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Associate Degree of Business (ADBS) - ADegBus

QTAC code (Australian and New Zealand applicants): Toowoomba campus: 904021; Distance education: 904025; Fraser Coast campus: 914021; Springfield campus: 924021

CRICOS code (International applicants): 076058J

	On-campus*	Distance education
Semester intake:	Semester 1 (February) Semester 2 (July) Semester 3 (November)	Semester 1 (February) Semester 2 (July) Semester 3 (November)
Campus:	Fraser Coast, Springfield, Toowoomba	-
Fees:	Commonwealth supported place Domestic full fee paying place International full fee paying place	Commonwealth supported place Domestic full fee paying place International full fee paying place
Standard duration:	2 years full-time, up to 4 years part-time
Program articulation:	To: Bachelor of Commerce, ; Bachelor of Business , ; Bachelor of Business Administration

Notes

Students can only commence study in Semester 3 at Springfield campus or via distance education.

Footnotes
*	Not all courses are available at all campuses.

Contact us

Future Australian and New Zealand students	Future International students	Current students
Ask a question Freecall (within Australia): 1800 269 500 Phone (from outside Australia): +61 7 4631 5315 Email: studybusiness@usq.edu.au	Ask a question Phone: +61 7 4631 5543 Email: international@usq.edu.au	Ask a question Freecall (within Australia): 1800 007 252 Phone (from outside Australia): +61 7 4631 2285 Email usq.support@usq.edu.au

Program focus

The Associate Degree of Business equips students with foundation knowledge of a broad range of business activities within the contemporary competitive business environment.

Career opportunities

Management roles within a wide range of business organisations and contexts.

Program aims

The Associate Degree of Business is a program aimed at equipping students with a foundation understanding of how business organisations operate in different environmental contexts. It exposes students to a range of issues and challenges faced by business as it strives to make organisations successful, sustainable and responsible stakeholders in society.

Program objectives

At the completion of the Associate Degree of Business, students should be able to do one of the following:

work in support of professionals or work in a business employment category in its own right at a similar level to paraprofessional personnel
understand a field of business with the emphasis on breadth rather than depth in one specific area.

Admission requirements

Year 12 English [4,SA] or equivalent.
Candidates for admission to this program must satisfy the normal USQ entry requirements for undergraduate programs. Please refer to Section 2.2 of the Admissions Policy, Section 2.2.1 (for Australian students) and Section 2.2.3 (for international students).
International applicants must have met the University's English language requirements or have completed the University's ELICOS/EAP programs.

How to apply

Domestic students

Application for undergraduate programs may be made through the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC). The same procedure applies whether you plan to study on-campus or by distance education.

If you completed Year 12 at a Queensland secondary school you will be assessed for entry on the basis of your Overall Position (OP) or equivalent score. Year 12 students from other states or territories are considered for entry on the basis of their UAI, ENTER or TER and the subject prerequisites indicated. Other applicants will be based on their overall Rank.

International students

This program is offered to international students. An international student is a person who is not an Australian or New Zealand citizen and not an Australian permanent resident. Please refer to USQ International for information about entry requirements, visa arrangements and how to apply.

Program fees

Commonwealth supported place

A Commonwealth supported place is where the Australian Government makes a contribution towards the cost of your higher education and you as a student pay a student contribution amount, which varies depending on the courses undertaken. You are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the Course Fee Finder.
Commonwealth Supported students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called HECS-HELP.

Domestic full fee paying place

Domestic full fee paying places are funded entirely through the full fees paid by the student. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken. You are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the Course Fee Finder.
Permanent Humanitarian Visa holders, Permanent Resident visa holders and New Zealand citizens who reside outside Australia pay full tuition fees.
Domestic full fee paying students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called FEE-HELP.

International full fee paying place

International students pay full fees. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken and whether they are studied on-campus, via distance education/online. You are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the Course Fee Finder.

Program structure

Students enrolling into the Associate Degree of Business can choose courses from the majors and minors from within the BCOM Bachelor of Commerce, BBUS Bachelor of Business and BBAD Bachelor of Business Administration programs. Students undertaking an area of study from within the BCOM would complete the BCOM core, while students undertaking an area of study from the BBUS would complete the BBUS core. A student undertaking a generalist area of study in line with the BBAD would undertake the BBAD core.

The Associate Degree of Business has the following structure:

8 core courses
8 courses from named business related discipline areas in the Faculty of Business and Law.

Please note: Subject to approval by the Director of Coursework Studies, Faculty of Business and Law, up to 4 courses may be taken from discipline areas outside of the Faculty of Business and Law.

The Associate Degree of Business is comprised of 16 units as follows:

Area of study	Number of units
Core courses from the Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Business or Bachelor of Business Administration	8 units
Any 8 courses from the Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Business or Bachelor of Business Administration listed below: Accounting Administrative Management Business Law Finance General Commerce Human Resource Management Information Technology Management International Business Management and Leadership Marketing Supply Chain Management Sustainable Business Sustainable Economics and Policy Tourism Management	8 units
Total	16 units

Required time limits

The standard duration for completion of this program is 2 years full-time, 4 years part-time. Students have a maximum of 6 years to complete this program.

Core courses

All students are required to complete a core of 8 single-unit courses. The purpose of the core courses is to expose business students to fundamental concepts and methods and the diversity of subject matter that they will encounter in their studies. The functional areas of business are identified and elementary tools underpinning specialist study areas are developed.

IT requirements

For information technology requirements please refer to the minimum computing standards.

Other program requirements

Students must maintain good standing in this program. Please refer to Section 2 of the Academic Standing, Progression and Exclusion Policy.

Students enrolled in the joint TAFE/USQ Diploma programs must complete their Diploma studies before they can enrol at USQ.

Articulation

To articulate into USQ’s Bachelor of Commerce , Bachelor of Business or Bachelor of Business Administration programs, candidates must have successfully completed 8 courses with a minimum GPA of 4. Students planning to articulate should choose the core courses from the degree program into which they intend to articulate. Please refer to the program structure for additional information on core courses.

Exit points

Students must maintain good standing in this program (see Other program requirements section). Students not wishing to complete the Associate Degree of Business program may be permitted to exit with a Diploma of Business Administration if they have completed 8 courses as follows:

a minimum of 4 core courses from the Bachelor of Commerce , Bachelor of Business or Bachelor of Business Administration
4 other courses from the Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Business or Bachelor of Business Administration .

A maximum of 4 exemptions can be claimed towards the Diploma of Business Administration.

Exemptions

Exemptions may be granted on the basis of completed equivalent study from a recognised institution. In order for an exemption to be granted, the claim must meet the following specific requirements:

the course was passed within 5 years prior to the application (courses up to 10 years old may be considered if evidence is provided that the applicant has been employed in that field)
the course passed is sufficiently equivalent in objectives, content and weighting to a course prescribed in the Associate Degree of Business course, alternatively, the course is suitable as an elective
where the student has taken out an award from a recognised institution and is claiming exemptions on the basis of courses completed to meet the requirements of that program, the maximum exemptions allowable on the basis of such courses will be no greater than 8 courses for the Associate Degree of Business
exemptions approved in this program will not automatically apply to other programs offered by the USQ.

Claims for exemption should be submitted prior to or at the time of enrolment in a course. Each claim will be assessed on individual merit in line with the Faculty’s exemption policies. Please email the Faculty of Business and Law for further information.

Please refer to the Program Structure for course details.