Graduate Diploma of Information & Communications Technology

Program Aim

The Graduate Diploma of Information & Communications Technology is a standalone qualification for professionals who wish to extend and update their knowledge in the space of ICT applications, their use, management and integration in business. This qualification offers non-ICT graduates a path to pursue a career in IT.

Program Rationale

The students in Graduate Diploma of Information & Communications Technology will gain a comprehensive understanding of the techniques and practicalities of the information systems development process and will also provide a broad understanding of ICT applications. The students in this program will obtain the knowledge to successfully design, implement and manage issues involved in the application of Information Technology. This program prepares the student for the growing demand from business for graduates to be able to work with emerging technologies. Students will have the skills to manage future business challenges and enhance individual advancement and employment opportunities.

Program Learning Outcomes

On completion of Graduate Diploma of Information & Communications Technology graduate will be able to:

  • Competently use professional skills and knowledge, including ethical knowledge, in the systematic development of complex information systems;
  • Demonstrate advanced knowledge of theoretical concepts applicable to information & Communications technology;
  • Design ICT solutions for contemporary business environments by employing appropriate problem-solving strategies;
  • Exhibit a range of interpersonal and academic skills with a strong focus on development practice in an independent or collaborative environment;
  • Be effective communicators of technology by communicating technical knowledge, concepts and technical ideas to a variety of audiences using a range of written and oral communication.

Graduate Career Outcomes

Graduates will be IT specialists who possess an excellent combination of knowledge and practical, hands- on expertise to influence and reinforce an organisation’s technology infrastructure and to support the people who use it. They will often be responsible for selecting and deploying software products appropriate for an organisation. They may also be involved in creating and managing business applications, web sites, systems and the IT environment in all types of industries. Career opportunities are quite diverse with possible entry level career paths as a:

  • ICT Support Officer
  • ICT Business Analyst
  • Database Analyst
  • Systems Analyst
  • ICT Network Support Professional
  • Web Analyst

Program Structure

The graduate diploma program will have the following delivery structure:

  • 1 year full-time, face to face classroom-based teaching in delivery over 2 semesters;
  • 8 courses;
  • No work-based training involved;
  • Each semester will run over 12 weeks;
  • Each course has 4 contact hours per week broken down into lecture and tutorial components (2 hours lecture + 2 hours tutorial);
  • 20 credit points (cps) per course;
  • 160 credit points to complete the program.

Program Location

This program is offered at our campuses in Sydney, Melbourne and Darwin.

Program Progression Rules

Semester 1

  • System Development Methodologies
  • Contemporary Management & Leadership
  • Networks and Communications
  • Information Systems and Strategy
Credit Points: 20

MSIT401

Course Information

Information Technology professionals need to be able to compare and contrast various systems development methodologies in terms of their suitability for, and alignment with, a given organisational scenario.

This course provides student with knowledge and understanding of contemporary issues in systems development. It dissects various systems development lifecycles, methodologies, techniques and tools, exploring contexts in which they succeed and fail. It will examine factors affecting the success of these methods along with comparisons of the values and principles that underlie these methods.

In this course, students will develop abilities to critically interpret current issues in system development methodologies including agile methods and change management and assess their impact on projects from a human perspective, as well as a technical point of view.

The aim of this course is to develop students’ understanding of the elements of system development theory and practice involved in the implementation of commercial systems along with options and risks faced in implementing new systems.

Course Level Aims and Learning Goals

The Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) specify what you should know and be able to do by completion of this course.  The CLOs aim to contribute towards your attainment of the Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) and Graduate Attributes (GAs), discussed further below.  The CLOs are:

  1. Explain advanced understanding of system requirements and specifications employing core
    principles of information system analysis and design
  2. Analyse and reflect on the alternative methodologies used in developing business information
    systems
  3. Evaluate different modelling techniques for developing business information systems
  4. Individually and as a member as a team, design information systems demonstrating initiative and
    problem-solving and ethical judgement to meet client briefs
Credit Points: 20

MGMT401

Course Information

Professionals in this field need to be able to demonstrate an advanced understanding of leadership theories, concepts, and practice, including both traditional and contemporary forms of leadership and management.

This course provides you with essential theoretical and conceptual knowledge relevant to organisational theories and practices in the context of the contemporary business environment. It will cover topics related to management theory, management processes, leadership, managing people and contemporary issues in management.

You will develop abilities to effectively communicate and apply relevant leadership principles to address the diverse needs of various stakeholders. You will be able to think critically about core management theories and evaluate and communicate their relevance to contemporary management practice in a complex, diverse and rapidly changing globalised workplace.

