Graduate Diploma of Management (Learning)

The Graduate Diploma of Management (Learning) is a one-year postgraduate qualification for people who want to lead learning and development inside organisations. It sits at graduate diploma level on the Australian Qualifications Framework, which means it sits between a bachelor degree and a master's degree. You come in with a degree or relevant work experience, and you leave with a qualification that speaks to how adults learn, how training is designed and how a learning function is run.

The course is delivered over one year of full-time study, typically across two semesters or trimesters. You study units of study, each worth a set number of credit points, and you need to pass the required credit points to graduate. Strathfield College and Jacaranda College deliver the programme in Sydney. The curriculum covers curriculum and instruction: how to analyse what an organisation needs its people to know, how to design and deliver training that actually changes what people do, and how to assess whether it worked. You look at adult learning principles, instructional design, assessment and evaluation, and the management side, leading a team, managing resources, working with stakeholders, and aligning learning with business goals. Assessment is usually a mix of assignments, projects, presentations and practical tasks rather than exams alone. Confirm the exact unit list and structure on the official page.

Work-integrated learning is common in this field because learning and development is a practical job. Where the course includes a placement or industry project, you might work with an organisation on a real training need, mapping skills gaps, building a session plan, running a workshop, or evaluating an existing programme. That experience is often what gets graduates their first role. The skills you build are the ones employers ask for: needs analysis, instructional design, facilitation, assessment design, learning technology, project management and stakeholder communication.

This course suits a few kinds of people. Trainers and assessors who want to move into management. HR professionals who have picked up learning and development as part of a broader role. Managers and team leaders who are responsible for developing their staff. And people changing careers into corporate training, vocational education or organisational development. If you want to run a learning function rather than just deliver training, this is the step. International students should note the Student visa work rights: 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session. After you finish, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream may be available, depending on your circumstances, check the Department of Home Affairs for current rules. English requirements are set out on the official page; the published standard for coursework postgraduate courses is commonly IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall, with TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the institution's own English programmes accepted as equivalents. The Department of Home Affairs also sets its own English threshold for the Student visa. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 104902H. Check the official page for the latest details on units, entry requirements and intake dates.

• Learning and development manager, leading the learning function in a large organisation, setting strategy and managing a team of trainers and designers.
• Training coordinator or training manager, planning, scheduling and running training programmes across a business or government agency.
• Instructional designer, building e-learning, blended and face-to-face courses for corporate, government or education clients.
• Corporate trainer or facilitator, delivering workshops and programmes, often specialising in leadership, compliance or technical skills.
• Organisational development consultant, advising organisations on capability, change and performance.
• Vocational education and training (VET) manager, managing training delivery and compliance in a registered training organisation.
• Human resources manager with a learning focus, running learning and development as part of a broader HR role.

These roles sit across industries that hire heavily in Australia: government and public sector, health and community services, banking and finance, mining and resources, retail, manufacturing, IT and professional services. Registered training organisations and private education providers also employ people with this qualification. Many graduates work in Sydney, but the skills travel, every large organisation needs someone who can work out what its people need to learn and make it happen.