New Zealand Diploma in Business - Administration and Technology

at Ara Institute of Canterbury - City Campus New Zealand

The Postgraduate Diploma in Creative Practice has been designed for musicians, dramatists, performing and visual artists, designers, film makers, writers, directors and other professional creatives who wish to take their first foray into postgraduate study. It will enable you to advance your creative practice and develop knowledge and specialist skills, beyond those gained through your undergraduate degree.

As a student of this programme you'll have the opportunity to use reflection on creative and critical theory to initiate and develop an area of interest into a supervised research project within a domain of practice.

IT industry partners have significant input into the structure and content of this programme to ensure that what is being taught continually meets industry needs. The first year covers a broad range of ICT topics that will provide you with a solid base of knowledge in software engineering (programming), hardware and networking, website development, IT tools and concepts and mathematics skills relevant to IT.

In years two and three you'll choose one of three specialist pathways: Information Systems, Networking and Infrastructure or Software Development. During this time you'll develop in-depth knowledge of your chosen area through a range of compulsory and elective courses.

You'll also develop skills in problem solving, critical thinking, analysis, team work, project management, time management, self-reliance and communication skills. There is a strong emphasis on practical skills and work-readiness, so wherever possible, theory is integrated and applied to practical tasks.

This diploma is designed to enable you to apply your leadership and management skills to contribute to the achievements of a business or organisation. It covers business basics including accounting, sales and marketing, human resources and risk management, then focuses on leadership and management aspects of business. This focus will give you the knowledge and skills to be able to plan and manage projects, manage workflow and productivity, improve performance and processes, address sustainability issues, solve problems, take responsibility for key decision making, encourage innovation and recruit, lead and manage staff.

It takes great skill to turn an idea into a successful product in today's market. With this qualification you will learn ways to grow an existing company or establish your own business venture. You will learn how to think about, create and grow ideas from conception through to commercial success. Using leading-edge concepts, methodologies and tools, this qualification has a strong emphasis on combining theory and real world application.

You will study the theory of entrepreneurship, strategic planning for small business and managing for growth and product development. You will also have the chance to undertake an industry project.

You will gain a solid grounding in engineering theory and principles of engineering science including design and drawing, electrical, electronics, networks, protection and programming. Working closely with professional engineers you will apply current and emerging technologies in new situations. Our courses are industry designed and during this program you will develop sound thinking and problem solving skills for work in designing and implementing engineering technology.

It is expected that graduates will attain the educational underpinnings and work ready attributes defined by the Engineering New Zealand Graduate Profile for Engineering Technicians.

The program covers a broad range of topics and skills related to web development and design. These include determining client requirements; using frameworks and libraries; user experience design; programming concepts, applications and implementation; configuration; publishing and testing of web solutions. In addition, it covers skills in IT technical support for managing hardware and software resources. You'll also enhance your knowledge of professional, ethical and legal principles and practices, and develop your communication and interpersonal skills.

If you're an aspiring entrepreneur, this specialization will equip you with sound business skills and knowledge to help you kick-start your new business venture. You’ll examine how to establish and maintain a competitive advantage, and you’ll get to study and work alongside real start-up companies in our innovation hub, Te Ohaka.

Flexibility has been built into this degree, allowing you to not only to study part-time, full-time, and/or in the evenings, but to choose two specializations at no extra cost and requiring no additional time. Alternatively, you can personalize your degree by including up to five elective courses (Level 5 and above, equal to 15 credits each) from any subject area of your choosing.

Develop the specialist skills and organisational strengths you need to support a career creating greater efficiency and increased productivity within diverse commercial settings.

In your first year of study we broaden your knowledge with core business strategies and operational subjects including accounting, business communication, commercial law, business heritage, culture and sustainability, marketing, computing, management and applied research. In the following two years, our degree programme examines all aspects of the Operations and Production Management major with studies in:

• Intermediate Management Accounting - Covers the processes and information required for effective planning, control and decision making.
• Operations Management - Develops the concepts and analytical methods for transforming inputs into completed goods and services via the management of people and resources.
• Project Management - Appraises project plans using MS Project and explores the basic principles and terminology of project management.
• Resource Integration Management - Examines aspects of supply chain management, business facility layout/modification and engineering economics, and their relation to effective business operation, technical management, project management and production of goods and services.
• Product Development - Evaluates appropriate tools and methods for achieving best outcomes and effective management across all facets of new product and service developments.

Human resource management requires a combination of knowledge and people skills. This programme will give you an understanding of both as you cover everything from employment relations and human resource management to communication and organisational behaviour management.

It covers business basics such as communication, human resources, business law, organisational culture, economics, risk management and problem solving, then focuses on human resource aspects of business.

You will gain a solid grounding in engineering theory and principles of engineering science including design and drawing electrical, electronics, networks, programming and microcontrollers. Working closely with professional engineers you will apply current and emerging technologies in new situations. Our courses are industry designed and during this program you will develop sound thinking and problem solving skills for work in designing and implementing engineering technology.