The aim of this course is to develop your understanding of the role of leadership in shaping the organisational vision, strategy, culture & values for successful and sustainable management relationships.

Course Level Aims and Learning Goals

The Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) specify what you should know and be able to do by completion of this course.  The CLOs aim to contribute towards your attainment of the Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) and Graduate Attributes (GAs), discussed further below.  The CLOs are:

  1. Explain how key management concepts, principles and theories can support ethical, inclusive and sustainable management practices in culturally diverse workplaces.
  2. Effectively disseminate outcomes to various stakeholders using highly developed communication skills as an individual or as a part of team.
  3. Source and evaluate empirical scholarship reporting on contemporary management issues.
Credit Points: 20

MBIS404

Course Information

Information Technology professionals need to be able to apply theoretical and practical knowledge of networks and communication fundamentals to undertake problem identification, formulation, and solution.

This course requires students explore the current range of computer networks, reviewing the types of networks in use today, the communication protocols used and their arrangement into modular stacks, how problems are solved using networks and protocols, and an exploration of common network security issues.

Students will develop abilities to work as an individual or in small groups on networking problems applying an advanced understanding of networks and communications systems from a systems perspective. Students will be able to design, build and operate networks using switches and routers.

The aim of this course is to develop students’ understanding of the critical principles of communication network design, the layered architecture and network protocols to enable them to design communication networks to achieve business performance objectives.

Course Level Aims and Learning Goals

The Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) specify what you should know and be able to do by completion of this course.  The CLOs aim to contribute towards your attainment of the Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) and Graduate Attributes (GAs), discussed further below.  The CLOs are:

  1. Describe different protocols and layered architectures in developing computer networks
  2. Assess and recommend changes to different network components, including different topologies
    and technologies to meet business requirements
  3. Individually and as a member of a team, evaluate major challenges and propose sustainable and
    ethical solution for securing networks
  4. Analyse critically techniques for managing, documenting and troubleshooting computer networks
Credit Points: 20

MBIS401

Course Information

Information Technology professionals need to be able to demonstrate applied knowledge of people, technology, and management skills in practice across global contexts of change and apply these to organisational systems and processes.

This course introduces students to the development, implementation, and maintenance of various types of information systems, with emphasis on systems relating to enterprise applications, customer relationship and supply chain management, executive support and knowledge management, and global systems. Students will further gain a foundational understanding of the underlying information technologies from the perspective of management. Topics such as wireless, data storage, telecommunication services and Internet technologies will also be discussed.

Students will develop abilities to solve complex organisational problems theoretically and practically and critically reflect on the effectiveness of management processes responding to real-world problems.

Course Level Aims and Learning Goals

The Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) specify what you should know and be able to do by completion of this course.  The CLOs aim to contribute towards your attainment of the Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) and Graduate Attributes (GAs), discussed further below.  The CLOs are:

  1. Distinguish information technologies used in contemporary businesses
  2. Collaboratively investigate, analyse and communicate the relationship between business
    performance, effectiveness and use of information technology
  3. Critically analyse key issues associated with managing and building information systems
  4. Evaluate major ethical, social and legal challenges association with use of information systems

 

Semester 2

  • Project and Change Management in ICT
  • Data Modelling and Database Development
  • Programming Fundamentals and Techniques
  • Strategic Management
Credit Points: 20

MSIT403

Course Information

Information Technology professionals need to be able to identify and critically reflect on the key elements of the project management framework, including project stakeholders, communication management, the project management knowledge areas, common tools and techniques, and project success factors.

This course provides students with both a theoretical and practical overview of project management as it relates to technology-oriented projects. It will introduce project management principles, techniques and tools that can be used to guide traditional business-oriented ICT projects, as well as those adaptations that are designed to support development of more creative ICT projects.

Students will develop leadership qualities required to successfully lead a project. They will be able to apply and analyse established ICT project management principles, skills, and techniques to a case study.

The aim of this course is to provide students with an opportunity to develop and demonstrate the knowledge and skills needed for effective and innovative ICT project management in a range of business contexts.

Course Level Aims and Learning Goals

The Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) specify what you should know and be able to do by completion of this course. The CLOs aim to contribute towards your attainment of the Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) and Graduate Attributes (GAs), discussed further below. The CLOs are:

  1. Review and critically analyse the evolution of project management principles from traditional to the modern day and be able to communicate them to others
  2. Analyse critically the impact of organisational structure and culture on project success
  3. Critically evaluate factors affecting project performance measurement and evaluation
  4. Apply knowledge and skills to plan and implement a project, including all aspects of project management (estimation and ongoing monitoring management of schedule, resources, finance, quality and risk)
Credit Points: 20

MBIS403

Course Information

Professionals in this field need specialised technical and theoretical knowledge necessary to construct data models that engage and reflect relevant, conceptual, logical and physical components derived from real-world, natural language requirements documents and apply data normalisation to these models.

