Graduate Diploma of Management (Learning)

The Graduate Diploma of Management (Learning) is a two-year course for people who want to work in learning and development, capability building or human resource management, with a focus on how organisations help their staff learn. It sits at graduate diploma level on the Australian Qualifications Framework, which puts it above a bachelor degree and below a master's. Sydney City College of Management delivers it to international students on a CRICOS-registered course code, 103566E.

What you actually study

This is a coursework qualification. You complete units of study, each carrying credit points, across trimesters or semesters, and you need to pass the required units to graduate. The subject matter is management with a learning angle: how adults learn, how to design and run training, how to assess whether training worked, how to manage a team, and how to line up learning with what the organisation is trying to do. Because the course sits in the human resource management area, expect units on performance management, workforce planning, coaching and the legal side of employing people in Australia. Assessment is usually a mix of assignments, reports, presentations and practical tasks rather than one big exam at the end.

Skills you come out with

You learn to write a training plan and defend it, run a needs analysis, build assessment tools, give feedback that people act on, and read an organisation well enough to know where the skill gaps are. You also pick up the usual management skills: budgeting, project planning, working with stakeholders, and writing clearly for a business audience. Group work is common, which is deliberate. Much of this job is getting other people to do things.

Who it suits

It suits people who already have some work experience or a prior qualification and want to move into learning and development, HR or team leadership. It also suits trainers and assessors who want a formal management qualification behind them. If you are an international student, you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session, and the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream may be available after you finish, depending on your circumstances. English entry is typically IELTS Academic 6.0 to 6.5 overall for coursework postgraduate study, with TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic and Cambridge C1 Advanced accepted as equivalents. The Department of Home Affairs sets its own English threshold for the Student visa, which is separate from the college's entry requirement. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register. Check the official course page for current unit lists, intake dates and fees before you apply.

• Learning and development officer or coordinator
• Training manager or training coordinator
• Human resources officer or HR advisor
• Capability or organisational development officer
• Team leader or frontline manager
• Training needs analyst
• Compliance training officer

These roles turn up in government departments, banks and insurers, hospitals and aged care providers, universities and registered training organisations, mining and construction companies, retail groups, and professional services firms. Any Australian organisation with more than a handful of staff has to train them, and someone has to run that.