Diploma of Digital Design

The Diploma of Digital Design is a one-year qualification for people who want to work in graphic and digital design. It sits at the diploma level, below a bachelor degree, and is built around studio practice rather than lectures. You will spend most of your time making things: layouts, type, brand assets, screen-based graphics, image editing and the digital tools that design studios use every day. Assessment is typically by portfolio and project work, so what you finish with is a body of work you can show an employer or use to apply for further study.

Australian qualifications are structured by units of study, each worth a set number of credit points, delivered across semesters or trimesters. A diploma usually runs two or three study periods over a year, with each unit assessed separately. Some diplomas include a final project unit where you pull together a larger piece of work, and many include a work placement or industry project unit where you spend time in a studio or with a client. Graphic design is a field where placement is common, because employers hire on portfolios and demonstrated studio habits. Check the official course page for how this particular diploma sequences its units and whether placement is included.

What you gain is practical: file preparation and print production, typography, colour and composition, digital illustration, and the software workflows that studios expect. You also learn to take a brief, work to a deadline, present your ideas and take feedback. Those habits matter more in a design studio than any single piece of software.

This diploma suits school leavers who want a design qualification without committing to a three-year degree, career changers who already have a portfolio and want formal training, and people who plan to pathway into a bachelor degree with credit for the units they have completed. If you are an international student, you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session, and you may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream after you finish, depending on your circumstances. Entry requires English proficiency; IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall is the usual standard for courses at this level, with TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the institution's own English programmes accepted as equivalents. The Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the Student visa itself. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 118534A, and you should confirm fees, intake dates and unit details on the official page before you apply.

• Graphic designer, working in design studios, advertising agencies and in-house marketing teams across Australian cities.
• Digital designer, producing screen-based graphics, social media assets and campaign visuals for brands and publishers.
• Production artist or finished artist, preparing files for print and digital output in print houses, publishers and agencies.
• Junior brand or marketing designer, supporting brand rollouts inside retail, hospitality, property and not-for-profit organisations.
• Freelance designer, taking on client work in branding, layout and digital content, often alongside further study.
• Pathway to further study, using the diploma as credit towards a bachelor degree in graphic design, communication design or digital media.