Diploma of Marketing and Communication

The Diploma of Marketing and Communication is a one-year qualification for people who want to work in marketing and communications without committing to a three-year bachelor degree. It sits at the diploma level on the Australian Qualifications Framework, which puts it above a certificate IV and below an associate degree or bachelor. At Solis College and Athena College Australia you study full time over two semesters, usually eight to ten units of study, each worth a set number of credit points. If you later decide to continue into a bachelor degree, those credit points can often be counted towards it, so the diploma can be a stepping stone rather than a dead end.

What you actually study

Expect core units in consumer behaviour, marketing principles, digital marketing, advertising and promotional communication, market research, and professional writing for business. You will learn how to plan a campaign, write copy for different channels, read analytics, and present a pitch. Assessment is mostly practical: reports, campaign plans, group presentations and portfolios rather than closed-book exams. Most diploma programmes of this kind include a work-integrated learning component, often a short industry placement or a live client project, where you work with a real organisation on a brief. That is where the theory starts to make sense.

Teaching is face to face on campus, with some online support, and classes are small enough that you get to know your lecturers. The Australian marketing industry is full of small agencies, in-house teams and not-for-profits that take diploma students on placement, and Sydney and Melbourne in particular have dense networks of creative and media organisations. Professional bodies such as the Australian Marketing Institute recognise qualifications like this for membership purposes, but you should confirm the current recognition with the institute and the college before you enrol.

Who it suits

This diploma suits school leavers who want a faster route into work, career changers who need practical skills and a qualification on paper, and international students who want to study in Australia and then use the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream if they meet the requirements. While you study, a student visa generally lets you work up to 48 hours per fortnight, which is enough to pick up casual marketing or admin work and build local experience. Entry usually requires Year 12 or equivalent, and international applicants need to show English proficiency. IELTS Academic 6.0 to 6.5 overall is the common standard 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, so check both. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 110969E, and you should confirm fees, intake dates and unit details on the official page.

• Marketing assistant or coordinator, supporting campaign delivery, social media and email marketing in agencies, retail, property and professional services firms.
• Digital marketing assistant, running paid social, search and content schedules for small businesses and online retailers.
• Communications officer, drafting media releases, newsletters and internal communications for not-for-profits, local government and membership organisations.
• Social media coordinator, planning content calendars, community management and reporting for consumer brands and hospitality groups.
• Events and promotions assistant, coordinating activations, sponsorships and trade shows for event companies and industry associations.
• Sales and account support, helping account managers with proposals, client reporting and CRM data in media, advertising and technology companies.

Australian employers in these fields hire across advertising and media agencies, in-house marketing teams, e-commerce businesses, tourism operators, government communications units and industry associations. The diploma also gives you a credit pathway into a bachelor degree if you want to keep studying.