Diploma of Marketing and Communication

The Diploma of Marketing and Communication is a one-year qualification for people who want to work in marketing, advertising, public relations or communications. You study how to research a market, write and design campaign material, plan and run a promotional activity, and measure whether it worked. Typical units cover consumer behaviour, digital and social media, copywriting, media planning, brand and product promotion, and professional communication. Assessment is mostly practical: campaign plans, content pieces, presentations and group projects rather than long written exams.

This is a diploma on the Australian Qualifications Framework, so it sits below a bachelor degree and is normally delivered over two or three study periods in a year. You enrol in units of study, each worth credit points, and you need to pass the required number to graduate. Many colleges build in a work placement or an industry project where you work with a real client, which is how marketing students in Australia usually get their first portfolio pieces. If you later want a degree, credit from a diploma can often be counted towards a bachelor program, though how much depends on the receiving institution and you should confirm this before you enrol.

You finish with skills employers actually ask for: writing for different audiences, reading campaign data, using social and digital platforms, pitching ideas, and working to a brief and a budget. The course suits school leavers who want a fast, job-focused qualification, career changers moving into marketing or communications, and people already working in admin, sales or retail who want to formalise what they know. It is also a common pathway for international students who want an Australian qualification before deciding whether to continue to a degree.

Strathfield College and Jacaranda College deliver this course in Sydney, which puts you near agencies, media organisations and the head offices of national brands. International students on a Student visa can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while studying, and graduates may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream, subject to the Department of Home Affairs requirements. English entry is usually IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall or an accepted equivalent, and the Student visa has its own separate English threshold. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 104900K. Check the official page for current unit lists, intake dates and entry requirements.

• Marketing assistant or coordinator
• Digital marketing assistant
• Social media coordinator
• Communications assistant
• Public relations assistant
• Advertising or media assistant
• Content and copywriting assistant
• Events and promotions assistant
• Sales and customer engagement roles

These roles sit in advertising and media agencies, marketing departments of large organisations, retail and e-commerce businesses, not-for-profits, government communications teams, and PR consultancies across Australia.