Postgraduate Certificate in Business (PCBS) - PGradCertBus
CRICOS code (International applicants): 063623C
On-campus | Distance education | Online | |
Semester intake: | Semester 1 (February) Semester 2 (July) Semester 3 (November) | Semester 1 (February) Semester 2 (July) Semester 3 (November) | |
Campus: | Springfield, Toowoomba | - | - |
Fees: | Domestic full fee paying place International full fee paying place | Domestic full fee paying place International full fee paying place | |
Standard duration: | 1 semester full-time, up to 2 years part-time | ||
Program articulation: | To: Master of Business Administration; Master of Management ; Master of Project Management ; Master of Business |
Notes
Not all courses are available on-campus.
Depending on specialisation undertaken, this program may not
be able to be undertaken in full-time mode.
Contact us
Future Australian and New Zealand students | Future International students | Current students |
Freecall (within Australia): 1800 269 500 Phone (from outside Australia): +61 7 4631 5315 Email: studybusiness@usq.edu.au |
Phone: +61 7 4631 5543 Email: international@usq.edu.au |
Freecall (within Australia): 1800 007 252 Phone (from outside Australia): +61 7 4631 2285 Email usq.support@usq.edu.au |
Program focus
The Postgraduate Certificate in Business is an enabling program that provides pathways into a range of postgraduate studies in the Faculty of Business and Law by providing students with either foundation or advanced business knowledge and skills. Students can choose an appropriate specialisation to meet their particular needs and interests to facilitate educational and career development.
Professional accreditation
The Postgraduate Certificate in Business (Project Management) is delivered by USQ as a Global Registered Education Provider with the US-based (PMI). USQ is endorsed as a National Provider of Project Management education by the Australian Institute of Project Management (AIPM).
Program aims
Postgraduate Certificate in Business (General Specialisation)
The aim of the General Specialisation is to enable students with an undergraduate degree and a minimum of 3 years full-time equivalent relevant professional work experience to undertake postgraduate study across a range of disciplines to meet their specific workplace needs. Students can select from a wide range of courses that can be tailored to suit their immediate needs, or to lay a platform for further study in a Master’s program such as the Master of Business Administration , Master of Management, Master of Business or Master of Project Management. Where applicable the entry requirements of those programs should be considered when choosing courses.
Postgraduate Certificate in Business (Early Career)
The aim of this specialisation is to provide students with some of the essential knowledge and skills that would normally be acquired during 3 years full-time equivalent relevant professional work experience. The Early Career specialisation is the only specialisation available to students who have an undergraduate degree or equivalent from a recognised institution but do not have 3 years full-time equivalent relevant professional work experience. This specialisation enables students to choose 4 specific postgraduate courses to facilitate entry into the Master of Business Administration, Master of Business or Master of Project Management programs.
Postgraduate Certificate in Business (Business Foundation)
The aim of this specialisation is to provide a platform for future study in a Master’s program for mature-age students who have workplace experience but who have not previously studied at university. The Business Foundation specialisation is designed for students who have a minimum of 3 years full-time equivalent relevant professional work experience, but do not have a tertiary qualification at bachelor degree or equivalent level from a recognised institution. This specialisation requires a student to undertake 4 specified postgraduate courses to facilitate entry into the Master of Business Administration, Master of Management, Master of Business or Master of Project Management programs.
Postgraduate Certificate in Business (Named Specialisation)
The aim of the Named Specialisation is to enable students with an undergraduate degree and a minimum of 3 years full-time equivalent relevant professional work experience to undertake postgraduate study within a defined discipline area, either to provide advanced workplace knowledge and skills, or as a platform for further study in a Master’s degree. The selection of the discipline specialisation will be influenced considerably by the demands of the work environment and the interests of the student.
Program objectives
Postgraduate Certificate in Business (General Specialisation)
The objectives of the specialisation are to produce graduates who are able to:
-
understand selected basic theories and skills associated with a select number of management discipline areas
-
apply acquired knowledge associated with their studies to their work environments
-
synthesise selected areas of managerial knowledge to produce meaningful assignments/reports
-
display competencies in a limited selected number of postgraduate discipline areas.
