New Zealand Diploma in Business (Level 6) - Version two

Version two of the New Zealand Diploma in Business (NZDipBus) was registered on the New Zealand Register of Quality Assured Qualifications on 18 December 2006.

Graduate profile
Entry requirements
Award
Prescriptions
Credit recognition and transfer
Transition from version one to version two of the NZDipBus
Questions and answers

Graduate Profile

A graduate of the New Zealand Diploma in Business will:

1. in a range of diverse and changing organisational settings, effectively be able to:

• add value by applying specific business skills
• apply a range of interpersonal and communication skills
• apply critical problem solving skills with initiative and judgement
• recognise ethical and cultural issues inherent in decision making
• work independently and within teams of diverse people

2. have appropriate skills, research abilities and knowledge to pursue further study and professional development .

Entry requirements

Students less than 20 years old must have:

• a minimum of 14 numeracy credits at level one or higher in Mathematics or Pangarau on the National Qualifications Framework
• fifty credits at level two or above with at least 12 credits in each of three subjects including a minimum of 8 literacy credits at level two or higher in English or te reo Māori; 4 credits must be in reading and 4 credits must be in writing. The literacy credits will be selected from a schedule of approved achievement standards and unit standards
• or equivalent to both the above.

International students where English is a second language must also have an IELTS score of 6.0 (academic) with no individual band lower than 5.5 or TOEFL score of 550.

Award of NZDipBus (Level 6)

A NZDipBus (level 6) is awarded when students have:

• achieved 240 credits of which 80 credits are at level six
• completed six of the seven core prescriptions
• completed no more than 60 credits at level four.

Prescriptions

Credit recognition and transfer

Credit transfer rules and guidelines are outlined in the documents opposite
A New Zealand Institute of Management credit transfer schedule is outlined in the documents opposite

Transition from version one to version two of the NZDipBus

Key dates for transition

Transition arrangements

The transition arrangements for version two of the NZDipBus are:

1. Any student who has passed 12 NZDipBus version one prescriptions and met all requirements for version one, and for which the results were reported to NZQA prior to 31 January 2008, will be awarded version one of the qualification.
2. Any student who enrols for their first NZDipBus prescription that is to be delivered in a semester or term that starts after 1 January 2009, will complete version two of the qualification.
3. Any student part way through version one of the qualification may elect to complete either version one or version two of the qualification. Any version two prescription completed will be accepted towards the completion of version one of the qualification. The last date of award of version one is 31 December 2010.
4. For the purposes of awarding version two of the qualification, grades of 'C' or higher for version one core prescriptions that are reported to NZQA prior to  31 January 2009, will be accepted as equivalent to a 'pass' result for the corresponding version two prescriptions. The results will be recorded with version one prescription code and the grade achieved.
5. Results of 'P' for version one prescriptions (awarded through credit transfer or Assessment of Prior Learning) will not be acceptable for the purpose of awarding version two of the qualification.
6. Any student part way through version one of the qualification wishing to transfer to version two and who has reported results for elective version one prescriptions that have increased in level will need to attain the corresponding version two elective prescriptions through Assessment of Prior Learning (APL), where this is necessary to meet qualification requirements. The APL process will be managed by the provider who will determine what additional material/assessments, etc will be required to achieve a 'P' grade for the version two prescriptions. For elective prescriptions that have not increased in level, results for version one elective prescriptions will be accepted for version two of the qualification.

Elective prescriptions changed in level from version one to version two

* The 637 prescription is not yet available.

Appeals

Students who consider that they are adversely affected by these transition arrangements may apply in writing to have their case considered. An applicant must detail how he or she has been adversely affected. An application should be sent to:

NZDipBus Transition
Tertiary Assessment and Moderation
Qualifications Development and Tertiary Moderation
New Zealand Qualifications Authority
PO Box 160
Wellington 6011

Applications must be received prior to 31 December 2011. No applications received after this date will be considered.

