Award granted | AAHE course code |
Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity | GCCYB |
Study level and type | Credit points |
Postgraduate coursework | 24 credit points |
Mode of delivery | Duration |
Blended: scheduled on-campus, face-to-face classes (three hours per week for each unit) with some online content and activities | Full time: 6 months (1 semesters)
Part time: 12 months (2 semesters) |
CRICOS code | Campus |
113868H | Melbourne |
Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) | Availability |
Upon successful completion, the award conferred is recognised in the AQF at Level 8 | Fee-paying domestic and international students |
Protecting information and IT infrastructure from complex and evolving cyber-threats is a critical challenge for modern organisations. The responsibility to prevent and respond to cyber-attacks falls to cybersecurity professionals, and global demand for highly trained cybersecurity professionals is at an all-time high and is expected to increase over time.
The Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity is a six-month full time coursework degree (24 credit points) aimed at students wanting a professional qualification to extend their existing knowledge base or upskill in cybersecurity. Students will develop a capability in analysing and designing cybersecurity solutions for complex systems and organisations. The course is designed to meet the educational needs of students ultimately seeking to transition into or advance in a career as a cybersecurity professional.
The Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity covers areas of critical importance to operational-level and management-level cybersecurity professionals. The course has been designed with input from leading industry professionals and academics in the field of Cybersecurity. Graduates will acquire an education that meets industry standards and expectations and is on a par with some of the best national and international benchmarks in the Cybersecurity discipline.
The course equips students for self-learning and prepares them for dealing with the dynamics of the workplace. Graduates will be enabled to adapt to the rapidly evolving nature of the discipline through an appreciation for lifelong learning and through the practice of self-reflection which is embedded throughout the curriculum and through the active learning aspects of the course.
On successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
The AAHE Graduate Attributes below are embedded in the curricula and support the students’ ability to acquire and apply the knowledge and skills that they need to succeed in their personal and professional lives.
Graduate attribute | An AAHE graduate will: |
Disciplinary knowledge and skills | Be able to confidently apply their comprehensive, discipline-specific knowledge and skills in professional practice and real-world contexts. |
Global citizenship and perspective | Possess a deep understanding of the impact that their profession has on society and how it can be used for individual, community and global advancement and well-being. They will develop personal values and practices that are ethically grounded and that embrace diversity, fairness and social and environmental responsibility in local and global contexts. |
Communication skills | Be aware of and sensitive to specific situations and audiences when presenting and exchanging information, ideas and concepts. They will demonstrate highly developed speaking, listening and writing skills and will be able to influence others with well-articulated and soundly backed analyses and opinions in a respectful, inclusive and constructive manner. |
Critical thinking and problem solving | A critical thinker whose curiosity and creativity leads them to question ideas and assumptions, draw upon evidence and analyse complex scenarios as they formulate their own conclusions and innovative solutions to current and future challenges. |
Information and Digital literacy | Be able to identify, locate, analyse and use reliable information effectively and create and convey information in appropriate formats and through effective channels. They will be comfortable utilising a range of digital technologies that are needed to live, learn and work in contemporary society. |
Self-management and development | Be self-aware and self-directed with the capacity to set priorities, manage time and work independently. They will be confident in their knowledge and skills, but also reflective and continually striving for personal and professional improvement as life-long learners. |
Teamwork and collaboration | Have the capacity to engage productively with others and contribute as a member of a team to a common goal. This will be demonstrated by a high order of competency in navigating team dynamics, encouraging the exchange of ideas and viewpoints, facilitating conflict resolution, negotiation skills and taking a lead when required. |
The Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity develops the students’ knowledge and skills in the discipline. It embeds a collaborative and technology-enabled active learning approach that encourages student participation in the learning process, peer to peer learning and ongoing reflection, delivering a truly genuine and distinct AAHE education experience.
Following a thorough orientation, you will participate in small class groups where you are encouraged to collaborate, exchange ideas, learn from each other and reflect on your learning, both in the classroom and through the collaborative online learning environment.
The typical weekly process begins with you speculating about a problem or scenario that you have been given before the scheduled on-campus, face-to-face class, then actively engage in the class, and reflect on the same problem or scenario. Classes themselves are interactive, with regular anonymous polls and multiple-choice questions to encourage active participation. Following the class, you will document your problem-solving process or reflection on the scenario in an online journal. In this way, using the principles of adult learning, you immediately apply your work to problem-solving, and develop into reflective practitioners. The scenarios and problems, along with the class material, are available to you anytime and anywhere through the online learning management system (LMS). You are also encouraged to engage with your peers through multiple opportunities to collaborate and to interact in the classroom and online.
In preparing for major assessments, you will regularly participate in authentic, experiential learning activities. These may be practical exercises such as preparing cybersecurity proposals and designing security engineering requirements for fictional organisations or working in a team on projects. These activities enable students to explore the kinds of real-world complexities and constraints that occur in organisations, while simultaneously practising the reflective and adaptive responses that will enable them to thrive in a rapidly evolving cybersecurity landscape.
