New Zealand Diploma in Business

A general business qualification endorsed by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, the New Zealand Diploma in Business provides an excellent grounding in business skills.  You will benefit from applied theory and practice that is relevant to today's business world.  This diploma is highly valued by employers.

Students advancing to the Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Accounting may gain membership to the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants.  Many students combine employment or other options with part time study, taking one or two papers each semester.

The New Zealand Diploma in Business consists of six compulsory and six optional papers. At least four papers must be taken at Level 6.  No more than three papers may be taken at Level 4. 

Following is a breakdown of how the qualification is structured, but please note: not all of these will be taught in every intake.  The papers being offered in 2013 are listed below under 'Course Timetable'.  Papers not offered at SIT Queenstown may be available at our Invercargill campus, or through the Open Polytechnic by correspondence.

Compulsory Papers

Six of the following seven papers must be completed

400     Accounting Principles

510     Introduction to Commercial Law

520     The Economic Environment

530     Organisation and Management

541     Fundamentals of Marketing

550     Business Computing

560     Business Communication

Optional Papers

Six optional papers, at least four papers must be taken at Level 6

430     Quantitative Business Methods

435     Fundamentals of Small Business

501     Accounting Practices

580     Principles of Tourism

601     Financial Accounting

602     Management Accounting

603     Business Finance

606     Taxation

610     The Law of Business Entities

611     Business Law

630     Leadership

633     Human Resource Management

635     Employment Relations

636     Applied Management

650     Applied Computing

685     Tourism Industry Management

The New Zealand Diploma in Business is a widely recognised intermediate level business qualification in New Zealand.  Organisations such as the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants (NZICA) and the New Zealand Institute of Management (NZIM) recognise the value of the qualification and use it in conjunction with their professional qualifications.  Graduates are well positioned to find rewarding career opportunities in accountancy, management and marketing.  Graduates are ideally suited to general office management in an intermediate role or as a lead role in middle to smaller size business organisations in both the private and public sectors.  Graduates are well equipped to develop and run their own businesses.

Many of the NZ Diploma in Business papers will cross credit to papers in SIT's Bachelor of Commerce programme (available at our Invercargill campus). Contact the tutor for details:

Warrick Low

Phone: (03) 211 2699

Email: warrick.low@sit.ac.nz

Papers offered at Queenstown campus in 2013 are:

Intake 1:  18 February - 27 April 2013:

Intake 2:  6 May - 6 July 2013:

Intake 3:  15 July - 14 September 2013

Intake 4:  23 September - 23 November 2013

NOTE:  To be successful, students should expect to study one hour at home for each hour spent in class.

The Zero Fees Scheme applies to this programme. Direct material costs for 2013 are: $57.50 per paper.

For international student fees, see here: http://www.sit.ac.nz/pages/about/International-fees

In addition, students are required to source the textbooks below.

Textbooks required for papers in Intake 1: 

Textbooks required for papers in Intake 2: 

Where texts are marked ‘Compulsory’,  students must have them for their first class.

Texts are available from:  SIT Bookshop - phone 0800 748 266 or email: bookshop@sit.ac.nz 

Note: If you are purchasing second hand books, be sure to get the right edition!

For textbook lists for later intakes, please contact our Queenstown Campus. 

Applicants must have:

• a minimum of 14 numeracy credits at level 1 or higher in Mathematics or Pangarau on the Directory of Assessment Standards; and
• 50 credits at level 2 or above with at least 12 credits in each of three subjects including a minimum of eight literacy credits at level 2 or higher in English or Te Reo Māori; four credits must be in reading and four credits must be in writing; and
• the literacy credits will be selected from a schedule of approved achievement standards and unit standards found on the NZQA website at: http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-standards/awards/university-entrance/approved-subjects-for-university-entrance/.

or equivalent to the above.

Adults over the age of 20 years who do not have the minimum entry requirements may be admitted if they can satisfy the teaching institution they are capable of studying at this level and have a reasonable chance of successfully completing each paper attempted.

International students for whom English is a second language must also have:

• an IELTS overall score of at least 6.0 (academic) with no individual band lower than 5.5; or
• a TOEFL score of at least 550; or
• any other standard achievement or measure allowed for in rules made under section 253 of the Education Act.

Students must achieve a pass within the first three attempts at any given paper.  Following three fails in any given paper the student is barred from enrolling in that paper.

To pass any paper, a student must achieve a combined total of at least 50% in their course work plus final exam and achieve at least 40% in the final exam (where there is a final exam).

Please note: students failing to attend for 80% of timetabled programme hours will forfeit Zero Fees entitlement.  However, if due to individual circumstances a student is unable to meet this requirement, but nevertheless is able to satisfy the Programme Manager (in writing) that they have a viable learning strategy in place, this requirement may be waived.