Upskill and advance your career without the time commitment of full programs and degrees. Discover UNSW short courses across business, the arts, design & architecture, engineering, law & justice, science, and medicine & health. 


Explore our short courses

AGSM Short Courses

The Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM) at UNSW Business School offers short courses in-person and online, designed for you to grow professionally relevant knowledge and experience.

Arts, Design & Architecture

Connect with the minds that make change. From fine arts and design to education and social policy, ADA short courses help lifelong learners stay real-life ready.

Engineering

At Australian Graduate School of Engineering (AGSE), you will find a range of thoughtfully curated learning options, including stackable courses and micro-credentials.

Law & Justice

UNSW Edge provides practical, contemporary and focused lifelong education to professionals who require legal knowledge and know-how.

Medicine & Health

UNSW Medicine & Health offers credential short courses, seminars and impactful bespoke programs for lifelong learning and employability adaptable to the future of work in health.

Science

Explore the exciting array of upcoming short courses available at UNSW Science. Elevate your expertise in fields like psychology, workplace health and safety, risk management and beyond.

UNSW Canberra

UNSW Canberra short courses are designed for busy working professionals, with flexible in-person and online courses that bring together knowledge from across UNSW.

Find the right short course to suit your goals

  • Graduate certificates are short, flexible postgraduate qualifications designed to help you upskill and expand your knowledge. They typically can be completed in six-months full-time.

  • Graduate diplomas build on graduate certificates, typically offering further courses that will allow you to explore a specialisation and further your knowledge in a year or less. 

  • UNSW Sydney is proud to offer free online courses in conjunction with renowned MOOC providers Coursera, Future Learning and Open Learning.

  • Study a single subject to stay competitive in your area of expertise or deepen your knowledge in a personal interest. You can apply for up to four courses (24 units of credit) if they don’t lead to an award or take the place of a student who is studying for an award.

    • Timing, cost, and delivery modes vary among individual courses. Find the course that interests you in our Handbook and check the following:

      Overview 
      Does the course provide the outcome you seek?

      Delivery 
      Can you attend (in-person, online, or both) as required?

      Commencing terms 
      UNSW has three terms a year and an optional Summer term. However, not all courses are available every term. Check which term your chosen course is offered and visit the UNSW Academic Calendar to see when that term commences. Also, if the course is offered six times a year in our hexamester calendar, it’s not available for non-award students.

      Fees 
      Tuition and any associated course costs are in the Handbook. There’s also a non-refundable application fee.

      Availability
      Consider viewing the course enrolment and capacity information in our class timetable to check that the course has places available.


      Visit the Handbook

    • To apply for a non-award course, you’ll need to prepare supporting documents and pay a non-refundable application fee. Visit the Non-Award Voluntary Application portal for more information.

      Business courses
      If the business course you’re interested in has a course code beginning with AGSM (for example, AGSM6131), the application process is slightly different. For more information, contact AGSM directly.

      Supporting documents
      To help your application progress smoothly, we recommend that you prepare your academic transcripts and curriculum vitae (CV). If English is not your first language, you may also need documents showing that you meet the course's English language requirements.

      Apply now

    • Course fee
      Non-award students are liable for the full course fee, as listed in the Handbook. The course fee depends on whether you’re a domestic student or an international student. Non-award students are not eligible for Commonwealth Supported Student fees.

      Application fee
      There is an application fee of $50, which covers the processing of your application. As this is a service fee, it is not refundable in any circumstance. This includes (but isn’t limited to) circumstances when:

      • your application is unsuccessful
      • the course is no longer offered
      • you are no longer available to attend the course
      • the course is a hexamester program (offered six times a year)
      • the course has no available places remaining for non-award students

      Additional costs
      Please refer to the course information in the Handbook for an outline of any additional course costs, for example, craft materials or excursions.

      Visit the Handbook

    • Applications close a few weeks before the start of each term. Make sure you know which term your chosen course is available, using the Handbook. For current application deadlines, visit the Non-Award Voluntary Application.

      It’s important to check when your chosen course is taught because:

      You might not be eligible.
      Courses that are taught six times a year in our hexamester calendar are not open to non-award students. Check the course commencing terms in the Handbook.

      You cannot defer your studies.
      If you apply and receive an offer for a place in a non-award course, you must study it for the term chosen in the application. You can’t defer it to another term.

      You can’t start late.
      We typically can’t accept late applications as classes are intensive and fast-moving from the first day.

      View the deadlines

    • People with disabilities are supported at UNSW. You’ll find a range of accommodations, including examination support, specialised equipment, educational support, parking provisions, and library assistance. For more information, contact Equitable Learning Services.