Postgraduate Certificate in Business (Early Career)
The objectives of this specialisation are to produce graduates who are able to:
-
understand the concepts and essential skills associated with business management
-
apply acquired skills to the practical work environment
-
display a range of competencies relating to business management
-
articulate both written and orally, the principles, concepts and applications associated with business management.
Postgraduate Certificate in Business (Business Foundation)
The objectives of this specialisation are to produce graduates who are able to:
-
understand essential business knowledge and skills
-
apply acquired business skills to the practical work environment
-
display a range of competencies needed in business foundation
-
articulate both written and orally, the principles, theories, concepts and applications of business foundations.
Postgraduate Certificate in Business (Named Specialisation)
The objectives of this specialisation are to produce graduates who are able to:
-
understand the concepts and essential basic theories and skills associated with a particular selected discipline specialisation related to business
-
apply acquired discipline-directed skills to the practical work environment
-
display a range of competencies in a selected business-related discipline area
-
articulate both written and orally, the principles, theories, concepts and applications associated with a selected business discipline area.
Admission requirements
Candidates for entry into the Postgraduate Certificate in Business, must meet one of the following criteria to the satisfaction of the Director of Coursework Studies:
-
A tertiary qualification at bachelor degree or equivalent level from a recognised institution, and a minimum of 3 years full-time equivalent relevant professional work experience. Students can enrol in a General, Business Foundation (normally for students without a business or business-related bachelor degree) or a Named Specialisation.
-
An undergraduate degree or equivalent from a recognised institution but without 3 years full-time equivalent relevant professional work experience. Students can only enrol in the Early Career Specialisation.
-
A minimum of 3 years full-time equivalent relevant professional work experience, but without a tertiary qualification at bachelor degree or equivalent level from a recognised institution. Students can only enrol in the Business Foundation Specialisation.
International applicants must have met the or have completed the .
How to apply
Domestic students
may be made directly to USQ.
International students
This program is offered to international students. An international student is a person who is not an Australian or New Zealand citizen and not an Australian permanent resident. Please refer to for information about entry requirements, visa arrangements and how to apply.
Program fees
Domestic full fee paying place
Domestic full fee paying places are funded entirely through
the full fees paid by the student. Full fees vary depending on the
courses that are taken. You are able to calculate the fees for a particular
course via the .
Permanent Humanitarian Visa holders,
Permanent Resident visa holders and New Zealand citizens who reside
outside Australia pay full tuition fees.
Domestic full fee paying
students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government
loan called .
International full fee paying place
International students pay full fees. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken and whether they are studied on-campus, via distance education/online. You are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the .
Program structure
The Postgraduate Certificate in Business is comprised of four units of postgraduate courses as follows:
General Specialisation*^
Any four courses from the Master of Business Administration , Master of Management, Master of Business and Master of Project Management. |
Early Career Specialisation~
Course | Semester/mode of offer Toowoomba campus | Semester/mode of offer Springfield campus |
Select four courses from the following: | ||
For current year offerings, please refer
to the |
||
S1 (ONC, EXT, WEB), S3 (EXT, WEB) | S1 (ONC) | |
S1 (ONC, EXT, WEB), S2 (EXT), S3 (EXT) | S2 (ONC) | |
S1 (ONC, EXT), S2 (ONC, EXT) | S1, (ONC), S2 (ONC) | |
S2 (ONC, EXT) | S2 (ONC) | |
A postgraduate course from the Faculty of Business and Law coursework Master programs excluding the Master of Business Administration. This option requires written approval from the Director of Coursework Studies and may be subject to pre-requisite requirements. |
Note: Subject to written approval from the Director of Coursework Studies, students may also be able to choose a course from across the university.
