Diploma in Agricultural Studies

Enter the agricultural industry with a one-year academic qualification or refresh your knowledge with UNE’s Diploma in Agricultural Studies. By studying our course online or on campus, you will gain a formal tertiary-level qualification with a basic understanding of the science of agriculture, without having to commit to a full degree program.

Whether you wish to undertake a refresher course or start on a pathway to a bachelor's degree, our course will equip you with the understanding of agriculture to take advantage of opportunities in the rural sector.

Why study the Diploma in Agricultural Studies with UNE?
UNE’s one-year Diploma in Agricultural Studies will expand your agricultural knowledge and provide you with a qualification that will improve your employability as a graduate. Studying an agriculture-based course at UNE offers you the unique opportunity to access the latest agricultural techniques and technology at our innovative SMART Farms. With eight properties covering 3,655 hectares, including farms within minutes of campus and a commercial scale feedlot, the UNE SMART Farms are diverse and valuable teaching and research resources that you will utilise during your course. The farms support a range of disciplines including grazing and intensive livestock, cropping, pastures, poultry, genetics, and precision agriculture.

What makes our course different?
UNE’s Diploma in Agricultural Studies offers you the opportunity to:

• Gain a formal tertiary level academic qualification in as little as one year.
• Tailor your studies to meet your personal learning goals by selecting from a range of listed units.
• Study science-based agriculture units to give you the specialist technical skills and knowledge required by the agricultural industry.
• Learn hands-on through our world class facilities including our state-of-the-art glasshouses and animal housing and handling facilities to learn skills and techniques that you will use throughout your working life.
• Complete two weeks of formal work integrated learning, allowing you to put your academic learning into practice on the farm.
• Learn from world-leading and ground-breaking researchers and teaching staff in areas including agronomy, soil science, animal production, genetics and plant production.
• Study in class sizes that are small enough to provide great support from academic mentors, but large enough for peer-to-peer group work with other students.
• Study on campus or online, giving you the flexibility to balance your studies with your other personal commitments.

By choosing UNE, you are choosing an industry leader in the provision of online lifelong learning. Year after year, students award us the maximum 5-star ratings for Overall Experience in the Good Universities Guide.

Study online
Most of our students choose to study online across three study periods with 24/7 tutor support* and fit study around work and family commitments. Uniquely, our online students are mostly over 30 and bring valuable experience with them. They form a community of adults juggling the same challenges and priorities and who bring their life and work experience together to build real world networks for the future.

Study on campus
Many of our students choose to take advantage of the on-campus lifestyle in Armidale, in the beautiful New England region, with access to unparalleled support, accommodation and sporting facilities. These students are often starting their first degree and have left school recently. Through access to academic and career support they get a fantastic start to their careers.

* 24/7 tutor support includes: essay feedback (within 24 hours); live chat 24/7 for generic feedback on academic writing; and subject-specific help at a foundation or first-year level for subjects including mathematics, chemistry, biology, physics, business, accounting, microeconomics, macroeconomics and statistics. There are also a wide range of workshops, resources and courses available in academic skills support to assist you and help you to succeed.