Postgraduate Diploma in Information Technology

The Postgraduate Diploma in Information Technology is aimed at IT professionals and recent graduates wishing to undertake a programme of study that covers a wider range of subject areas, in order to prepare for further study or to assist with obtaining a more senior position in an IT or IT business related place of employment. Potential employment roles may include: business analyst, IT manager, network manager, security specialist, software developer, systems administrator and team leader.

Students will have completed all requirements of a bachelor's degree or graduate diploma in information technology or related subject, with at least a B grade average at Level 7.

Special Admission
Notwithstanding the above admission criteria, in exceptional circumstances, a mature aged applicant who can show evidence of ability to succeed in the programmes may be considered for admission, provided the applicant has successfully completed an approved course or programme, or has relevant industry experience which is deemed to meet the required standard for entry.

Provisional Part-time Admission
An applicant, who does not meet academic criteria, may be provisionally admitted to enrol in one or more papers. Upon successful completion of the paper(s), the student may apply for special admission or admission by mature entry.

English Language Requirements

Applicants, whose first language is not English, or who come from a country where the language of instruction in schools is not English, are required to provide evidence of having achieved one of the following:

NCEA Level 3 with University Entrance, or

an International Baccalaureate Diploma or Cambridge A- level qualification for which the teaching and assessment was conducted in English; or

Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA), or Trinity College London Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CertTESOL); or

Successful completion of all primary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand primary school years 1 to 8) and at least three years of secondary education (being the equivalent of three years from New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in  either New Zealand, Australia­, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States one of the countries listed in Rule 18.5 where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction; or

Successful completion of at least five years of secondary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in either New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction; or

Successful completion of a Bachelor ‘s Degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Bachelor Honours degree, Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, Masters’ Degree or Doctoral Degree, the language of instruction of which must be in English and which must be  from a tertiary education provider from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom or the United States or

Successful completion of one of the following internationally recognised proficiency tests listed below to the level required of the programme of study and with all scores achieved in a single test during the two years preceding the proposed date of enrolment.

Postgraduate Certificate or Diploma at Level 8

• IELTS test - Academic score of 6.5 with no band score lower than 6
• TOEFL Paper based test (pBT) - Score of 590 (with an essay score 5.5 TWE)
• TOEFL Internet based test (iBT) - Score of 79 (with a writing score of 21)
• Cambridge English Examination –C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency with a score of 176.  No less than 169 in each skill.
• OET - Minimum of Grade C+ or 300 in all sub-tests
• NZCEL - a) Expiring Level   b) Current:
• Level 5 (Academic) or (Professional) b) Level 5
• Pearson Test of English (Academic) – PTE (Academic) score of 58 with no band score lower than 50
• Language Cert - C1 Expert International ESOL Written (LRW) HIGH PASS with no less than 25/50 in each skill and Spoken (S) PASS or C2 Mastery International ESOL Written (LRW) PASS with no less than 25/50 in each skill and Spoken (S) PASS
• Trinity ISE – ISE III with no less than pass in any band

The Head of Faculty will determine the maximum number of students permitted to enrol in the postgraduate programmes.

All enrolments in the Postgraduate Diploma in Information Technology are approved at the discretion of the Programme Manager in consultation with the Head of Faculty and teaching staff as required.

To be awarded the Postgraduate Diploma in Information Technology students will have been credited with all required papers and elective options  as specified in the programme schedule. The total credit value of the Postgraduate Diploma in Information Technology is 120 credits.

(Please note: students failing to attend for 80% of timetabled programme hours will forfeit their Zero Fees entitlement.)

Classes are held at our Invercargill campus, on weekdays from 9am - 4pm.

Each paper has one scheduled class per week