Diploma of Business

The Diploma of Business at Southern Cross School of Business is a one-year qualification that sits at the diploma level of the Australian Qualifications Framework. It is built around the practical side of running and supporting a business: how organisations plan, how money moves through them, how people are managed, and how goods and services reach customers. You study units of study rather than subjects in the loose sense, each one carries credit points, and you need to pass the set number of units to graduate. The diploma is usually delivered over two or three study periods across the year, so you can spread the load or move through faster depending on the intake.

What you actually study

Expect core units in accounting and budgeting, marketing, business communication, management principles, and the legal and ethical rules that apply to Australian businesses. You will learn to read a profit and loss statement, put together a simple marketing plan, write a business report that a manager can act on, and work through a case where a small business has a cash flow problem. Assessment is a mix of exams, reports, group projects and presentations. Some units include a work-integrated learning component, a placement or industry project with a host organisation, which is how many students get their first Australian referee.

How the qualification is structured

A diploma is a stand-alone qualification, but it is also a pathway. Many students use it to enter the second year of a bachelor degree, and Australian institutions commonly give credit for the units you have completed. Credit is expressed as units of study and credit points, so if you are planning to continue, ask the receiving university in writing how much credit they will grant before you enrol. The diploma itself does not include an honours year or a research thesis, those belong to higher awards. If you later move to a bachelor degree with honours, that adds a further year; a master's is one to two years, and a doctorate three or more.

Who it suits

This course suits school leavers who want a business qualification without committing to three years straight away, people already working in an office or small business who want a formal credential, and international students who want an Australian qualification that can lead into further study. English proficiency is required for international applicants, IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall is the usual standard for courses at this level, 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 itself, so check both. While studying, a student visa holder can work up to 48 hours per fortnight during the teaching period. After graduating, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream may be available, depending on your circumstances.

Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 104723M. Fees, intakes and unit offerings change, so confirm the current details on the official page before you apply.

• Business administrator or office manager, keeping the day-to-day operations of a small or medium business running, across retail, trades, health clinics and professional services.
• Accounts or payroll officer, processing invoices, reconciling accounts and running payroll in an accounting firm, a not-for-profit or a corporate finance team.
• Marketing or sales coordinator, supporting campaigns, preparing proposals and looking after customer records in agencies, real estate and tourism businesses.
• Customer service or operations team leader, supervising front-line staff in banking, insurance, logistics and hospitality.
• Small business owner or partner, running your own venture with a working knowledge of budgeting, compliance and marketing.
• Pathway to further study, many graduates continue into a bachelor degree in business, accounting, marketing or management, often with credit for completed units.