Diploma of ICT Professional Practice
UndergraduateTAS-IPP-DIP2025
Course information for 2025 intake View information for 2024 course intake
A professional IT industry certification
Build competency in information and communication technology. You’ll cover data, games, cybersecurity, and more. Built-in hands-on experience and teamwork preps you for the workplace. Work towards technical positions or further IT studies.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Applications close
- 16 Feb 2025,
- 13 July 2025
- Credit available
- Yes
- Duration
- 1 year full time or part time equivalent
- Total subjects
- 8
- Available loans
- Australian Higher Education Loan Program (HELP)
- CSP available
- Yes
Diploma of ICT Professional Practice
About this degree
Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:
- Apply industry standard principles, tools, techniques, and processes to create and maintain ICT software and systems.
- Design and implement efficient solutions with consideration to securing and managing data and information.
- Plan and engage in ICT projects in accordance with professional practice and industry standards.
The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry responds to global challenges by embracing new, emerging and existing technologies. With the constant need for faster, more efficient ways of doing business and living our lives, upskilling with a Diploma of ICT Professional Practice will allow you to customise your studies, and see you graduate with industry relevant skills and certifications.
Professional industry certifications offer a credible, skills focused means for you to demonstrate advanced competency with a particular sub discipline or technology. The value of professional certification to employers is high, and even for existing employees there is an ongoing need to maintain and build technical skills and knowledge.
This degree will provide you with a broad range of knowledge in key ICT areas including data science, game development, cybersecurity, and Virtual and Mixed Reality. Through the Diploma, you will have the opportunity to attain professional certifications that offer a credible, skills-focused means of demonstrating advanced competency with leading industry technologies and systems. This means you’ll graduate with the necessary qualifications desired by employers.
Led by expert staff that deliver distinctive, rewarding, and place-based learning experiences, the teaching environment aims to provide a university experience that is student-centred and personal, enabling you to realise your individual career goals.
Recommended study pattern
For students studying full-time, the following study pattern is recommended.
Completion of 8 Core Subjects from the schedule:
- TAS-KIT101 Programming Fundamentals
- TAS-KIT109 Games Fundamentals
- TAS-KIT111 Data Networks and Security
- TAS-KIT118 Introduction to Cybersecurity Policies and Practices
- TAS-KIT203 ICT Project Management and Modelling
- TAS-KIT207 Game Design and Production
- TAS-KIT208 Virtual and Mixed Reality Technology
- TAS-KIT214 Intelligent and Secure Web Development
Award requirements
Satisfactory completion of 8 subjects, as required in the schedule, within 1-3 years from commencement.
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.
Open Universities Australia is a not-for-profit organisation. You will not pay any fees for using our services.
Indicative total fee $9,320
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.
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Explore UTAS courses.
- QS Ranking 2024:
- 20
- Times Higher Education Ranking 2024:
- 19
Entry requirements
- Completed at least one subject of study (equivalent to 12.5 UTAS credit points) OR
- Completed the University Preparation Program or equivalent
Successful completion of one OUA open access subject of study at the equivalent AQF level (equivalent to 12.5 UTAS credit points), unless otherwise specified.
Completed the Tasmanian Certificate of Education (TCE) or an equivalent qualification.
Completed Certificate III or above
This program accepts applications based on work or life experience.
Applicants who have not completed senior secondary, tertiary, or TAFE/VET study, but who have relevant work and life experience can complete a personal competency statement.
The University of Tasmania grants credit and recognition of prior learning that may include formal and/or informal prior learning. More information is available here.
Students can articulate into the Diploma of ICT Professional Practice from the Undergraduate Certificate in ICT Professional Practice with full credit.
Career opportunities
From contemporary business transactions to online and software-based products, systems and services, our world relies on ICT professionals for maintenance and innovation. That’s why gaining professional certifications through your Diploma of ICT Professional Practice is highly sought after by a range of employers.
Graduates often enter technical positions such as software programmer, network administrator, systems or business analyst, and web design/development, before progressing into management roles after 3 – 5 years. Advanced level positions can see you formulating insights as a business analyst, testing networks as a systems manager or protecting important assets as a security specialist.
The employment market for ICT roles promises high growth in the coming years, with an expected of increase of 38.9% (that’s 39,200 additional jobs) by 2026.
Here are some of the top jobs projected to grow in the next five years:
- ICT Support and Test Engineers 43.7%
- Computer Network Professionals 22.2%
- ICT Managers 17.7%
- ICT Business and Systems Analysts 12.9%
* ABS Labour Force Survey, National Skills Commission trend data to May 2022 and projections to 2026
Australian job snapshots
Data sourced from Australian Jobs 2023.
