James Cook University
Graduate Certificate of Business Administration
- Delivery: Face to Face
- Study Level: Postgraduate
- Duration: 8 months
- Course Type: Graduate Certificate
Enhance modern management and leadership abilities while learning to strategically analyze, plan and implement workplace decisions.
Course overview
JCU’s Business Administration degrees equip you to conduct business effectively, efficiently and sustainably. The Graduate Certificate of Business Administration offers four core subjects: management of people, accounting, international business and marketing. These four areas will give you a knowledge base of the main pillars of business administration and provide you with options to specialise in during further study.
As you study these four areas of business administration, you will learn how to critically analyse business-related knowledge and practice from historical and contemporary perspectives. You will gain a key understanding of sustainable business practices and performance methods and you will be able to apply established concepts and innovative strategies to solve complex business and professional practice problems. You will have skills in financial management and accounting, navigating human relations and interpersonal management, marketing, investment evaluation and techniques and directing international business influenced by political economies.
As a business administration graduate, you will be eligible for positions in management, consultancy, leadership and innovation and in business and enterprise. The skills you will develop apply to many industries and fields of work. You can also continue your professional development by pursuing further study in this field, such as with a Master of Business Administration.
CSP Subsidised Fees Available
This program has a limited quota of Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP). The indicative CSP price is calculated based on first year fees for EFT. The actual fee may vary if there are choices in electives or majors.
Key facts
Townsville, City
September, 2026
What you will study
To complete the Graduate Certificate of Business Administration, you must earn 12 credit points by completing these subjects:
- Marketing Essentials
- People in Organisations
- Accounting and Finance for Managers
- International Political Economy OR The Changing Business Environment
Entry requirements
Academic requirements
To be considered for admission into the Graduate Certificate of Business Administration program, applicants must meet one of the following requirements:
- Completion of an AQF level 7 bachelor's degree in any discipline from this or another university.
- A minimum of five years of business experience.
- Other qualifications or practical experience recognised by the Dean, College of Business Law and Governance as equivalent to the above.
English language requirements
Please contact the university for applicants from non-English-speaking backgrounds for more information about English language requirements.
Recognition of Prior Learning
You may be able to get credit for your course based on prior formal, non-formal or informal learning. To apply, you will need to provide supporting documentation outlined by the university. Contact the university for more information.
Outcomes
Career outcomes
Graduates pursue careers in economics, finance, human resource management, marketing, accounting, business law and information technology. You could work as:
- Human Resource Manager
- Public Relations Specialist
- Financial Officer
- Market Research Analyst
Learning outcomes
- Critically analyse business-related knowledge and practice from both historical and recent perspectives.
- Consolidate the application of differing sustainable business performance methods.
- Synthesise sustainable economic, social and environmental practices and value systems.
- Apply established concepts to provide solutions to complex business and professional practice problems.
- Critically analyse contemporary business issues using appropriate models and make reasoned recommendations.
- Apply creative and innovative thinking effectively to business practice.
- Present complex information appropriately to differing audiences using practical oral presentation skills and clear and fluent written communication.
- Work effectively in achieving common goals, demonstrating both collaboration and leadership.
- Adapt sustainable business constructs and skills to theoretical or practical situations.
- Exercise independent ethical judgment in solving differing business problems creatively.
- Demonstrate a capacity for personal reflection and self-development about professional business learning and practice.
Fees and CSP
Estimated annual tuition fee in 2025: $16,083 (domestic full-fee paying place)
Estimated annual tuition fee in 2025: $8,496 (Commonwealth Supported Place)
Student fees may vary in accordance with:
- The number of units studied per term.
- The choice of major or specialisation.
- Choice of units.
- Credit from previous study or work experience.
- Eligibility for government-funded loans.
Student fees shown are subject to change. Contact the university directly to confirm.
Commonwealth Supported Places
The Australian Government allocates a certain number of CSPs to the universities each year, which are then distributed to students based on merit.
If you're a Commonwealth Supported Student (CSS), you'll only need to pay a portion of your tuition fees. This is known as the student contribution amount – the balance once the government subsidy is applied. This means your costs are much lower.
Limited CSP spaces are offered to students enrolled in selected postgraduate courses.
Your student contribution amount is:
- Calculated per unit you're enrolled in.
- Dependent on the study areas they relate to.
- Reviewed and adjusted each year.
HECS-HELP loans are available to CSP students to pay the student contribution amount.
FEE-HELP loans are available to assist eligible full-fee paying domestic students with the cost of a university course.