Advanced Diploma of Hospitality Management

The Advanced Diploma of Hospitality Management is a two-year qualification for people who want to run the show, a restaurant, a hotel department, an events team, a function centre. It sits at diploma level on the Australian Qualifications Framework, above a Certificate III or IV and below a bachelor degree. You'll study how hospitality businesses actually work: rostering and labour cost, food and beverage operations, budgeting and financial control, marketing, legal compliance, work health and safety, and how to lead a team through a busy service. Expect a mix of classroom theory and practical sessions in commercial kitchens, bars and simulated service areas, because hospitality is learned by doing.

How the course is structured

Australian diplomas are built from units of competency, each carrying credit points. You'll typically enrol in two study periods a year, semesters or trimesters, depending on the provider's calendar, and accumulate credit as you pass each unit. There is usually a capstone or major project in the final stage where you pull everything together: a business plan, an operational review, or a management project for a real venue. Assessment is competency-based, which means you're judged on whether you can perform the task to industry standard, not just whether you can answer an exam question.

Work placement and skills you gain

Hospitality is a field where work-integrated learning is standard, so the course includes a professional placement component, often in hotels, restaurants, clubs, catering companies or event venues around Sydney. That placement is where the theory clicks: you'll learn to handle a difficult customer, cost a menu, write a roster that works, and keep a service running when something goes wrong. The skills you finish with are practical: operational planning, team leadership, financial reporting, customer service management, and compliance with Australian licensing and food safety laws.

Who it suits

This qualification suits people already working in hospitality who want to move into supervision or management, career changers who want a hands-on entry into the industry, and international students who want an Australian qualification in a field where jobs are plentiful and the pathway to a bachelor degree is clear. If you're an international student, you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session, and after you graduate you may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream. 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. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 114931J. Check the official page for current unit lists, intake dates and placement arrangements.

• Restaurant or venue manager, running daily operations, staff, stock and budgets for cafes, restaurants and bars.
• Hotel department supervisor, front office, housekeeping or food and beverage teams in hotels and resorts.
• Events and functions coordinator, planning and delivering conferences, weddings and corporate events.
• Catering manager, managing kitchen and service teams for contract caterers, aged care or airline catering.
• Club or pub duty manager, licensed venue operations, compliance and customer safety.
• Food and beverage manager, menu costing, supplier negotiation and service standards.

Australian employers in these roles include hotel groups, hospitality and catering companies, registered clubs, restaurants, event venues and tourism operators. The qualification also gives you credit toward a bachelor degree in hospitality, tourism or business management if you want to keep studying.