Why Study/Key Benefits

The Graduate Diploma of Writing was designed to build advanced writing capability for print, digital, film and broadcast media. The course develops theoretical writing, communication of theoretical concepts, complex idea generation, technical and creative writing, industry and creative practices, and the ability to critically apply writing-related knowledge and skills. Swinburne also describes the programme as preparing students for creative, professional and academic publication opportunities at a high industry standard.

The course had strong connections with media and publishing organisations including The Australian, The Age, Herald Sun and Crikey, providing an industry-oriented context for writing development

Programme Structure and Subjects/Topics

The Graduate Diploma required 100 credit points comprising eight core units. The first four units form the Graduate Certificate stage, while the additional four units form the Graduate Diploma stage.

Graduate Certificate stage:

• PWR60001 Critical Friends: The Real and Virtual Support of Writers – 12.5 credit points
• PWR60004 Journalism – 12.5 credit points
• PWR60003 Research for Writers – 12.5 credit points
• PWR60002 Real Life Writing – 12.5 credit points

Graduate Diploma stage:

• PWR70001 Reading and Writing – 12.5 credit points
• PWR70004 Writing History: People, Places and Times – 12.5 credit points
• PWR70005 Scriptwriting – 12.5 credit points
• PWR70002 Writing for Digital Media – 12.5 credit points

Disciplines/Specialisations

The Graduate Diploma did not list separate formal majors or specialisations.

The principal areas of study were writing, creative writing, journalism, scriptwriting, writing history, digital media writing, research for writers and real-life writing.

Programme Highlights

Key features of the published programme included:

• 100 credit points.
• Eight core units.
• One-year full-time structure.
• Nested progression from Graduate Certificate to Graduate Diploma and then Master of Writing.
• Writing for print, digital, film and broadcast contexts.
• Creative and theoretical writing.
• Scriptwriting and digital-media writing.
• Journalism and research skills.
• Development of industry-ready writing.
• Critical feedback and evaluation of one's own and others' writing.
• Exposure to industry-connected organisations and practices.

Career Outcomes

Published career outcomes include:

• Writer
• Journalist
• Editor
• Written content creator
• Media content developer
• Scriptwriter

International Student Visa Requirements

If a student were enrolling in an available Swinburne postgraduate course in Australia, the relevant visa would generally be the Australian Student visa (subclass 500). However, the Graduate Diploma of Writing itself is currently closed to new applications, so a new student cannot use this closed course to obtain a new CoE for a Student visa.

For an available Swinburne course, major Student visa requirements include:

• A valid Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE).
• Genuine Student (GS) requirement.
• Evidence of English ability where required.
• Evidence of financial capacity where requested.
• Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC).
• Health and character requirements where applicable.
• Supporting documents specified through the Department of Home Affairs application process.