Graduate Certificate in Computing

The Graduate Certificate in Computing at Southern Cross University is a short postgraduate qualification for people who want computing skills without committing to a full master's degree. It runs for 26 weeks, roughly one study period, and sits at level 8 on the Australian Qualifications Framework. That places it above a bachelor degree and below a master's, which matters if you are weighing up how much time and money to put into study. You come out with a postgraduate qualification, not a full degree, and you can often use it as a stepping stone into further study if you decide to keep going.

What you actually study

As a graduate certificate, the course is made up of a small number of units of study, typically four, each carrying credit points. You complete those units and the certificate is awarded. There is no honours year and no research thesis at this level; that belongs to master's and doctoral study. The units introduce core computing material: programming, systems, data, and the way information technology is applied in organisations. Because it is a postgraduate course, the teaching assumes you can already think analytically and work independently, even if your first degree was in something else entirely.

How it fits into the Australian system

Australian postgraduate coursework is usually delivered across semesters or trimesters, and Southern Cross runs its academic year that way. A graduate certificate is the shortest coursework postgraduate qualification on the AQF, and one of its practical advantages is that the credit points you earn can sometimes be credited towards a related master's degree at the same university. If you are coming from overseas, note that international students need to meet the university's English proficiency requirement, IELTS Academic 6.0 to 6.5 overall is the common standard for coursework postgraduate study, with TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the university'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.

Who it suits

This course suits three kinds of people. First, graduates from non-computing fields, business, science, arts, who want to move into IT work and need a recognised postgraduate qualification to do it. Second, IT professionals who want to formalise skills they have picked up on the job. Third, students who are not yet sure about a full master's and want to test the water with a shorter commitment. While you study on a Student visa you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight, which is useful if you want to build Australian industry experience alongside your coursework. After you finish, 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. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register, and the course code is 113011B. Check the official course page for the current unit list, intake dates and English requirements before you apply.

• IT support officer, first and second level support in government, health, education and managed service providers.
• Junior developer or programmer, building and maintaining applications in software houses, banks and digital agencies.
• Systems administrator, keeping servers, networks and cloud infrastructure running for Australian organisations.
• Data analyst, turning business data into reports and dashboards in retail, finance, logistics and the public sector.
• Business analyst (IT), translating what a business needs into technical requirements for development teams.
• Cybersecurity support, monitoring and responding to security incidents, a growth area across Australian industry and government.

Graduates typically find work in IT services, professional services firms, banks, insurers, hospitals, universities, and federal and state government departments. Regional employers in northern New South Wales and south-east Queensland also hire from this pool. The certificate can be used as a pathway into a master's degree if you want to specialise further.