Advanced Diploma of Information Technology

The Advanced Diploma of Information Technology is a two-year qualification at Excel College Australia, listed on CRICOS as course 108287E. It sits above a certificate IV and below a bachelor degree. Where a bachelor degree is normally three years at AQF level 7, an advanced diploma is AQF level 6, a practical, job-focused qualification you can finish in two years and use either to enter the workforce or as a pathway into further study with credit.

What you study

You work through units of study across four or six study periods a year, depending on whether the college runs semesters or trimesters. Each unit carries credit points, and you need to pass the required number of units to graduate. The subject area is information systems, so expect a mix of networking, systems administration, database work, programming fundamentals, cyber security basics, and project management. Assessment is mostly practical: configure a network, build a small application, write a database query, document an IT support process, work through a simulated security incident. Some units are delivered in a computer lab, others online or in a blended format. Confirm the exact unit list, study period structure and credit point values on the official page, they can change between intakes.

Skills you build

By the end you should be able to install and maintain systems, troubleshoot hardware and software problems, work with cloud services, apply basic security controls, and explain technical decisions to non-technical people. Teamwork and documentation matter here. Most IT workplaces run on tickets, change requests and handover notes, and the course reflects that. If your provider includes a work placement or industry project unit, take it, Australian employers weigh local experience heavily when hiring.

Who it suits

This suits school leavers who want a faster, cheaper route into IT than a three-year degree, career changers with some technical interest, and international students who want an Australian qualification they can build on. English requirements for international applicants are typically IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall, 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, so check both. While studying, a student visa generally allows 48 hours of work per fortnight during term. After graduating, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream may be available depending on your circumstances, confirm your eligibility with the Department of Home Affairs.

• ICT support technician, help desk and desktop support roles in banks, hospitals, government departments and managed service providers.
• Network support officer, maintaining LANs, Wi-Fi and server infrastructure for mid-sized organisations.
• Systems administrator, looking after Windows or Linux servers, backups and user accounts.
• Database support officer, running queries, maintaining data integrity and producing reports.
• Junior cyber security analyst, monitoring alerts, triaging incidents and applying patches under supervision.
• Web or applications support, maintaining content management systems and internal tools.
• IT project coordinator, scheduling tasks, tracking issues and keeping documentation current.

Australian employers in these roles include IT services firms, federal and state government agencies, banks, insurers, retailers, healthcare providers and education institutions. Many graduates also use the advanced diploma as a pathway into a bachelor degree with credit, or into vendor certifications such as Microsoft, Cisco or AWS.