All appeals will be considered and applicants notified within thirty working days of receipt. The outcome of an appeal is final.

Questions and answers

Question		Answer
Can TEOs offer version two (400-600) prescriptions as part of the version one qualification?		Yes, provided (if you are a PTE) your original course approval and accreditation included version one of those prescriptions. The last date for award of version one of the qualification is 2010. Refer transition arrangements for version two #3.
If a TEO wants to offer an elective prescription in their NZDipBus programme that hasn't yet been reviewed, can they continue to offer the relevant version one (200) prescription, and can successful students use those credits towards version two of the qualification?		Yes, provided the level of the reviewed prescription stays the same as the version one (200) prescription level and the version one (200) credits were not awarded a 'P' result. Transition arrangements #5 and #6 apply.
Will TEOs need to apply for re-accreditation before offering version two of the qualification?		No. If you are an ITP, you can automatically offer any of the version two (400-600) prescriptions, subject to appropriate resources and staffing. If you are a PTE, you can offer any version prescription that was approved (as version one) as part of your original course approval and accreditation. However, if you wish to offer version two of a prescription and version one of that prescription was not part of your original approved course, you will need to make a Category C course change application to Course Approvals and Accreditation, NZQA.
The 100-200 series of prescriptions include contact hours; prescriptions in the 400-600 series do not. Can TEOs who are accredited for delivering version one of NZDipBus change the contact hours when they move to delivering 400-600 prescriptions?		Not automatically. If you are an ITP, you would need to seek the appropriate academic approval, as required by your organisation's quality management systems. If you are a PTE, you can approve minor changes through your internal approval processes. For significant changes, you will need to make a Category C course change application to Course Approvals and Accreditation, NZQA.
Entry requirements are mandatory for version two of the qualification whereas they were recommended for version one. Can TEOs use their discretion for applicants who do not meet all the entry requirements?		TEOs usually have discretionary entry regulations and procedures that can be used for applicants who do not meet all entry requirements for particular qualifications but are deemed (on an individual basis) to be capable of coping with the required course work. TEOs must ensure (through their discretionary entry procedures) that any NZDipBus students who enrol without the specified literacy, numeracy and other credits and (for international students) the required IELTS/TOEFL score are appropriately equipped to cope with the level of work from the beginning of their programme. This may be through demonstration of equivalent knowledge or skills, or through (for example) bridging courses and/or on-going support offered by the TEO. TEOs should also ensure that instances of discretionary entry are clearly documented so they are available for audit purposes.
If TEOs may (through applying discretionary entry procedures) enrol international students who have a lower IELTS or TOEFL score (eg 5.5 IELTS), can they use the lower score in promotional material?		No. Discretionary entry procedures are applied on a case-by-case basis. All promotional material for a NZDipBus programme must state the TEO's mandatory entry requirements, which must be at least the entry requirements stated in the NZDipBus regulations. It is good practice for TEOs to promote the availability of discretionary entry pathways to potential applicants for any programme.
Do international students under 20 need the literacy and numeracy credits (or equivalent) for entry as well as an IELTS score of 6.0?		Yes.
Do the mandatory NZDipBus entry requirements apply for local TEO qualifications that include NZDipBus prescriptions?		The NZDipBus entry requirements apply to NZDipBus programmes. TEOs apply their own entry requirements for local programmes/qualifications. If NZDipBus prescriptions included in local qualifications have recommended prerequisites, these should be noted by TEOs.
Are version one (100-200) credits that are transferred to version two of the NZDipBus qualification included in, or additional to, the maximum credits achievable by credit transfer?		Credit transfer rules and regulations for the NZDipBus, as outlined in the document opposite, apply only to credit recognition from other courses and programmes. Recognition of version one (100-200) NZDipBus credits in version two of the qualification is covered by the transition arrangements for version two rather than by credit transfer regulations.

Page updated: 08 October 2007