Diploma in Modern Languages
Undergraduate
UNE-MDL-DIP 2025Course information for 2025 intake View information for 2024 course intake
Explore the world through language and culture
Learn to read, write, and speak in another language. Choices include Italian, Japanese, French, and more. Includes cultural studies for a well-rounded knowledge of your chosen language. Future-proof your career, prepare for travel. Unlock opportunities.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Applications close
- 9 Feb 2025,
- 8 June 2025,
- 5 Oct 2025
- Credit available
- Yes
- Duration
- 2 years part time
- Total subjects
- 8
- Available loans
- Australian Higher Education Loan Program (HELP)
Diploma in Modern Languages
About this degree
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
- demonstrate proficiently and effectively oral/aural and writing/reading skills in a language discipline not including English;
- analyse, comment upon and appropriately interpret a variety of target language usages of varying degrees of complexity;
- research, plan, design and deliver written and oral presentations in a variety of contexts; and
- demonstrate some depth of knowledge of specific inter-cultural and cross-cultural issues, practices and ethical values.
This degree enables students to communicate and to become proficient in one language (Chinese, French, German, Indonesian, Italian or Japanese) and culture. This gives graduates a competitive advantage in a variety of workplaces, whether in Australia or overseas.
Recommended study pattern
- Complete two subjects at 100-level from your chosen language.
- Complete six prescribed subjects from the same language major.
To access the course rules and plans go to the UNE Course Handbook.
Award requirements
To qualify for the award a candidate must pass subjects to value of 48 credit points (8 subjects) in one language as identified in the program of study for each language.
Choose your subjects
Majors
Students can choose from the following majors:
- Chinese
- French
- German
- Indonesian
- Italian
- Japanese
Degrees are usually made up of core subjects and electives. Some degrees include a choice of majors, so you can focus your studies on a specialisation.
This list is a general overview. Download the full Degree Guide for more information.
Students must contact UNE with their intent to graduate.
UNE GraduationTransition arrangements are changes that occur when courses are updated or phased out. This happens regularly as part of continuous improvement. It may affect you if you are currently enrolled in this course, or if you plan to use credit from previous study towards it.
2025 Changes
The following subjects have been removed from the program structure. Students who have completed the subjects prior to 2025 will have them counted towards their degree.
Chinese Language Major
- UNE-CHIN305 Intermediate Chinese: Listening
- UNE-CHIN310 Advanced Chinese: Writing
- UNE-CHIN350 Social Culture in Chinese Reading I
- UNE-CHIN370 Social Culture in Chinese Reading II
French Language Major
- UNE-FREN308 French Translation
- UNE-FREN306 Women in French Texts
- UNE-FREN307 Modernity Through French Literature and Visual Culture
German Language Major
- UNE-GRMN310 Beyond “Inspector Rex”: German Crime Fiction
- UNE-GRMN309 German Conversational Skills: Listening, Speaking and Pronunciation
- UNE-GRMN311 "Es war einmal..." - German Children's Literature
Japanese Language Major
- UNE-JAPN345 Introduction to Japanese Popular Culture
- UNE-JAPN322 Japanese Through Contemporary Culture
Italian Language Major
- UNE-ITAL304 Modern Italian Novel
- UNE-ITAL311 The Crowns of Italian Literature: Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio
Indonesian Language Major
- UNE-INDN331 Islam, Society and the State in Contemporary Indonesia
- UNE-INDN315 Contemporary Indonesian Culture
- UNE-INDN330 A History of Indonesian and its Role in Society
The following new subjects have been introduced:
- UNE-LANG303 European Literature and Languages: Historical Perspectives
- UNE-LANG304 Cultural Expression, Translation, Global Discourses: Novel Approaches to European Language Learning
- UNE-LANG305 Developing Advanced Asian Language Skills
- UNE-LANG306 Culture, Society, and Language in Asia
Open Universities Australia is a not-for-profit organisation. You will not pay any fees for using our services.
