Deakin University
Graduate Diploma of Business Administration
- Delivery: Online
- Study Level: Postgraduate
- Duration: 12 months
- Course Type: Graduate Diploma
Enhance your career opportunities by acquiring versatile business skills. Expand your knowledge of organizational management, business leadership, and operations.

Course overview
Enhance your undergraduate degree with versatile business expertise. Deakin’s Graduate Diploma of Business Administration is designed to provide you with a global business perspective, broadening your career options and paving the way to progress to our Master of Business Administration (MBA).
This one-year course offers the opportunity to study the fundamentals of business at a top 3 business school in Victoria.* You will cover a broad range of topics related to organisational management, while developing the creative, analytical and interpersonal skills crucial to business leadership, including people management and marketing.
The course prepares you for management roles across various sectors. The business skills gained in this qualification can also lead to progression in your current career.
Considering further study? The Graduate Diploma of Business Administration provides a pathway into the Master of Business Administration (MBA).
Key facts
July, 2026
November, 2025
What you will study
To complete the Graduate Diploma of Business Administration, students must attain a total of eight credit points, consisting of six credit points of core units and two credit points of open elective units, plus completion of the compulsory zero-credit-point module, the Academic Integrity Module (to be completed in the first trimester of study).
Core units
- Strategy and Innovation Management: Managing Value and Risk
- Financial Decision Making
- The Economic Environment
- Marketing, Consumers and the Marketplace
- Enterprise Optimisation and Transformation
- Leading People in Organisations
Open elective units
Students may select two postgraduate units, including stackable short courses (0.5 credit point microcredentials), subject to eligibility.
Stackable short courses
Mix and match Deakin stackable short courses (0.5 credit point microcredentials) to earn up to two credit points (s) of open electives, subject to eligibility. Any stacking must add up to a whole number for credit. Please reach out to the university for more information.
Entry requirements
Selection is based on a holistic consideration of your academic merit, work experience, likelihood of success, availability of places, participation requirements, regulatory requirements and individual circumstances. You will need to meet the minimum academic and English language proficiency requirements to be considered for selection, but this does not guarantee admission.
Academic requirements
To be considered for admission to this degree you will need to meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Completion of a bachelor's degree in any discipline and at least three years of relevant work experience (or part-time equivalent).
- Completion of a graduate certificate in a related discipline and at least three years of relevant work experience (or part-time equivalent).
*Definition of minimum work experience: three years of relevant work experience and must include at least two years (full-time equivalent) in a managerial or professional role with responsibilities for decision making in a range of areas including budgetary oversight, staffing and management, involvement in strategy and planning development and operational implementation.
Non-academic requirements
You must provide the following with your application:
- A current CV that clearly demonstrates professional/managerial experience.
- Current contact details of two referees who can be contacted concerning your work experience.
- A one-page brief outlining why you believe that your work experience would be valued by your peers in the course.
English language requirements
To meet the English language proficiency requirements of this course, you will need to demonstrate at least one of the following:
- Bachelor's degree from a recognised English-speaking country.
- IELTS overall score of 6.5 (with no band score less than 6.0) or equivalent.
- Other evidence of English language proficiency (contact the university for more information).
Recognition of Prior Learning
The university aims to provide students with as much credit as possible for approved prior study or informal learning which exceeds the normal entrance requirements for the course and is within the constraints of the course regulations. Students are required to complete a minimum of one-third of the course at Deakin University, or four credit points, whichever is greater. In the case of certificates, including graduate certificates, a minimum of two credit points within the course must be completed at Deakin.
You can also refer to Deakin's Recognition of Prior Learning system, which outlines the credit that may be granted towards a Deakin University degree and how to apply for credit.
Outcomes
Learning outcomes
- Demonstrate an understanding of fundamental business principles and concepts, integrate own business expertise to develop insights into complex, contemporary business issues and apply this to address emerging global business trends and challenges.
- Demonstrate high-level communication skills to articulate various business concepts and their application.
- Use digital technologies to obtain, organise and disseminate complex business information.
- Critically analyse and evaluate business data and information, complex ideas and theories and their application in an organisational environment.
- Apply problem-solving skills to analyse, develop and recommend solutions for complex business issues.
- Demonstrate an understanding of global business issues and social and cultural contexts that influence them.
Career outcomes
As a graduate, you may find employment in areas such as:
- Financial Planning
- Corporate Governance
- Human Resource Management
- Marketing
Fees and FEE-HELP
Estimated first-year tuition fee in 2026: $40,000 (domestic full-fee paying place).
All costs are calculated using current rates and are based on a full-time study load of eight credit points (typically eight units) per year.
A student’s annual fee may vary in accordance with:
- The number of units studied per term.
- The choice of major or specialisation.
- Choice of units.
- Credit from previous study or work experience.
- Eligibility for government-funded loans.
Student fees shown are subject to change. Contact the university directly to confirm.
FEE-HELP loans are available to assist eligible full-fee paying domestic students with the cost of a university course.