Postgraduate Diploma in Creative Practice

at Ara Institute of Canterbury - City Campus New Zealand

In our graduate diploma you will learn methods for profiling key information on the internet and consider the value of social media for internal and external communications. Other areas of study include applied computing, advanced business analysis essentials, and the latest techniques for management of information and communication technologies. We also connect you with our industry partners to put this knowledge to use in the real world on a relevant project.

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.

The Bachelor of Construction is designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge needed to work at a high level in the construction industry, as a leader who is able to innovate and contribute to new ways of creating the built environment.

The program starts with an introduction to the knowledge, skills, attributes and academic abilities required of a construction manager or quantity surveyor. You'll gain discipline-specific skills and knowledge, starting with a focus on small domestic buildings then moving on to low-rise and large commercial construction, then heavily serviced, multifaceted projects.

Your year-two project work and assessments will require problem solving, independent research skills and application of cultural approaches and aspects of sustainability. In the third year you'll be required to source and organise technical, project and academic research information, and evaluate, critique and propose well-rationalised solutions.

This two-year programme will equip you with the essential skills and knowledge needed to work as a quantity surveyor, on both residential and commercial building projects. It covers means measurement, estimating and cost planning, as well as procurement, programming and financial administration of contracts. Work experience components are included in the second year of the programme for full-time students.

One of the most important resources in an organisation is its people. This specialisation will develop your management skills and knowledge in people and culture. During your studies you’ll analyse organisational staff behaviour and its impact on business, and learn about wellbeing leadership, health and safety and the latest employment legislation. In your final year you’ll explore advanced HR strategy and contemporary issues in human resource management.

This program is designed to enable you to perform the vital role that accounting plays across all facets of the business. You'll investigate business software options, study up-to-date accounting principles and practices, and learn about risk management, ethics, legislation, economic dynamics, supply and demand, sustainable management and strategies for operational efficiency. HR, sales and marketing, innovation and communication are also covered.

You'll also gain a thorough grounding in financial and management accounting with options to specialise in taxation, business financing, or other aspects of the commercial world that interest you most.

There's strong demand for qualified osteopaths in New Zealand, Australia and Asia. This qualification enables you to gain the necessary additional skills and knowledge required to apply for registration to practice with the Osteopathic Council of New Zealand. The programme involves case-based learning which is clinically relevant and focused on ensuring you’re competent and safe to enter the profession.

Among other things, it covers how to: work professionally, ethically and legally in primary healthcare settings; apply ethical decision-making processes to your practice; apply interpersonal and intrapersonal skills and professional values to your practice for people with diverse needs and backgrounds; and how to respond culturally and safely when working with patients, colleagues, healthcare workers and communities.

You will gain a solid grounding in engineering theory and principles of engineering science including design and drawing, materials, surveying hydraulics, geotech structures and highways. It is expected that graduates will attain the educational underpinnings and work ready attributes defined in the Engineering New Zealand Graduate Profile for Engineering Technicians.

The graduate profile defined by Engineering New Zealand is benchmarked internationally to the exemplar graduate attributes for graduates of technical education programmes recognised under the Dublin Accord.

You'll learn about leadership principles, how to build and maintain positive staff relationships, and how to monitor and maintain operating procedures and compliance requirements. Key areas covered include the importance of excellent customer service and how to work in collaborative, team-based environments within the restaurant, bar, barista, hotel reception and accommodation contexts. In addition, you'll gain a sound understanding of local and international tourism and the essential contribution tourists make to the hospitality industry. You'll undertake a practical work placement which will give you the opportunity to set personal and professional development goals.

This program will equip you with skills required by the ever-expanding commercial science sector, which encompasses increasingly automated food production, manufacturing and environmental management businesses. Course content is made up of a mix of practical skills that you'll use every day, and theory relating directly to the modern STEM (science, technology, engineering, maths) workplace.

The New Zealand Diploma in Applied Science covers science, information literacy, quality management and essential soft skills such as teamwork, communication and ethics. It includes seven compulsory courses plus the opportunity to tailor your programme of study to your own interests with an elective in ICT, human nutrition or sports science. You'll also learn about business imperatives and associated data interpretation and manipulation. The programme's IT component will take you well beyond the basics and into the fundamentals of manufacturing process monitoring and control.