2001 Swinburne Undergraduate and TAFE Course Guide

Business Administration
Course title
Diploma of Business (Administration)
Certificate IV in Business (Administration)
Certificate III in Business (Office Administration)
Certificate II in Business (Office Administration)
Duration
Diploma: two years full-time or equivalent parttime.
Certificate IV: one and a half years full-time, or
equivalent part-time.
Certificate III: one year full-time, or equivalent
part-time.
Certificate II: six months full-time, or equivalent
part-time
Location
Croydon, Hawthorn, Lilydale, Prahran, Wantirna,
Workplace
Certificate II/III also available through Distance
Learning.
Entry requirements
Diploma/Certificate IV: satisfactory completion of
an appropriate Victorian Year 12 or its equivalent,
or mature age.
Certificate II/III: None.
Application procedure
VTAC for the first year (Diploma/Certificate fulltime)
or direct to Swinburne for part-time,
Certificate II/III and mid-year intake.
VTAC code: 70241 (Croydon)
77241 (Hawthorn)
70391 (Lilydale)
78241 (Prahran)
71241 (Wantirna)
Course overview
Diploma: prepares students for executive level
administrative positions by developing knowledge
in management principles and practices.
Certificate IV: develops the skills and knowledge
required for senior level administrative positions.
It places emphasis on people management,
organisational and technology skills.
Certificate III: develops administrative skills at a
higher level using appropriate layout and
presentation techniques. It also introduces
specialist fields including finance, legal, medical,
marketing and human resources.
Certificate II: develops introductory skills required
to enter a business office as a receptionist or
clerical assistant. It is also suitable for people
wanting to retrain or upgrade their skills.
Career opportunities
Diploma/Certificate IV: office management,
personal assistant, executive officer, office
administrator, office supervisor.
Certificates: receptionist or clerical assistant.
Further information
Tel: 1300 368 777 (general enquiries)
Distance Learning: (03) 9213 6789
School of Business and Commerce
Tel: (03) 9210 1224
Sophie Ellul
When Sophie Ellul left school at the end of
Year 11, she had had enough of studying.
Always keen on gardening, she got a job
straight away propagating plants for a
local nursery and then worked for four
years in a local cake shop.
But then she got bored. After some time
living in Queensland, she returned to
Melbourne with plans for starting her own
tropical fish breeding business, and
enrolled in a small business course. The
business never saw the light of day, but
Sophie had discovered her niche. “I did a
bookkeeping course through Skillshare,
and did very well. So I thought I’d keep
going, and enrolled as a full-time student
in the Certificate in Accounting at
Swinburne’s Croydon TAFE campus. I
loved it!”
Her teachers and her results convinced
her to complete her Diploma, with such
success that she was named Victoria’s
Best TAFE Accounting Student in 1996 by
the National Institute of Accountants.
“I decided I didn’t want to be a shop
assistant all my life – I wasn’t using my
brain and I wanted to see what I could do.
I really enjoyed the class environment – I
thought I would be the oldest one there,
but that certainly wasn’t the case. There
were grandmothers in my class! We had a
very close group.”
I wanted to see what I could do
Bachelor of Business/Advanced Diploma of Business (Accounting)
The teachers were fantastic – very
approachable and really interested in
teaching. It was very different from
school!”
Sophie moved to Swinburne’s Lilydale
campus in 1997 as a Bachelor of Business
student, majoring in Accounting. Through
Swinburne’s Pathways articulation
program, her Accounting Diploma gave her
credit for almost the whole of the first year
of the degree course.
“It helped me enormously, going to TAFE
first. I got a really good grounding and I
got back into the discipline of study. I also
started working as an accounts clerk at
the beginning of 1997, so it was good to
be able to do my degree subjects as a
part-time student.”
After completion of the Bachelor of
Business, Sophie wants to keep studying.
“You have to keep up with the new
legislation. My next goal is to be a CPA
(certified practicing accountant). That
involves five study units over two-and-ahalf
years!”
Sophie is critical of the pressure today’s
Year 12 puts on students. “I had no idea
what I wanted to do when I was at school
– I don’t think many people do. You
haven’t had any life experience. I didn’t do
Year 12 because everyone told me how
hard it was. TAFE was fantastic for me.”
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