Diploma of Leadership and Management

The Diploma of Leadership and Management at Arthur Phillip College of Business and Leadership is a two-year course that builds the practical skills you need to supervise teams, run projects and keep an office or business unit moving. You study how to manage budgets, lead people through change, develop operational plans, manage risk and build relationships with clients and stakeholders. Assessment is largely practical, case studies, role plays, projects and workplace tasks, rather than long written exams. The course is delivered under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), where a diploma sits between a certificate and a bachelor degree and focuses on applied, job-ready skills.

How the course is structured

Australian diplomas are made up of units of competency, each carrying credit points. You complete a set number of core units and a group of electives, usually across four or six study periods a year, institutions run semesters or trimesters, and some offer rolling intakes. The diploma is designed so that graduates can move into a bachelor degree with credit for prior study, often entering the second year of a related business degree. Check the official CRICOS entry and the college's course page for the exact unit list, credit points and articulation arrangements.

What you actually learn

Expect to practise the day-to-day work of a team leader or frontline manager: writing operational plans, managing a budget, recruiting and inducting staff, handling performance issues, leading meetings, and reporting to senior management. You also cover workplace health and safety, diversity, and the legal and ethical side of managing people. Communication is a big part of it, you will present, negotiate and write for different audiences. If the course includes work-integrated learning, that might take the form of a simulated workplace, a placement with an Australian organisation, or a project based on your current employer.

Who it suits

This diploma suits people already working in a supervisory or team-leader role who want a formal qualification, career changers moving into management, and international students who want a practical Australian qualification before deciding whether to continue to a degree. You do not need prior management experience for most diploma entry, but check the college's admission requirements. International students must meet the English requirement published by the college, commonly IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall for this level, with TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the college's own English programmes accepted as equivalents. The Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the Student visa itself.

While studying, a Student visa generally allows up to 48 hours of work per fortnight during the course, which many students use to gain Australian workplace experience. After graduating, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream may be available depending on your visa situation and the current rules. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 107432J. Confirm all details, entry requirements, unit structure, fees and visa conditions, on the official course page before applying.

• Team leader or supervisor in retail, hospitality, logistics or customer service
• Office manager or administration manager
• Project coordinator or project officer
• Frontline manager in health, community services or government
• Operations coordinator in small and medium businesses
• Sales team leader or account coordinator
• Assistant business manager in professional services firms
• Pathway to a bachelor degree in business or management, with credit for prior study

Australian employers in retail, hospitality, logistics, health administration, government and professional services hire diploma-level managers for frontline and middle-management roles. The qualification also gives you a route into further study if you want to move into senior management later.