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QTAC code (Australian and New Zealand applicants): Toowoomba campus: GCBU01; Springfield campus: GCBU04; Online: GCBU03

CRICOS code (International applicants): 084839B

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.
There is no semester 3 intake for international on-campus students.

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Contact us

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Professional accreditation

USQ is registered with the (PMI)® as a Global Registered Education Provider (R.E.P.). A study of project management at USQ earns professional development units towards certification with PMI including towards the Project Management Professional (PMP)®.

PMI and PMP are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

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Program aims

The aim of the Graduate Certificate of Business is to enable students to undertake postgraduate study across a range of disciplines to meet their specific work-place needs or to study a discipline specialisation to either provide advanced work-place knowledge and skills or to lay a platform for further study in the Master of Business Administration , Master of Business and Innovation, Master of Information Systems, Master of Professional Accounting or Master of Project Management.

The selection of the courses or discipline specialisation chosen will be influenced by the demands of the work environment and the interests of the student. The entry requirements of articulating programs should be considered when choosing courses.

Students who have completed the Graduate Certificate of Business are not eligible to enter the Master of Business Administration or Master of Project Management until they satisfy the required minimum of two years' full-time relevant professional work experience in business.

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Program objectives

The objectives of the Graduate Certificate of Business is to produce graduates who are able to:

• understand the concepts and essential basic theories and skills associated with a particular selected discipline area or areas related to business

• apply acquired knowledge associated with their studies to their work environments

• synthesise selected areas of managerial knowledge to produce meaningful assignments/reports

• articulate both written and orally, the principles, theories, concepts and applications associated with their area of study

• display a range of competencies in their selected discipline/s area

• demonstrate advanced knowledge and skills for professional/highly skilled work and/or further learning.

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Australian Qualifications Framework

The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is a single national, comprehensive system of qualifications offered by higher education institutions (including universities), vocational education and training institutions and secondary schools. Each AQF qualification has a set of descriptors which define the type and complexity of knowledge, skills and application of knowledge and skills that a graduate who has been awarded that qualification has attained, and the typical volume of learning associated with that qualification type.

This program is at AQF Qualification Level 08. Graduates at this level will have advanced knowledge and skills for professional or highly skilled work and/or further learning.

The full set of levels criteria and qualification type descriptors can be found by visiting .

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Admission requirements

Candidates for entry into the Graduate Certificate of Business must meet one of the following criteria:

• a tertiary qualification at bachelor degree (AQF level 7) or equivalent level from a recognised institution, or

• a minimum of five years’ full-time relevant professional work experience equivalent to a qualification at AQF level 7.

All students are required to satisfy the applicable .

If you do not meet the English language requirements you may apply to study a ¾«¶«´«Ã½app-approved . On successful completion of the English language program, you may be admitted to an award program.

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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
Domestic full fee paying students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called provided they meet the residency and citizenship requirements.
Australian citizens, Permanent Humanitarian Visa holders, Permanent Resident visa holders and New Zealand citizens who will be resident outside Australia for the duration of their program pay full tuition fees and are not eligible for .

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 .

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Program structure

The Graduate Certificate of Business is comprised of four units of postgraduate courses as follows:

• Business Administration specialisation

• General specialisation

• Named specialisation.

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Required time limits

Students have a maximum of 2 years to complete this program.

Specific specialisations

In this section:

• Business Administration specialisation
• General specialisation
• Named specialisation

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Business Administration specialisation

The Business Administration specialisation is recommended for students who want to articulate into the Master of Business Administration .

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General specialisation

To discuss which courses to study within the General specialisation, please . All course pre-requisites must be met, and all courses chosen are subject to the approval of the Program Coordinator.

Students can choose any four courses from the Master of Business Administration, Master of Business and Innovation, Master of Information Systems, Master of Professional Accounting and Master of Project Management.

Students wanting to study a course/s from other programs across the ¾«¶«´«Ã½app must seek approval from the Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts.

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Named specialisation

Courses in some areas of study may have prerequisites.

Students can choose a named specialisation from the Master of Business Administration, Master of Business and Innovation or Master of Project Management specialisations.

Students intending to gain entry to the Master of Business Administration or Master of Project Management on completion of the Graduate Certificate of Business should choose 4 core courses from their intended program.

Students intending to gain entry to the Master of Business and Innovation on completion of the Graduate Certificate of Business should choose a 4-unit specialisation from the program.

Students who wish to articulate into the Master of Business Administration , Master of Business and Innovation, Master of Information Systems, Master of Professional Accounting or Master of Project Management must meet the program admission requirements before applications for credit will be considered.

Students who wish to gain maximum credit for courses completed in the Graduate Certificate of Business upon entry to the Master of Business Administration should consider the Business Administration specialisation.

Students who have completed the Graduate Certificate of Business and do not have a minimum of two years' full-time relevant professional work experience in business are not eligible to apply for entry to the Master of Business Administration or Master of Project Management until they have satisfied this work experience entry requirement.

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IT requirements

For information technology requirements please refer to the .

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Other program requirements

Students must maintain good standing in this program. Please refer to the .

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Articulation

Upon successful completion of the Graduate Certificate of Business with a minimum GPA of 4.0, a student may articulate into the Master of Business Administration, Master of Business and Innovation or Master of Project Management provided they meet other program entry requirements, including a minimum of two years' full-time relevant professional work experience in business for the Master of Business Administration and the Master of Project Management .

Students who complete the Graduate Certificate of Business and maintain satisfactory academic standing (GPA 3.5) but do not achieve a GPA of 4.0 can articulate into the Graduate Diploma of Business . On successful completion of the Graduate Diploma of Business , students can articulate into the Master of Business Administration, Master of Business and Innovation or Master of Project Management provided they meet other program entry requirements.

There is no other articulation pathway from the Graduate Certificate of Business.

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Exit points

There are no exit points from the Graduate Certificate of Business.

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Credit

Credit may be granted on the basis of equivalent courses undertaken at postgraduate level. In order for credit 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)

• the course passed is equivalent in objectives, content and weightings to a course prescribed in the Graduate Certificate of Business, or alternatively, the course is suitable as an elective

• where the student has taken out an award from a recognised tertiary institution and is claiming credit on the basis of courses completed to meet the requirements of that program, the maximum credit on the basis of such courses shall be no greater than 2 courses for the Graduate Certificate of Business

• credit approved in this program will not automatically apply to other programs offered by the ¾«¶«´«Ã½app of Southern Queensland.

Note: Where credit is granted, maximum and minimum duration will be adjusted in the same proportion as the credit, for example, where the maximum of 50 per cent credit is granted, maximum and minimum duration will be reduced by one-half.

Recommended enrolment pattern

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Recommended enrolment pattern

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.