Role | Earnings | Employment change |
|---|---|---|
Computer Network Professionals | $93K to $120K | Up 12.9% |
Database and Systems Administrators, and ICT Security Specialists | Over $120K | Up 45.1% |
ICT Support and Test Engineers | $93K to $120K | Up 30.1% |
Software and Applications Programmers | $93K to $120K | Up 38.1% |
Degree FAQs
How long does it take to finish an online degree?
That's up to you! Because we let you choose when to study online, you can actually pick up and pause study when it suits you. Many universities have a set time you need to complete your degree within. For some this is up to 10 years, and for others there is no limit.
There are some degrees that are stricter about when you can take breaks, and about how many years you can take to complete your degree. Please always check with your uni what the limits are.
As a general guide, Commonwealth supported place students have 10 years to finish their undergraduate degree through OUA, However, if you're studying with Griffith University, there's a limit of 8 years to complete your studies. If you want to take a break that lasts more than two study terms, you'll need to apply for a leave of absence. You can apply for a leave of absence for up to 12 months, as long as you complete your studies within the maximum time allowed for your degree.
If you're studying with Macquarie University, with the exception of certain degrees, there's no limit to how long you can take. But, please check with Macquarie Student Administration to be sure.
If you're studying with the University of Adelaide, you have up to 9 years to complete your undergraduate degree and graduate.
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.
Through OUA, you can study all year round, so it's possible to fast-track and finish up sooner than studying at a traditional uni would allow. That said, you need to spend around 12 hours a week on each undergraduate subject you do, so taking on extra work to finish ahead of time can be challenging.
How can I pay for my studies?
You may be eligible for a HELP loan from the Australian government, depending on your citizenship status and where you'll be living during your studies. You can also pay upfront with your credit card.
Payment options are explained in Fees, and you can contact a student advisor for more information.
How does studying through Open Universities Australia work?
You might find learning through OUA a little different to how you've studied in the past. It can take time to develop the skills you need for independent online study.
We connect you with subjects and degrees that are taught by leading Australian universities. You can complete single subjects, or follow a degree structure to work towards a specific qualification. Subjects are offered in several study terms throughout the year, so you can choose to study part-time or full-time, continuously or with breaks.
We help you find the subjects or degree that's right for you, and we handle your enrolment in uni and some administration. Your uni sends you your study materials and deals with all academic matters. They're also in charge of your assessment and graduation. If you go on to complete a degree, you'll graduate from the uni offering your degree, for example, RMIT University or Griffith University.
How do I know if I‘m eligible to apply for a course?
Before starting an enrolment, it's important to read the entry requirements for your chosen course to ensure that you're eligible to apply. If you don't quite meet the requirements, we can help you find a pathway into your course through open-entry subjects, which anyone can study. Contact us to find out more.
When is my cut-off date for enrolment?
Our close of enrolment times vary. You can check the cut-off dates for upcoming study terms by visiting Key dates.
Why should I study online through Open Universities Australia?
There are a lot of reasons to study your course online through us.
You can enrol without entry requirements
We have a unique open-door policy that makes it possible for everyone to enrol in university study, no matter their academic history. If you don't meet the entry requirements for a degree, we'll help you get in through single undergraduate subjects and transition into a qualification from there.
You have total control over how you study
Upskill without committing to a whole degree upfront. Or enrol in a full degree, but take it a subject at a time. We'll introduce you to flexible study options you didn't even know about, so you can fit uni around what matters to you.You'll graduate with the same qualification as an on-campus student
Once you enrol through us, you'll study online with the university that provides your degree. This means that when you complete your qualification, you'll graduate with the same degree as on-campus students.We'll help you navigate the university world
Our friendly student advisors will be your guide every step of the enrolment journey. They'll help you compare universities, choose a course, provide documentation and understand your finance options.
How do I enrol?
Here at Open Universities Australia, we make enrolling online as straightforward as possible. To get started, find the course for you by browsing the options on this page. You can also compare different qualifications using our handy comparison tool, or request help from one of our student advisors.
When you've made your choice, click 'Apply now' on the relevant course page and follow the prompts to begin your enrolment. We'll ask you to supply some supporting documentation, including proof of your identity, your tax file number, and a unique student identifier (USI) during this process.
Your university will get in touch with you via email to confirm whether or not your application has been successful.
If you get stuck at any time, reach out to a student advisor and we'll talk you through it.
You can also take a look at our online self-service enrolling instructions.