Graduate Certificate or Diploma of Economics overview
Graduate certificates from the likes of the University of Queensland provide students with units in the macroeconomy, consumer behaviour and econometrics with two choices of electives. They’re designed to be time-efficient forays into the field, taking six months of full-time study to complete, or a year part-time. They’re an excellent pathway into further study.
Graduate diplomas offer more extensive insight, taking one year of full-time study to complete or two years part-time. The University of Sydney and similar institutions allow students to specialise in general economics, financial economics or econometrics, but there are units common to all specialisations. For instance, all students will learn about macro and microeconomic analysis, capital markets and other fundamentals.
Employment options
The employment options mentioned here are somewhat more accessible to graduates from these programs, but these programs are better suited to acting as primers for higher study. Companies like Frontier Economics or the Statistics and Data Corporation require the greatest extent of knowledge to be successful.
Scholarships and funding
There are several scholarships available for these courses. The following are just some of these.
- Economically or socially disadvantaged students can apply for the Monash Business School Indigenous Scholarship. Qualifying attributes include coming from a remote area, having a disability, traumatic or difficult personal circumstances and being from an area of low socioeconomic status.
- IBISWorld Scholarships provide economics, finance, business and management students with $1000 toward their HELP debt. Applicants must submit an 800 - 1000 word essay in response to the question, “what are the challenges and opportunities associated with moving away from a manufacturing-based economy?”
- University of Melbourne students can apply for the Queen’s College Graduate Business and Economics Scholarship, worth $5,710.
Students who don’t qualify for any of these programs can seek the many general scholarships mentioned here.
Prerequisites and selection process
Graduate certificates like those from the University of Queensland require students to have completed a bachelor degree in economics or cognate discipline to enter, but diplomas allow students from any discipline. A credit GPA (65%) is often a requirement for these programs.