Indicative total fee $17,760
The amount shown here is indicative for an Australian citizen studying full-time, which is typically 8 subjects per year.
Fees may vary depending on:
- the subjects you choose
- credit from previous work experience
- your eligibility for government funding loans or subsidies such as HECS-HELP or a Commonwealth supported place.
To learn more, go to Fees or contact a student advisor.
The University of New England is the only Australian public university to be awarded the maximum 5 stars for Overall Experience by the Good Universities Guide, 13 years in a row. UNE has delivered distance education since 1955—that’s longer than any other Australian university. Perhaps that’s why students continue to rate UNE so highly for student satisfaction and teaching quality. With over 170 degrees offered online, and more than 22,000 students, UNE is an expert in online education.
Learn more about UNE.
Explore UNE courses.
- QS Ranking 2024:
- 36
Entry requirements
Students must complete two subjects (12 credit points) at 100-level in their chosen language to be eligible for admission to the Diploma in Modern Languages.
Students must complete two subjects at 100-level in their chosen language in order to gain admission into the Diploma in Modern Languages and continue with prescribed subjects.
Chinese
- CHIN101 Chinese Language 1A
- CHIN102 Chinese Language 1B
French
- FREN101 French Language 1A
- FREN102 French Language 1B
German
- GRMN101 German Language 1A
- GRMN102 German Language 1B
Indonesian
- INDN101 Indonesian Language 1A
- INDN102 Indonesian Language 1B
Italian
- ITAL101 Italian Language 1A
- ITAL102 Italian Language 1B
Japanese
- JAPN101 Japanese Language 1A
- JAPN102 Japanese Language 1B
At least one of the following criteria must be met:
- English is the applicant's first language; or
- Satisfactory completion, within five years of the date of application for admission to UNE, of at least one year of full-time or equivalent full-time study at senior secondary, post-secondary or tertiary level in a country in which English is the primary official language or co-official language and in which English was the sole medium of instruction and assessment for the particular period of study claimed, resulting in an AQF award or an award recognised by the National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition (NOOSR); or
- A pass grade or better in an English language subject at Australian Year 12 level or overseas equivalent; or
- An IELTS (Academic) overall score of at least 6.0 with no sub-band less than 5.5; or equivalent TOEFL score of at least 213 in the computer-based test; or at least 79 in the internet-based test with no less than 22 in the written component; or a PTE Academic minimum overall score of 57 with no skill less than 50; or
- Satisfactory completion of the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program:
- at the University of New England English Language Centre; or
- an equivalent EAP program at an Australian university NEAS-accredited English Language Centre (subject to certification from the university concerned that satisfactory completion of that university's EAP program would entitle the applicant to be accepted into a comparable award-bearing program at that university); or
- at a non-university NEAS-accredited English Language Provider that has a formal agreement with UNE under which it provides an equivalent EAP Program; or
- a NEAS-accredited TAFE NSW EAP Program.
More detailed information regarding these requirements can be viewed here:
Students admitted to the degree with prior tertiary studies that satisfy part of the academic requirements of this degree may be eligible for advanced standing. For more information on Advanced Standing or Recognition of Prior Learning, please visit: UNE Advanced Standing
Career opportunities
Australian job snapshots
Data sourced from Australian Jobs 2023.
Role | Earnings | Employment change |
---|---|---|
Intelligence and Policy Analysts | $93K to $120K | Up 22.6% |
Interpreters | N/A^ | N/A^ |
Legislators | N/A^ | N/A^ |
Policy and Planning Managers | Over $120K | Up 53.8% |
Public Relations Professionals | $93K to $120K | Up 20.8% |
Translators | N/A^ | N/A^ |
^ There is no data available
Degree FAQs
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If you're studying with La Trobe University and want to take a break of minimum 1 study term, you must apply for leave of absence to avoid being inadvertently withdrawn from your degree.
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