Diploma in Business
Interested in business? Start your university studies with our Diploma in Business to explore different business subjects and prepare yourself for further study.
If you’re not entirely sure what to expect from uni or from studying business, or missed out on getting into your dream degree, the Diploma in Business is a great place to start.
You’ll take the same courses as our first-year bachelor’s degree students, and study in a supportive environment with additional academic and student support. Once you’ve completed your diploma you can then move into Year 2 of the Bachelor of Business, which means you can still complete your chosen bachelor’s degree in three years.
Download programme guides
Minimum entry requirements for the Diploma in Business
If you have New Zealand qualifications
- University Entrance OR
- 42 NCEA level 3 credits, including UE literacy and numeracy, with:
- 10 credits in each of three approved subjects OR
- 12 credits in each of two approved subjects and 14 credits across two further subjects
If you have qualifications from another country
See entry requirements for students from other countries. Select your country from the dropdown menu.
English language requirements
- IELTS (Academic) 5.5 overall, with a minimum of 5.5 in Writing and all other bands 5.0 or higher
With the Diploma in Business, you’ll become familiar with different business processes and practices, and improve your academic knowledge and study skills to give you the confidence for further study.
The courses you study are from the first year of the Bachelor of Business, and range from finance and economics to marketing. Your diploma courses can also help you decide which area of business you might like to focus on.
If you just missed out on getting into the Bachelor of Business, you take the courses below to prepare your for further study in our business degree.
After you’ve completed this diploma, you can then cross-credit your diploma courses and transfer to the second year of the Bachelor of Business.
Courses include
Semester 1
- LSKL500 Uni101
- BUSS520 Numeracy for Business Studies
- BUSS505 Consumer and Organisational Behaviour
- BUSS508 Economics and International Business
Semester 2
- BUSS507 Financial Decision Making and Information Systems
- BUSS509 Ethics, Responsibility and Sustainability
- MGMT501 Managing and Organising
- MKTG501 Marketing Insights
Study planner for this programme
Download our study planner to see what your studies could look like in the Diploma in Business.
If you have UE, you can enter the Diploma in Business general pathway, which means you can choose which business courses you might like to focus on. You choose eight courses (worth 15-points each) from the Bachelor of Business, subject to approval of the programme leader.
You can choose to:
- Complete any eight courses; or
- Complete a focus area if you choose five of your eight courses from a specific business subject
We'll work with you to help you identify where you want to go and what courses will help you get there.
Study planner for this programme
Download our study planner to see what your studies could look like in the Diploma in Business.
Because you study the same first-year courses as our bachelor’s degree students, you can move into the second year of the Bachelor of Business once you’ve completed this diploma.
South Campus
($7,726 - $8,128 tuition fees + $1,192 student services levy)
($35,600 tuition fees + $1,192 student services levy)
- Fees shown are based on a full-time workload for the points indicated next to the fee. The exact fee charged will depend on which courses you select at the time of enrolment.
- Fees are subject to change year to year. If you are planning for study beyond the current year, fees may vary from those stated.
- There may also be other fees and charges you need to pay.
- International students' tuition fees reflect the full cost of tuition. Domestic students' tuition fees are less due to a proportion of the tuition fees being funded by the New Zealand Government.
- Fees-free study may be available for domestic students
The information on this page was correct at time of publication. For a comprehensive overview of AUT qualifications, please refer to the Academic Calendar.