AAHE’s active learning approach guides the design of units and their content and activities. The assessments build from this approach and are carefully mapped against the unit and course learning outcomes, establishing clear alignment and assuring that the learning outcomes are achieved.
The design of assessments incorporates smaller formative assessment tasks that enable you to receive regular feedback and stay on track, culminating into one or more summative assessments that measure your learning, skills acquisition and the extent to which you are meeting the units’ intended learning outcomes.
The Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity opens up many opportunities for graduates seeking to enter or advance in the field of Cybersecurity in careers such as:
An applicant must provide evidence that they have met the following minimum English language proficiency requirements:
Test | Minimum score for Graduate Certificate |
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) | 6.5 overall No individual band below 6.0 |
TOEFL internet-based test taken on or before 25 July 2023 | 79 overall
Reading no less than 19 Writing no less than 24 Speaking no less than 20 Listening no less than 20 |
C1 Advanced / Cambridge English: Advanced (Certificate in Advanced English) | 176 overall
No band less than 169 |
Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) | 56 overall
No communicative skill less than 50 |
Kaplan International Tools for English | 459 overall |
Only the most recent score from any language proficiency test will be considered and it must be less than two years old on the date the course commences.
Applicants will also be considered to meet the English language requirements if they have successfully completed at least two (2) years of full-time study in English at AQF Level 5 Diploma or above at an Australian registered vocational or higher education provider.
A provisional offer may be made to applicants who provide a Confirmation of Enrolment (COE) for an ELICOS program in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) for a duration of at least twelve (12) weeks for every 0.5 below 6.0 overall or subsection IELTS or equivalent result. Evidence of successful completion of the ELICOS program must be provided before the applicant will be permitted to enrol at AAHE.
The English language proficiency requirement does not apply to applicants in the categories set out in the Migration (English Language Tests and Evidence Exemptions for Subclass 500 (Student) Visa) Instrument (LIN24/022) 2024.
Students who have completed English for Academic Purposes 2 (EAP2 standard) may also be considered to meet the English language requirements but will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Applicants who have completed six years of secondary schooling, or a minimum of three years of tertiary education, in an English medium institution in an English-speaking country may be exempted from the English language requirements, unless there is evidence to the contrary.
Applicants from non-English-speaking countries where schooling can be undertaken in English medium institutions can be accepted as having an English-speaking background, provided that they are from an English-speaking community in that country, undertook schooling in an English medium institution and were residents in the country.
Certified copies of evidence of studies undertaken with English as the medium of instruction must be provided before the applicant is permitted to enrol at AAHE.
A list of countries where English is an official language and/or secondary schooling/tertiary education is generally undertaken in English, that is accepted at AAHE, is maintained by the Registrar.
Where appropriate, a student whose prior learning or experience exceeds the requirements for admission to AAHE will be granted credit in accordance with the Credit for Learning Undertaken Elsewhere Policy and Procedure.
Students are required to supply their own laptop and bring it with them to all classes.
Due to the technological requirements of this course, it is recommended that students obtain a laptop with the following minimum specifications:
At AAHE, our mission is to prepare a new generation of learners for a new generation of careers. We monitor developments in industry and continually update our courses to ensure that our students are fully prepared for the careers of the future. We concentrate on the worldwide skills shortage in technology-related disciplines. We provide qualifications at multiple levels of the Australian Qualifications Framework and we strive every day to be known internationally as an innovator and educator of choice for students from diverse backgrounds.
AAHE uses a collaborative and technology-enabled active learning approach in its curriculum development and teaching practice. It promotes ‘learning by doing’ and places value in reflective practice that encourages students to think critically and to challenge their preconceived assumptions and ideas.
With a focus on technology-related courses that lead to careers that are in high demand, AAHE develops curricula based on the latest research and industry practices. Its courses provide students with the knowledge and skills needed for their chosen profession and builds towards an authentic work integrated learning experience that allows them to apply what they have learnt to real world problems in a professional context. Every course has a work integrated learning experience that builds student confidence and professional skills and demonstrates their career-readiness to prospective employers.
We are a small and friendly academy that prides itself on getting to know all of our students individually. Our lecturers post regular consultation hours outside of class times when you can drop in, ask questions and seek advice. Our Support Officers are available to assist you with any learning issues or problems you may experience, and with personal or practical problems that may arise while you’re studying.
Perhaps most importantly, we collect and listen carefully to student feedback and do our best to provide the kind of learning experience our students want.
The Australian Government is committed to ensuring that international students have an excellent education experience in Australia. For more information go to International Students – aahe.edu.au
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Australasian Academy of Higher Education is an accredited Institute of Higher Education (ABN: 44 631 178 768; TEQSA Provider ID: PRV14361; CRICOS provider number: 04181B).
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