Diploma of Digital and Social Media Marketing

The Diploma of Digital and Social Media Marketing is a one-year qualification for people who want to work in the part of marketing that happens on a screen. You will study how brands build an audience on social platforms, how to plan and schedule content, how paid campaigns are set up and measured, and how to read the analytics that tell you whether any of it worked. Expect practical work: writing copy for different platforms, building content calendars, producing short-form video and graphics, running a small ad campaign to a budget, and reporting on the results. The course also covers the legal and ethical side of social media, including privacy, disclosure of sponsored content, and community management when a comment thread turns ugly.

How the qualification is structured

As a diploma, this sits below a bachelor degree on the Australian Qualifications Framework. Diplomas are usually made up of units of study, each worth a set number of credit points, delivered across semesters or trimesters. One year full time is typical. Assessment is mostly practical, campaign plans, content portfolios, presentations and reports, rather than long written exams. Some units build on each other, so you might learn audience research early and use it later when you pitch a campaign. If the course includes a capstone or final project, that is where you pull everything together into one campaign or portfolio piece you can show an employer. Check the official course page for the exact unit list and credit points, because these vary between institutions.

Skills you come out with

By the end you should be able to write for a specific audience and platform, plan a content schedule, set up and monitor a paid social campaign, use analytics tools to judge performance, and explain your decisions to a client or manager. You also pick up the working habits of a marketing team: briefs, deadlines, version control, and responding to feedback. Group work is common, which mirrors how agencies and in-house teams actually operate. The course suits school leavers who want a fast, practical entry into marketing, career changers moving across from admin, retail or hospitality, and small business owners who want to run their own social media rather than pay someone else. It also gives you a pathway to a bachelor degree with credit for the units you have completed, if you decide to keep studying.

Studying in Australia

This is an Australian qualification delivered under the Australian system, and the course is listed on the CRICOS register, the official Commonwealth register of courses for international students. Tuition is published there, so check the register rather than relying on second-hand figures. If you hold a Student visa, you can 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 and the rules at the time. English proficiency is required for entry; the published standard for courses at this level is typically IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall, with TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the institution's own English programmes accepted as equivalents. The Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the visa itself, so you may need to meet both. Confirm the current requirements, unit list and fees on the official page before you apply.

• Social media coordinator, scheduling posts, managing community comments and reporting on engagement for agencies, retailers, not-for-profits and government teams.
• Digital marketing assistant, supporting paid campaigns, email sends and landing pages across in-house marketing departments.
• Content creator or copywriter, producing short-form video, graphics and written content for brands and publishers.
• Marketing coordinator, running campaigns end to end in small and medium businesses, often the only marketing person on staff.
• Community manager, looking after online communities, moderation and customer questions for consumer brands and service businesses.
• Paid social or search assistant, building and optimising ad sets in platforms such as Meta, TikTok and Google under a senior marketer.
• Freelance social media manager, running accounts for several small clients, common in hospitality, trades, beauty and fitness.

Hiring happens across advertising and media agencies, retail and e-commerce, tourism, health, education, property, and the public sector. Many graduates start in assistant or coordinator roles and move into specialist or management positions after a couple of years.