Graduate Diploma in Professional Practice

A Graduate Diploma in Professional Practice requires approximately one year to complete, and is ideal for employees, volunteers, or the self-employed who have an undergraduate qualification and/or relevant professional experience.

A Graduate Diploma in Professional Practice:

• is ideal for those in paid or unpaid work, or self-employed
• allows you to build a degree around your world. What skills/expertise do you need? What would help you to achieve your career or business aspirations? Do you need support in a particular area of your professional practice?
• helps you to explore cross-disciplinary boundaries and enjoy greater scope, flexibility and application than traditional pre-prescribed postgraduate programmes
• provides self-paced learning, and facilitators/academic/professional mentors will support you throughout the whole process

Our Graduate Diploma in Professional Practice supports you to become an efficient self-directed learner. You’ll be capable of managing and critically evaluating your learning, and undertaking work-based projects that meet your needs and those of others. Upon successful completion, you will be able to: 

1.  Design and conduct an inquiry significant to the learner and their workplace, by:

• identifying sources of knowledge and evidence and using them appropriately
• identifying and applying information and ideas which result in the creation of knowledge relevant to self and workplace.

2.  Engage in reflection on practice which leads to insights likely to make a lasting impact upon personal and professional understanding.

3.  Undertake exploration proposing or leading to effective and appropriate action likely to impact upon the practice of self and/or others.

4.  Consider information and ideas independently and evaluate and articulate a position that can justify a basis for improvements in practice.

5.  Communicate effectively and persuasively in writing and orally in an appropriate format to appeal to a particular target audience.

6.  Work and learn autonomously and with others in a range of contexts, with a developing awareness in how this may develop the practices and /or beliefs of other. 

• You must hold a bachelor's degree OR equivalent AND/OR equivalent professional or educational experience.
• International students will be individually assessed to ensure you meet the entry requirements.
• If English is not your first language, you must provide:
  • New Zealand University Entrance OR
  • Overall Academic IELTS 6.5 with no individual band score lower than 6.0 (achieved in one test completed in the last two years), OR
  • Acceptable alternative evidence of the required IELTS (see here for NZQA proficiency table and here for list of recognised proficiency tests).

If you need to improve your English Language skills, we offer a wide range of English programmes.  

The work-based learning approach centres round the relationship between you, your employer/sponsor or your field of practice, and Capable NZ. The programme is divided into three main phases. 

Learning and teaching activities within each course may include:

• facilitation and mentoring through distance processes
• one-to-one meetings and review-of-progress workshops (depending on location)
• online support and course resources through the Polytechnic’s Learning Management System platform (Moodle) and other learning technologies
• online and video link assessment methodologies. 

1. If you want to find out a little more about this programme, send us an enquiry and we'll be in touch! 

2. If you know that you just want to apply, click on the light blue APPLY button in the top right section of this page and complete our online application form. 

Domestic students are eligible for student loans and allowances (dependent on other eligibility criteria. Please contact Studylink for additional information. Phone 0800 88 99 00 or visit the Studylink website.