      Ask us about your needs

    • Please note the fine print for non-award courses.

      1. You can enrol in up to, but no more than, four courses (ie, 24 units of credit).
      2. Your application is for a place in a course during a specific term. If you are offered a place, you cannot defer that place to a later term.
      3. If the course has no places available for a non-award student because other students have filled them or if the course is no longer available, we cannot offer you a place.
      4. The application fee is non-refundable under any circumstance.
      5. If the course is available six times a year in our hexamester calendar, it’s not available for non-award study.
      6. If you’re under exclusion from another institution, you won’t be eligible to study a non-award course at UNSW.
      7. The government will not grant international student visas for non-award courses.
  • Study a course at UNSW as part of your degree at another Australian university. You can study courses that are related to your current degree but not available at your current university. The units of credit you gain with us will apply to your current degree.

    • Research the courses that interest you
      Visit the Handbook and note the course tuition fee, any related costs, and the commencing terms. Make sure the course/s you wish to apply for are available when you want to study – not all courses are available in all terms. Some may have different commencing dates, so be sure to review the course in the class timetable.  Note that courses offered six times a year in our hexamester calendar aren’t available to cross-institutional students.

      Prepare your supporting documents
      You’ll need to provide:

      1. your academic transcripts
      2. approval from your current university
      3. a completed fee liability form
      4. evidence of your Commonwealth Supported Student status (if applicable)

      You may need to provide:

      • your curriculum vitae (more likely for postgraduate studies)
      • evidence of your English proficiency (if English is not your first language)

      Visit the Handbook

    • To apply for cross-institutional study in most courses, visit Cross-Institutional Enrolment at UNSW. If you’re interested in a business course that has a course code beginning with AGSM (for example, AGSM6131), the application process is slightly different. Contact the Admissions Office via www.enquiry.unsw.edu.au or call (02) 9385 3656.

      Make sure you have approval from your current university and the required documents to support your application. You’ll need to provide:

      1. your academic transcripts
      2. approval from your current university
      3. a completed fee liability form
      4. evidence of your Commonwealth Supported Student status (if applicable)

      You may need to provide:

      • your curriculum vitae (more likely for postgraduate studies)
      • evidence of your English proficiency (if English is not your first language)

      Apply now

    • Domestic student course fee
      If you are a Commonwealth Supported Student at your current university, you may be eligible for the same status in your course at UNSW. If applicable, you’ll need to provide evidence of your Commonwealth Supported status. Otherwise, you’ll be liable for the full domestic student course fee listed in the Handbook.

      International student course fee
      If you hold a student visa or another temporary residency visa, you are considered an international student. You’ll be liable for the full tuition fees associated with cross-institutional enrolment.

      For more information, visit Student Fees and Payment.  

      Application fee
      There is no application fee for cross-institutional study.

      Additional costs
      Please refer to the course information in the Handbook for an outline of any additional course costs, for example, craft materials or excursions.

      Visit the Handbook

    • Make sure the course you’re interested in is available in Term 1, Term 2, Term 3, or the optional Summer Term. Applications close a few weeks before the start of each term. Visit Cross-Institutional Enrolment at UNSW for current deadlines.

      It’s important to check when your chosen course is taught because:

      You might not be eligible.
      Courses that are taught six times a year in our hexamester calendar are not open to cross-institutional students. Check the course commencing terms in the Handbook and class timetable.

      You cannot defer your studies.
      If you receive an offer, you must study the course for the term that you indicated in your application. You can’t defer your studies to another term.

      You can’t start late.
      We typically can’t accept late applications as classes are intensive and fast-moving from the first day.

      View the deadlines

    • People with disabilities are supported at UNSW. You’ll find a range of accommodations, including examination support, specialised equipment, educational support, parking provisions, and library assistance. For more information, contact Equitable Learning Services.

      Ask us about your needs

    • Please note the fine print for cross-institutional study.

      1. You must have permission from your current university or institution to be a cross-institutional student at UNSW.
      2. You can enrol in up to, but no more than, four courses (ie, 24 units of credit).
      3. If you are offered a place, you cannot defer your studies.
      4. If the course is full or no longer available, we cannot offer you a place.
      5. If the course is available six times a year in our hexamester calendar, it’s not available for cross-institutional study.

Build qualifications at your own pace

Many postgraduate coursework programs at UNSW are 'stackable'. This means that if you don't meet the entry requirements for a master's, or you want to ease into further study, you may be able to study a graduate certificate or diploma, and progress into a master's degree. 

Which short course is right for you?

Let us help you make the right choice.