Graduate Certificate of Design

The Graduate Certificate of Design at Collarts is a short, focused qualification for people who want to build design skills without committing to a full master's. It runs for 20 weeks, which is about one trimester of full-time study. You'll take a small set of units, typically three or four, each worth credit points that count towards the certificate. If you later decide to continue into a longer postgraduate award, those credit points may be recognised, but you'd need to confirm the exact pathway with Collarts.

The course sits in the industrial design subject area, so expect to work on how products, objects and systems are conceived, developed and made. You'll spend time on design studios, drawing and digital modelling, materials and manufacturing basics, and the kind of project work that asks you to solve a real brief. Assessment is usually a mix of studio projects, written reflections and presentations. There is no separate honours year, this is a graduate certificate, not a bachelor with honours. It sits at AQF level 8, the same level as a graduate diploma or a bachelor honours degree, but shorter.

Collarts is in Melbourne, and the design community there is active. The course may include industry projects or visits, but work-integrated learning in a certificate of this length is limited. If you're an international student, you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session. After you finish, you may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream, depending on your visa situation and the Department of Home Affairs rules at the time. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 116981E, check there for the current figure. English requirements for international applicants are typically IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall, or an accepted equivalent like TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic or Cambridge C1 Advanced. The Student visa itself has a separate English threshold set by the Department of Home Affairs.

This certificate suits someone who already has a degree or relevant work experience and wants to add design skills quickly. It could be a designer from another field, an engineer or tradesperson moving into product development, or someone who wants to test whether postgraduate design study is right for them. It is not a full master's, so if you need a research thesis or a longer supervised project, look at a master's instead. Check the official Collarts page for unit lists, intake dates and the exact credit-point structure before you apply.

• Junior industrial designer or product designer in consultancy studios, manufacturing firms or start-ups
• Design assistant or CAD draftsperson working on consumer products, furniture or packaging
• Production or workshop assistant in small-batch manufacturing and maker spaces
• Exhibition or set designer for events, retail displays and cultural institutions
• Design researcher or user-experience support in technology and service design teams
• Further study pathway into a master's in design, industrial design or related fields