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Diploma · national qualification

Diploma of Project Management

This diploma teaches you to run a project from the first brief through to the final review, covering the parts that decide whether it lands on time and on budget.

Compare 40 providers
How long it takes
6 to 12 months
full time at TAFE NSW
What it costs
From $5,187
Subsidised at Holmesglen Institute, full fee up to $9,861
How you can study
Online or on campus
Taught by
40 providers
Every state and territory

Is this course right for you?

What the Diploma of Project Management asks of you, and what you might want to check first.

It helps to have

  • an interest in seeing a project through from start to finish
  • good communication skills for keeping a team and clients informed
  • a knack for planning and keeping track of time and money
  • the confidence to make decisions when things change

Before you start

The qualification has no set entry requirements, but each provider can add its own.

Diploma or Bachelor?

The Bachelor of Project Management is the higher level qualification. This diploma reflects roles where you initiate, plan, execute and evaluate your own work or the work of others, using specialised, technical and managerial competencies.

See the course

Where this course can take you

No job needs this course on its own, but it can help with the work below.

Jobs this course can help with

None of these jobs needs a set qualification.

  • Airport Manager

    Airport managers run the day-to-day operations of an airport, keeping terminals, airside movements and tenants working safely and on schedule.

    Median pay$124,800 (estimate)

  • Bid Manager

    Bid managers run the response to a tender or proposal, coordinating the people, pricing and paperwork that go into a competitive submission.

    Median pay$87,400 (estimate)

  • Change Manager

    Change managers help the people inside an organisation adjust to a new system, structure or process, so the change actually sticks once the project team moves on.

    Median pay$111,800 (estimate)

    In demand

  • Continuous Improvement Manager

    A continuous improvement manager finds where a factory or production line is wasting time, materials or money, and leads the changes that fix it.

    Median pay$96,200 (estimate)

  • Emergency Management Officer

    Emergency management officers plan how a community or organisation will respond to floods, fires and other disasters, then coordinate the agencies involved when one happens.

    Median pay$128,600

  • Grant Writer

    Grant writers research funding programs and write the applications that bring money into an organisation's projects.

    Median pay$78,000 (estimate)

  • Implementation Manager

    Implementation managers take a new system or process from signed contract through to the point where staff are using it day to day.

    Median pay$111,800 (estimate)

  • IT Project Manager

    IT project managers plan and run technology projects, keeping scope, budget and timeline aligned so the business ends up with a working system.

    Median pay$172,100

  • Production Assistant

    Production assistants keep film, television and advertising shoots on schedule by handling the call sheets, paperwork and logistics that let cast and crew get on with filming.

    Median pay$62,400 (estimate)

  • Production Coordinator

    Production coordinators keep the schedule, budget and logistics of a film, television or content production on track from pre-production through to wrap.

    Median pay$80,600 (estimate)

    In demand

  • Production Designer

    Production designers create the visual world of a film, television show or stage production, deciding how each set looks and how it gets built.

    Median pay$98,800 (estimate)

  • Production Manager

    Production managers run the people, machinery and schedules that keep a plant producing to its output and quality targets.

    Median pay$119,500

  • Production Planner

    Production planners build the schedules that tell a factory what to make, in what order and with what materials, so machines and people are working on the right job at the right time.

    Median pay$73,800 (estimate)

  • Program Manager

    Program managers coordinate a group of related projects so that together they deliver a single business outcome.

    Median pay$111,800 (estimate)

  • Project Coordinator

    A project coordinator keeps a project's schedule, budget and records current, so the team makes decisions on information that is still accurate.

    Median pay$110,800

  • Project Director

    Project directors lead large, complex initiatives from the first business case through to delivery, holding the budget, the timeline and several teams to a single outcome.

    Median pay$148,200 (estimate)

  • Project Manager

    Project managers plan a defined piece of work, coordinate the people doing it and stay accountable until it is delivered.

    Median pay$110,800

  • Property Developer

    Property developers find sites, work out whether a project stacks up financially, and see it through planning, construction and sale.

    Median pay$145,600 (estimate)

  • Theatre Director

    Theatre directors decide how a script becomes a live performance, shaping the acting, design and pace an audience sees on stage.

    Median pay$85,800 (estimate)

  • Theatre Producer

    Theatre producers run the business side of live performance: they raise the money, assemble the team and get a production from script to opening night.

    Median pay$96,200 (estimate)

If you study further

Pay is the median for everyone in the job, and “In demand” means the job is on the national shortage list. Pay marked as an estimate is our own analysis, not a published figure.

What it costs

Subsidised place

From $5,187

at Holmesglen Institute. Whether you get a subsidised place depends on your state, residency, age and earlier study.

Paying the full fee

$5,535 to $9,861

across the TAFEs listed below. Private providers set their own fees.

  • Chisholm InstituteVIC

    Subsidised
    $5,586
    Full fee
    $9,861

  • Holmesglen InstituteVIC

    Subsidised
    $5,187
    Full fee
    $7,952

  • TAFE QueenslandQLD

    Full fee
    $5,535

Fees as each TAFE shows them on its website, read 20 September 2026. Private providers set their own fees.

Where you can study this course

There are 40 places you can study this course. When you compare them, check they teach it the way you want to study, how far you'd be from a campus, what it will cost you and what past students say about the teaching and support. They're listed by how often people search for them, and none of them pays to be here or to move up.

What you’ll learn

12 units: 8 that everyone takes and 4 you choose.

  • Defining project scope
  • Scheduling and milestones
  • Budgeting and cost control
  • Quality standards
  • Leading project teams
  • Project risk and reporting
See all 8 core units

Core units

Everyone completes these. Select a unit to see what it covers.

  • Loading the details for BSBPMG530…

Questions to ask before you enrol

Providers run this course differently, so the answers change from one to the next.

  1. When is the next intake, and how many are there each year?
  2. What is the total cost, including materials, checks and any placement costs?
  3. Can I study part time or online, and how does that change the length?
  4. Do the units count towards a higher qualification if I go on to study further?

Questions people ask

Who is this qualification for?

It is for people who coordinate work and want to lead a project team, or who are moving into that kind of role. It covers running a project from the first brief to the final review, including scope, schedule, budget, team, communication and risk. Roles it can lead to include contract administrator, project administrator, project coordinator and project manager.

Do I need experience or other qualifications first?

The qualification itself has no entry requirements. Individual providers can set their own conditions, so check with the provider you choose.

How is it different from Bachelor of Project Management?

The Bachelor of Project Management is the higher level qualification. This diploma reflects roles where you initiate, plan, execute and evaluate your own work or the work of others, using specialised, technical and managerial competencies.

How is it different from Graduate Certificate in Project Management?

The Graduate Certificate in Project Management is the higher level qualification. This diploma reflects roles where you initiate, plan, execute and evaluate your own work or the work of others, using specialised, technical and managerial competencies.

Related courses

The national training register, training.gov.au. TAFE course pages, read 20 September 2026. Google reviews. Pay and shortage status from Jobs and Skills Australia.