Graduate Diploma of Professional Communication (GDCM) - GradDipProfComm

This program is offered only to continuing students. No new admissions will be accepted. Students who are interested in this study area should contact us.

Notes

The mode of offer for this program depends on the strand selected. The Public Relations major is available in on-campus and external modes. The Multimedia Studies major is only available in web mode. The offering of courses on-campus is subject to enrolments.

Contact us

Current students

Telephone 1800 007 252 (within Australia freecall), +61 7 4631 2285 (from outside Australia), email usqassist@usq.edu.au or submit a question via USQAssist.

Professional accreditation

The Graduate Diploma of Professional Communication (Public Relations major) is fully accredited by the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) and is the only fully accredited public relations program in Queensland available by distance education.

For those who have completed the Graduate Certificate of Public Relations or the Graduate Diploma of Professional Communication (PR major), it is possible to articulate into the Master in Public Relations with exemptions/transfers for the relevant courses completed in the Graduate Certificate in Public Relations and the Graduate Diploma of Public Relations (PR major).

Program aims

The Graduate Diploma of Professional Communication aims to prepare students to:

• demonstrate an informed and rational understanding of salient contemporary issues in mass communication

• pursue a scholarly and informed study of the relevance of communication, social and cultural theory to the understanding of mass communication

• employ communication, social and cultural theory to design and implement field research in a range of contemporary issues and problems of mass communication

• select and apply appropriate and ethically sound research methodologies to research into aspects of mass communication.

Program objectives

On successful completion of the Graduate Diploma of Professional Communication students should be able to:

• display an informed awareness of the central role of the agencies, technical discourses and production processes of professional communication in socio-cultural and political contexts

• apply communication, social and cultural theory appropriately to analyses of the texts, products, practices, institutions and artefacts of professional communication

• apply communication, social and cultural theory appropriately to a variety of qualitative and quantitative research tasks in diverse areas of professional communication

• make appropriate and ethically justified applications of mass communication research methodology to the study and research of professional communication texts, institutions and artefacts.

Admission requirements

Applicants for admission into the Graduate Diploma of Professional Communication must have at least a Bachelor's degree or its academic equivalent. Students who have completed a major at undergraduate level in one of the disciplines in this program during the last 10 years will not be permitted to enrol in that major. Such students must select another major area of study. In addition, applicants for entry to the Multimedia Studies major should have completed one course in multimedia at TAFE level or equivalent, or be able to demonstrate competency in multimedia systems, or must complete a course in multimedia from TAFE or equivalent during the first year of enrolment. Students who hold the IPRM Diploma and have three years experience in the public relations industry might be granted special entry to the Graduate Diploma of Professional Communication (Public Relations major).

Program fees

Student contribution amount

For domestic students who are offered Commonwealth supported places, the Government pays some money directly to the University, but students are also required to make a contribution. This contribution is called the ‘student contribution’. For more information about student contribution amounts, including the calculation of fees for a particular program of study, refer to USQ fees.

Tuition fee

Domestic fee-paying places are funded entirely through the tuition/direct fees paid by the student. Tuition/direct fees vary depending on the courses that are taken. For more information about Tuition Fees, including the calculation of fees for a particular program of study, refer to USQ Fees.

International fees

International students pay tuition fees. For details about international student fees, refer to the International Fee Schedule provided by USQ International.

Program structure

The Graduate Diploma of Professional Communication comprises eight units of which seven are major courses and one is an elective course. The Applied Communication Major is available only for continuing students.

Major Study

A set of designated courses that form a significant part of an academic program. The courses will be from a recognised discipline area, distinct from core courses. The major study is designed to provide students with knowledge and skills central to the objectives of the program.

Elective Study

An elective course is a course that a student is not required to study within the core of the program. There will be one elective course in the program. The course will allow students to develop their professional interests and skills, and should be related to their vocational needs. The elective course must be approved by the Program Coordinator. Students wishing to complete the Masters degree by dissertation should take an approved research methods course as their elective.

An elective course should generally be of postgraduate designation but may be of undergraduate level if considered appropriate. The elective course may be selected from the offerings of all Faculties within the University of Southern Queensland. In addition, a student may undertake an appropriate course from another institution on a cross credit basis.

Required time limits

Students have a maximum of 4 years to complete this program.

IT requirements

The following minimum computer configuration is recommended: Intel Pentium, Power Mac or equivalent; 64Mb RAM; 4Gb hard disk; CDROM; sound card; video display card capable of displaying more than 256 colours; Windows 98, Macintosh system 8.6 or later operating system; 56kb modem. Students may also require regular access to email and the Internet.

Students studying courses in Multimedia Studies who expect to work in basic HTML, and/or programs such as Adobe PageMaker, Photoshop, Premier, Macromedia Director, and Quark Express or similar, should note that:

• courses will not teach them how to use these applications

• such applications may require computer configurations that differ from the minimum set out above.

Please see the following URL for up-to-date advice on computing requirements http://www.usq.edu.au/ict/students/standards/default.htm.

Articulation

The Graduate Certificate in Professional Communication (General Study) does not articulate fully into this program, although some courses may qualify for exemption or advanced standing in the program. The Graduate Certificate in Professional Communication (Multimedia Studies) articulates into this program.

The Graduate Diploma of Professional Communication articulates into the Master of Professional Communication. Students who have completed the eight courses in the program with a credit level average may apply for entry to the Master of Professional Communication. Students intending to proceed to the Masters degree should contact the Head, School of Humanities and Communication during the final semester of the Graduate Diploma of Professional Communication. Students in the Public Relations major must have completed a communication research methods course as their elective study; this is not required for the Multimedia major.

Exit points

Students who have completed not less than four units in the Multimedia Studies major may exit with the Graduate Certificate in Professional Communication . Students who have completed not less than four units in the Public Relations major may exit with the Graduate Certificate in Public Relations ; the relevant courses are PRL5004, PRL5000 , PRL5001, PRL5002.

Exemptions

Students with prior industry experience and/or prior related postgraduate study may apply for exemptions up to a maximum of four units. Students granted exemption for a course on the basis of prior related undergraduate study will be required to complete an alternative course of equal weighting.

In this section:

• Applied communication recommended enrolment pattern
• Multimedia studies recommended enrolment pattern
• Public relations recommended enrolment pattern for part-time students

Applied communication recommended enrolment pattern

For continuing students only.

This course will articulate with the Graduate Diploma of Professional Communication

Multimedia studies recommended enrolment pattern

This enrolment pattern is for part-time, off-campus students.

For continuing students only

Notes

Students enrolled in the Multimedia Studies major are advised, in addition to the IT requirements above, that they will be expected to work in basic html format, but that this program does not teach how to use more advanced programs such as Adobe, PageMaker, PhotoShop, Premier or Director, although students are welcome to work in these environments at their own discretion. Students taking courses MMS8020 and MMS8021 are advised that these courses focus on the managerial aspects of multimedia rather than skills acquisition. (Students interested in advanced skills should also take an appropriate TAFE course.)

Public relations recommended enrolment pattern for part-time students

This pattern is recommended for part-time, external students.

For continuing students only

For those who have completed the Graduate Certificate in Public Relations or the Graduate Diploma of Professional Communication (PR major), it is also possible to articulate into the Master in Public Relations with exemptions/transfer for the relevant courses completed in the Graduate Certificate of Public Relations and the Graduate Diploma of Professional Communication (PR major) on the advice of the Program Coordinator.