Graduate Certificate in Communication
PostgraduateGRF-MCM-GCE2025
Course information for 2025 intake View information for 2024 course intake
All industries value advanced communication skills
Study current trends, best practice, contemporary theories, culture and business communication to be able to formulate a value model for an organisation. Broad career options in research, media, communications and content creation.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Applications close
- 16 Feb 2025,
- 29 June 2025,
- 19 Oct 2025
- Credit available
- Yes
- Duration
- 6 months full time or part time equivalent
- Total subjects
- 4
- Available loans
- Australian Higher Education Loan Program (HELP)
Graduate Certificate in Communication
About this degree
KNOWLEDGE:
- Familiarity and understanding of the history, theory and contexts of the creative industries, public value, visual culture, film, television & media.
- Familiarity with best practice models of public value currently used internationally by organisations to understand, measure and communicate.
- Understanding of the benefits and problems involved in strategic partnering.
- Enhanced understanding of the role played by communications practices in influencing and expressing what publics value.
- Extended understanding of visual languages across various Cultural Industries.
SKILLS:
- Skills in comparing and evaluating different value rationales.
- Skills in application of knowledge to the study of current transformations in visual culture.
- Skills in writing to a professional standard for the creative industries, corporations and the community sector.
- Skills in problem solving.
- Skills in semiotic and content analysis.
APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:
- Experience in identifying an organisation’s ‘authoring environment’ and the key relations between its constituent parts.
- Experience in developing indicators of public benefits.
- Practical experience in designing a public value model for an organisation to improve its internal and external communication processes and foster resilient relationships with its internal and external communication.
- Development of the ability to map the creation of a project from concept to finished product delivered to an audience in a planned setting.
Become a communications specialist and join this exciting and burgeoning industry. Corporations, government and the creative industries need professionals with advanced communication skills. This Communication postgraduate degree from Griffith University is designed to provide you with these specialist skills. Through this online degree you will study current industry practices, contemporary theories of communication, business communication and different aspects of media and culture.
Although this is a restricted degree, individual subjects are available to all students with a bachelor’s degree. Please refer to the Application Process for more information on how to enrol.
Recommended study pattern
Students will need to enrol into COM110 and COM190 before, or at the same time as COM100.
Award requirements
To be eligible for the award of Graduate Certificate in Communications (GCertComm) a student must acquire 40 credit points as prescribed below:
- Gain 40 credit points for the core subjects.
- The maximum period for completing this program is 2 years.
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.
When you have completed your final session of study, OUA students should notify Griffith University of their intention to graduate with the award of Graduate Certificate of Communication. Please contact Griffith (OUA) Services on oua.programsupport@griffith.edu.au
Open Universities Australia is a not-for-profit organisation. You will not pay any fees for using our services.
Indicative total fee $12,250
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.
With a network of campuses spanning three cities in South East Queensland, Griffith University is committed to progressive multidisciplinary teaching and research and a valuable online provider with Open Universities Australia. Already attracting students from over one hundred countries, Griffith's dedication to academic excellence is available across Australia through OUA.
Learn more about Griffith University.
Explore Griffith courses.
- QS Ranking 2024:
- 18
- Times Higher Education Ranking 2024:
- 20
Entry requirements
This is a restricted degree. Subject enrolment is only available to students admitted into this degree.
Bachelors degree in any discipline from a recognised University (or another tertiary education institution of equivalent standing) with a minimum GPA of 4.5 (using a 7.0 scale).
A qualification leading to profession registration (eg Nursing).
Note: This is a postgraduate level program and students will need to be competent in oral and written communication skills to successfully complete this program.
Five years of relevant work experience
English language requirements apply to international applicants and other applicants whose previous study was undertaken in a language other than English. The minimum English language requirements for such applicants for entry to these programs are as follows:
- A minimum score of 575 on TOEFL
- OR an internet-based (iBT) TOEFL score of 88 (no score less than 21)
- OR a minimum overall band score of 6.5 on IELTS (Academic) with no sub-score of less than 6.0
- OR no score less than 3+ in each skill of the ISLPT (conducted by GELI or ISLPR Language Services only)
- OR a minimum grade of C on the Cambridge Certificate in Advance English (CAE)
- OR a minimum grade of C on the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE)
- OR a minimum score of 61 in the Pearson Test of English (Academic)
RPL/Credit may be awarded according to Griffith University policies and applicants should contact the degree coordinator for further information.
Career opportunities
You will develop your understanding of media communication institutions, their histories, texts, practices and audiences. You will have the skills to theorise, analyse and write about communication issues at an advanced level and will be prepared for positions such as researcher, media manager, communications adviser and content provider.
Australian job snapshots
Data sourced from Australian Jobs 2023.
Role | Earnings | Employment change |
|---|---|---|
Advertising and Marketing Professionals | $75K to $93K | Up 21.3% |
Journalists and Other Writers | $75K to $93K | Up 0.9% |
Marketing specialists | N/A^ | N/A^ |
Public Relations Professionals | $93K to $120K | Up 20.8% |
^ There is no data available
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.
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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
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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.
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