register before you apply.

• Team leader or supervisor in retail, hospitality, logistics or professional services
• Business development or account management roles
• Operations coordinator or office manager
• Marketing assistant or coordinator
• Junior management consultant
• Project support officer in government or not-for-profit organisations
• Small business owner or manager