Diploma of Marketing and Communication

The Diploma of Marketing and Communication is a one-and-a-half-year qualification that gets you into the practical side of how organisations talk to the people they want to reach. You study buyer behaviour, campaign planning, digital channels, content creation, brand messaging and market research. There is writing involved, and a lot of it: briefs, media releases, social copy, advertising concepts and reporting back to a client or manager on what worked.

How the course is structured

Australian diplomas are made up of units of study, each carrying credit points. You will usually enrol in a set number of units per semester or trimester, and each unit has its own assessment tasks rather than one big final exam at the end. Expect a mix of individual assignments, group projects, presentations and in-class work. Because this is a diploma rather than a degree, the focus stays on applied skills. A bachelor degree normally runs three years, an honours year adds one more, and a master's takes one to two years, a diploma sits below the bachelor level on the AQF and is often used as a pathway into one, with credit for the units you have completed if you choose to continue.

What you actually learn

You will learn how to research a market and pull out the findings that matter, build a campaign from scratch, choose the right channels for the audience, write copy that suits each platform, and measure whether the campaign did what it was supposed to. Group work is common because marketing teams work that way in real life. Some units include a work-integrated learning component or industry project, where you work with a real organisation on a brief, the exact arrangements vary, so check the official course page for what is offered in your intake.

Who it suits

This course suits school leavers who want a shorter, job-focused qualification before deciding whether to continue to a degree, career changers moving into marketing or communications, and people already working in small businesses or not-for-profits who need to handle their own promotion. International students should note that a Student visa allows 48 hours of work per fortnight while your course is in session, and graduates may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream, confirm your eligibility with the Department of Home Affairs.

Entry requirements, tuition and intake dates are published on the CRICOS register and the institution's official page. Always confirm the details there before applying.

• Marketing assistant or coordinator, supporting campaign delivery, scheduling content and tracking results in agencies, retail groups, property firms and professional services.
• Digital marketing assistant, managing social media accounts, email sends, paid ads and website content for small and mid-sized businesses.
• Communications assistant, drafting media releases, internal newsletters and stakeholder updates in government, health, education and not-for-profit organisations.
• Content creator or copywriter, writing blogs, product descriptions, EDMs and social copy for brands, publishers and e-commerce businesses.
• Events and promotions assistant, coordinating launches, expos and community activations for tourism, hospitality and membership organisations.
• Sales and customer engagement roles, using marketing knowledge in business development, account support and customer retention teams.

Australian employers in advertising and media agencies, healthcare providers, education providers, retail chains, technology companies and all levels of government hire at this level. The diploma also gives you a pathway into a bachelor degree in marketing, communication or business, with credit for completed units of study.