This course engages students with databases and data modelling from a data management perspective. It covers topics such as; the managerial view of data, information and knowledge; conceptual, logical and physical data modelling; normalisation and de-normalisation; the Structured Query Language (SQL) language; data integrity; transaction processing, data warehousing, web services and organisational memory technologies.

Students will develop abilities to make informed decisions about database systems and appropriate modelling techniques for the structured informational needs of modern organisations. Students will be able to transform real-world, natural language business requirements into data models that resolve complex business problems.

The aim of this course is to develop students’ understanding of role of data modelling and database management systems and their importance to business organisations.

Course Level Aims and Learning Goals

The Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) specify what you should know and be able to do by completion of this course. The CLOs aim to contribute towards your attainment of the Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) and Graduate Attributes (GAs), discussed further below. The CLOs are:

  1. Exhibit advanced understanding of the purpose and technical foundations interrelated to database technology and data modelling
  2. Analyse critically the processes undertaken during identification of functional dependencies and normalisation
  3. Investigate the issues related to data integrity, security and concurrency control in a multiuser database environment and the database industry trends
  4. Design and formulate a small database and queries using a modern Database Management System (DBMS) and Structured Query Language (SQL)
Credit Points: 20

MBIS402

Course Information

Professionals in the field of IT need to be able to apply advanced programming practices and implement problem solving strategies in accordance with industry standards and professional ethics.

This course provides you with knowledge of developing software with an emphasis on procedural programming. You will learn about data structures, the concept of algorithms, fundamental programming constructs, common programming language features and functions, program design and effective programming style. A high-level programming language is combined with a highly visual framework to teach problem solving using software.

As part of your assessment, you will develop abilities to solve moderately complex problems with computers and be able to demonstrate proficiency in designing and writing programs. You will be able to apply a range of data structures and algorithms in problem solving.

The aim of this course is to provide you with an overview of programming and its role in problem solving and strategies for designing solutions to programming problems.

Course Level Aims and Learning Goals

The Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) specify what you should know and be able to do by completion of this course. The CLOs aim to contribute towards your attainment of the Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) and Graduate Attributes (GAs), discussed further below. The CLOs are:

  1. Critically reflect on basic concepts, syntax and control structures in programming
  2. Interpret and design suitable algorithmic solutions to computing problems according to specific requirements and develop programs, debug, and test them
  3. Apply problem solving, design thinking and decision-making methodologies in new contexts or to novel problems, source data from multiple sources and manipulate data for analysis and visualisation
  4. Research and formulate maintainable and reusable software solutions using the object-oriented programming paradigm
Credit Points: 20

MGMT402

Course Information

Professionals in this field need to be able to review and evaluate the evolution of ideas and practices leading to the development of strategic management and its relationship to other management practices and principles.

This course provides you with essential theoretical and conceptual knowledge relevant to strategic management. It provides an overview of the debates in strategic management; Strategy analysis (i.e., the external environment analysis, the internal environment analysis); Strategy formulation (i.e., business- level strategy, corporate-level strategy); Strategy implementation and evaluation (i.e., strategies for change, leadership requirements for strategic change, implementation and evaluation of strategic change)

You will develop abilities to demonstrate critical thinking, logical thinking, and analysis through identification of and capacity to propose solutions to unpredictable and complex problems in the key components of the strategic management process. You will develop abilities to evaluate the importance of developing strategically appropriate relationships between people, processes, functions, structures and even organisations.

The aim of this course is to develop your understanding of how effectively managing the diverse range of technology and integrated business management disciplines helps to be more effective in achieving the organisation’s strategic goals in a rapidly changing and technologized organisational environment.

Course Level Aims and Learning Goals

The Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) specify what you should know and be able to do by completion of this course.  The CLOs aim to contribute towards your attainment of the Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) and Graduate Attributes (GAs), discussed further below.  The CLOs are:

  1. Analyse the internal and external environments in which businesses operate and assess their significance for future initiatives.
  2. Apply the theories, concepts and tools that support strategic management in organizations.
  3. As an individual and/or member of a team, critically evaluate and argue the importance of developing strategically appropriate relationships between people, processes, functions, structures and organisations.