Business Foundation Specialisation
Course | Semester/mode of offer Toowoomba campus | Semester/mode of offer Springfield campus |
S1 (ONC, EXT, WEB), S3 (EXT, WEB) | S1 (ONC) | |
S1 (ONC, EXT, WEB), S3 (EXT, WEB) | S1 (ONC) | |
S2 (ONC, EXT, WEB), S3 (EXT, WEB) | S2 (ONC) | |
S2 (ONC, EXT, WEB), S3 (EXT, WEB) | S2 (ONC) |
Named Specialisation*^
Students can choose a named specialisation from the following study areas.
Option 1
-
3 courses from a Master of Business Administration specialisation
-
plus one discipline-related course from the 8 Master of Business Administration core courses.
Note: Students must consult with the Director of Coursework Studies in choosing their fourth course.
Option 2
-
a four-course specialisation from the Master of Management
Note: students who wish to articulate into the Master of Management must meet the admission requirements of the Master of Management program before exemptions will be considered.
Option 3
-
a 4-course specialisation from the Master of Project Management
Note: students who wish to articulate into the Master of Project Management must meet the admission requirements of the Master of Project Management program before exemptions will be considered.
* | Students are not able to undertake in this specialisation without the approval of the Director of Coursework Studies. |
^ | Courses in some areas of study may have pre-requisites. |
~ | Students are not able to undertake in this specialisation. |
Other program requirements
Students must maintain good standing in this program. Please refer to Section 2 of the .
Articulation
Upon successful completion of the Postgraduate Certificate in Business (Business Foundation, General or Specialisation) with a minimum GPA of 4.0, a student may articulate into the Master of Business Administration, Master of Management, Master of Business or Master of Project Management .
Upon successful completion of the Postgraduate Certificate in Business (Early Career) with a minimum GPA of 4.0, a student may apply for entry into the Master of Business Administration or Master of Project Management.
Exemptions
Exemptions may be granted on the basis of equivalent courses undertaken at postgraduate level. In order for an exemption to be granted, the claim must meet the following specific requirements:
-
the course passed was taken at least at Masters or equivalent level
-
the course was passed within 5 years prior to the application (courses up to 10 years old may be considered if evidence is provided that the applicant has been employed in that field)
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the course passed is equivalent in objectives, content and weightings to a course prescribed in the Postgraduate Certificate in Business course, or alternatively, the course is suitable as an elective
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where the student has taken out an award from a recognised tertiary institution and is claiming exemptions on the basis of courses completed to meet the requirements of that program, the maximum exemptions on the basis of such courses shall be no greater than 2 courses for the Postgraduate Certificate in Business
-
exemptions approved in this program will not automatically apply to other programs offered by the USQ.
Note: Where exemptions are granted, maximum and minimum duration will be adjusted in the same proportion as the exemptions, for example, where the maximum of 50 per cent exemptions is granted, maximum and minimum duration will be reduced by one-half.
In this section:
General/Named Specialisation
Course | Year of program and semester in which course is normally studied | Enrolment requirements | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
On-campus (ONC) | Distance education (EXT) | Online (WEB) | |||||
Year | Sem | Year | Sem | Year | Sem | ||
Students are not able to undertake without the approval of the Director of Coursework Studies. | |||||||
General/Specialisation course 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
General/Specialisation course 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
General/Specialisation course 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||
General/Specialisation course 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Early Career Specialisation
Course | Year of program and semester in which course is normally studied | Enrolment requirements | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
On-campus (ONC) | Distance education (EXT) | Online (WEB) | |||||
Year | Sem | Year | Sem | Year | Sem | ||
Students should refer to the program structure for Early Career above for a complete list of courses. Students are not able to undertake in this specialisation. | |||||||
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in the Juris Doctor Program: DJUR | |||
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
* | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||
A postgraduate course from the Faculty of Business and Law coursework Master programs excluding the Master of Business Administration. This option requires written approval from the Director of Coursework Studies and may be subject to pre-requisite requirements. | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Footnotes | |
* | Offered at Springfield campus in semester 2. |
Foundation Specialisation
Course | Year of program and semester in which course is normally studied | Enrolment requirements | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
On-campus (ONC) | Distance education (EXT) | Online (WEB) | |||||
Year | Sem | Year | Sem | Year | Sem | ||
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | ||||
1 | 2 | 1 | 2 |