Diploma of Hospitality Management

The Diploma of Hospitality Management is a 26-week qualification that prepares you for supervisory and management roles in hotels, restaurants, cafés, function centres and clubs. It is a hands-on course built around the day-to-day realities of running a hospitality business: rostering staff, controlling stock and costs, managing food safety, planning events and looking after guests. You will study units of competency drawn from the SIT Hospitality Training Package, which means the training is tied to what Australian employers actually expect from a supervisor or duty manager. Assessment is practical as well as written, so you will spend time in a commercial kitchen or simulated service environment as well as in the classroom.

How the course is structured

At 26 weeks, this is a shorter pathway than a full Australian bachelor degree, which normally runs three years. The diploma is delivered as a set of units of competency rather than semester-based subjects with credit points. Each unit covers a specific workplace skill, and you need to be assessed as competent in all required units to graduate. Delivery may be face-to-face, blended or through a mix of classroom and kitchen or service-based training, depending on the timetable the college publishes. Check the official course page for the current unit list, delivery mode and intake dates.

What you will learn

You will work through areas such as leading and managing people, managing finances within a budget, rostering, purchasing and stock control, implementing food safety programmes, and planning and monitoring event operations. Customer service, workplace health and safety, and legal compliance come through most units because they sit behind every shift you will ever run. The course also builds the soft skills that hospitality managers rely on: briefing a team before service, handling a complaint without losing the room, and making quick decisions when a supplier or a staff member lets you down.

Who it suits

This diploma suits people already working in hospitality who want to move into a supervisory role, career changers who want a practical qualification they can use quickly, and international students looking for an Australian qualification in a field with strong demand for skilled staff. If you are an international applicant, you will need to meet the college's English requirement, which is typically IELTS Academic 6.0 to 6.5 overall for courses at 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 you to work up to 48 hours per fortnight, which is useful in a field where casual shifts are the norm. After graduating, you may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream, depending on your circumstances. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 115598J, and you should confirm fees, entry requirements and start dates on the official page before applying.

• Duty manager or shift supervisor in hotels, pubs, clubs and resorts
• Restaurant or café manager in independent and chain venues
• Functions and events coordinator in function centres, wineries and conference venues
• Front office supervisor in hotels and serviced apartments
• Food and beverage supervisor in restaurants, catering companies and aged care or hospital catering
• Housekeeping supervisor in hotels and holiday parks
• Banquet or events operations coordinator in hotels and event companies

Hospitality is one of Australia's largest employing industries, with jobs spread across metropolitan and regional areas, tourism hubs, and the accommodation and food services sector. Employers include hotel groups, restaurant chains, catering companies, clubs, resorts and event venues. The diploma can also lead into further study, such as a bachelor degree in hospitality management, with credit for prior learning assessed unit by unit.