Graduate Diploma in Business and Information Technology

Business savvy, enabled by IT. The Graduate Diploma in Business and Information Technology is designed to provide graduates with the capabilities necessary to be a successful professional in project management, analysis, analysis and implementation of business solutions to an array of managerial and organisational problems using information technology.

1. Learning Goal

Graduates of this degree should be able to analyse and evaluate financial and market information to enable evidenced based business and IT decision making.

Learning objectives to achieve this goal

On successful completion of this degree students should be able to:

• Describe and explain the fundamental principles of markets;
• Describe and analyse the processes involved in generating accounting and financial information for decision making; and
• Evaluate IT investments alternatives to achieve competitive advantage.

2. Learning Goal

Graduates of this degree should be able to analyse business problems and opportunities and contribute to leadership in the design and management of information technology based solutions.

Learning objectives to achieve this goal

On successful completion of this degree students should be able to:

• Describe and evaluate appropriate information technology solutions to a range of business problems;
• Document and evaluate key business processes underpinning organisational activities and the role and operation of information systems in supporting these business processes;
• Evaluate alternative information technology solutions in terms of business and technical criteria;
• Prepare a business case and understand how to initiate and plan a proposed business information system; and
• Describe, apply and evaluate techniques for managing projects and their progress.

Students enrolled in the Graduate Diploma in Business and Information Technology will need to successfully complete 8 x 12.5 point subjects comprising the following eight subjects or, where exemptions are granted, electives approved by the program director, over two semesters full-time or four semesters part-time:

• BISY90001 Business & IT
• BISY90002 Business Systems Analysis
• ACCT90004 Accounting for Decision Making
• BISY90008 Information Processes and Control
• BISY90011 Managing IT
• ECON90029 Managerial Economics
• MGMT90110 Organisational Fundamentals
• MGMT90031 Project Management

Students enrolled in the Graduate Diploma in Business and Information Technology will need to successfully complete 8 x 12.5 point subjects comprising the following eight subjects or where exemptions are granted, electives as approved by the Academic Director of the program, over two semesters full-time or four semesters part-time:

1. The Selection Committee will evaluate the applicant’s ability to pursue the course successfully using the following criteria:

• An undergraduate degree in any discipline, or equivalent;
• The applicant’s submitted statement of intent in seeking entry; and
• Performance on the GMAT or GRE unless the applicant has met one of the approved conditions for GMAT or GRE exemption.

2. The Selection Committee may conduct interviews and tests and may call for referee reports or employer references to elucidate any of the matters referred to above.

Notes:

(a) Students who successfully complete the Graduate Certificate in Business and Information Technology may be eligible to progress to the Graduate Diploma in Business and Information Technology with 50 points credit or the Master of Business and Information Technology (200 point program) with 50 points credit. Students who successfully complete the Graduate Diploma in Business and Information Technology may be eligible to progress to the Master of Business and Information Technology (200 point program) with 100 points credit. Students who wish to progress to the Master of Business and Information Technology (150 point program) with 50 points credit or 100 points credit will also need to demonstrate at least one year of documented relevant work experience.

(b) Students who discontinue from the Master of Business and Information Technology (200 point program) but have successfully completed the requirements of the Graduate Certificate in Business and Information Technology or the Graduate Diploma in Business and Information Technology will be eligible to receive the Graduate Certificate in Business and Information Technology or the Graduate Diploma in Business and Information Technology, respectively, as an exit award.

The Faculty of Business and Economics welcomes applications from students with disabilities. It is University and Faculty policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student’s participation in the Faculty’s programs.

The BCom and Masters degrees of the Faculty of Business and Economics equip graduates with the knowledge and technical skills necessary to understand and participate in the modern business world. The degrees include the following academic requirements for study:

(1) The ability to explain and evaluate concepts, theories, institutional arrangements and operations of modern mixed economies;
(2) The ability to critically evaluate the economy, commerce and business in the broader social and political context;
(3) The ability to explain and apply concepts across a range of commerce and business disciplines in solving business and policy problems; and
(4) The ability to contribute positively to the development of organisations and society in relation to business, government and the commercial professions.

All students of the Faculty’s courses must possess intellectual, ethical, and emotional capabilities required to participate in the full curriculum and to achieve the levels of competence required by the Faculty. Candidates for the BCom degree and for FBE Masters degrees must have abilities and skills in communication; in conceptual, integrative, and quantitative dimensions; and in behavioural and social dimensions.

I. Communication: The student must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in oral and/or written form. A student must have the ability to clearly and independently communicate knowledge and application of a discipline, principles or practices during assessment tasks, and in some discipline streams.

II. Intellectual‐Conceptual, Integrative and Quantitative Abilities: The student is expected to have the ability to develop problem‐solving skills and demonstrate the ability to establish study plans and priorities. These abilities include measurement, calculation, reasoning, analysis, and synthesis. Problem solving requires all of these intellectual abilities. Students should also have the ability to comprehend complex disciplinary and cross disciplinary information related to the BCom and Masters degrees.

III. Behavioural and Social Attributes: A student must possess behavioural and social attributes that enable them to participate in a complex learning environment and the emotional health required for full utilisation of his/her intellectual abilities. Students are required to take responsibility for their own participation and learning. They also contribute to the learning of other students in collaborative learning environments, demonstrating interpersonal skills and an understanding of the needs of other students. Assessment may include the outcomes of tasks completed in collaboration with other students. Integrity, concern for others, interpersonal skills, interest, and motivation are all personal qualities that are deemed necessary for students enrolled in FBE courses.

Students who feel their disability will prevent them from participating in tasks involving the inherent academic requirements of the BCom and FBE Masters courses are encouraged to contact the Disability Liaison Unit. Adjustments can be provided to minimise the impact of a disability, but students should participate in the course in an independent manner.

On successful completion of this degree, graduates will be:

• Adept at analysis and evaluation of financial and market information to enable evidenced based business and IT decision making;
• Able to analyse an organisational situation from both a business and information technology perspective;
• Effective problem solvers in the IT and business context; and
• Proficient in professional knowledge and skills in business information systems in preparation for entry into the profession.

On successful completion of this degree students should be:

• Competent at analysing and evaluating financial information to enable evidenced based business decision making;
• Effective communicators of business information systems ideas, concepts and solutions to peers and the wider community;
• Able to conduct basic research and to retrieve business and information technology information from a variety of sources; and
• Collaborative in work practices in the integration of business and IT.

This program is no longer available to new students for entry from 2012.

Students who successfully complete the Graduate Diploma in Business and Information Technology may be eligible to progress to the 16-subject Master of Business and IT.

Students who successfully complete the Graduate Diploma in Business and Information Technology may be eligible to progress to the 12-subject Master of Business and IT provided that they meet all entry requirements for the program, including the work experience component.

Graduate Certificate in Business and Information Technology

Students enrolled in the Graduate Diploma in Business and Information Technology who are either unable, or who choose not to continue with their studies, may be eligible to exit with a Graduate Certificate in Business and Information Technology. Students must have successfully completed a total of four subjects approved by the program director.